THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
320
a single deva,
mÈra
or BrahmÈ who can create such a sentient being.)‛
This being the case, the Bodhisatta had, through
pubbenivÈs’Ènussati-ÒÈÓa
, temporarily
put away to a distance (
vikkhambhana-pahÈna
) the twenty wrong views of
attÈ
(personality-belief); they are the four wrong views of
attÈ
relating to the aggregate of
corporeality, namely,
r|pa
is
attÈ
,
attÈ
has
r|pa
;
r|pa
exists in
attÈ
,
attÈ
exists in
r|pa
and
similarly, each set of these four wrong views relating to the remaining aggregates of
feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness. In a similar manner, he had also
discarded delusion (
moha
), which had taken place in the distant past.
(2) Attainment of Supernormal Knowledge of Divine Power of Sight, Dibbacakkhu
AbhiÒÒÈ (The Second VijjÈ-ÒÈÓa)
After the noble Bodhisatta had realised the
pubbenivÈs’Ènussati abhiÒÒÈ
in the first watch
of that night, he recollected many past events and existences through that
abhiÒÒÈ
; and,
having temporarily put away, to a distance, the twenty wrong views (
sakkÈya-diÔÔhi
)
together with
moha
which had taken place in the distant past, he directed his mind
continuum, which was endowed with the aforesaid eight attributes, towards acquiring
cut|papÈta-ÒÈÓa
, the knowledge of seeing the deaths and births of sentient beings, and
towards acquiring
yathÈkamm|paga-ÒÈÓa
, knowledge of analysing and seeing the
meritorious and demeritorious deeds which form the origins of sentient beings.
(
Cut|papÈta-ÒÈÓa
is the same as
dibbacakkhu-ÒÈÓa
, because
dibbacakkhu-ÒÈÓa
, is
also known as
Cut|papÈta-ÒaÓa
. When
dibbacakkhu-ÒÈÓa
is developed,
yathÈkamm|paga-ÒÈÓa
and
anÈgataÑsa-ÒÈÓa
(knowledge of foreseeing the future)
also become developed.)
When the mind was thus inclined to acquire
dibbacakkhu-ÒÈÓa
, also called
Cut|papÈta-
ÒaÓa, dibbacakkhu-abhiÒÒÈ
(the second
vijjÈ-ÒÈÓa
) arose quite easily. Through that
abhiÒÒÈ
, he could see sentient beings on the verge of death or just after taking conception;
those who were low-born or high-born by lineage, caste, etc., those who were beautiful or
not beautiful, and attain a happy existence or a miserable existence. In other words, he saw
those who were rich and prosperous because of their past deeds of merit based on absence
of greed (
alobha
), and those who were indigent and poverty-stricken because of their past
deeds of demerit based on greed (
lobha
).
After seeing, through
dibbacakkhu-abhiÒÒÈ
, the denizens of the woeful states (
apÈya
)
suffering misfortune, he reflected: ‚What kind of deeds have these beings of the
apÈya
done to suffer such awful miseries?‛ Thereupon,
yathÈkamm|paga-abhiÒÒÈ,
which enabled
him to see the deeds of demerit done by these beings, arose in him.
Likewise, after seeing, through
dibbacakkhu-abhiÒÒÈ
, immense happiness enjoyed by
sentient beings of the realms of devas, humans and BrahmÈs in a progressively higher and
better manner, he reflected: ‚What kind of deeds have these devas, humans and BrahmÈs
done to enjoy such progressively magnificent bliss in their respective realms?‛ Thereupon,
yathÈkamm|paga-abhiÒÒÈ,
which enabled him to see the deeds of merit done by those
beings, arose in him.
By means of the
yathÈkamm|paga-abhiÒÒÈ
, he reviewed in detail the past deeds of merit
and demerit done by beings and came to know them as they really were: ‚These denizens
of the
apÈya
world had, in their past existences, committed evil by deed, word and thought;
they had maligned, abused and reviled the noble individuals (
ariyas
). They held wrong
views and with these wrong views they, themselves, committed and also caused others to
commit various demeritorious deeds. After death and dissolution of their bodies, they
reappeared in miserable existences (
apÈya
), namely, the realm of continuous suffering
(
niraya
), the realm of animals (
tiracchÈna
), the realm of ghosts (
peta
) and the realm of
asuras
(
as|rahya
)‛, and ‚These beings in good existences had performed good deeds
bodily, verbally and mentally; they did not malign, abuse or revile the
ariyas
; they held
right views and with the right views, they performed various kinds of meritorious deeds
and they caused others to do so. After death and dissolution of their bodies, they were
reborn in the good world of devas, humans and the twenty realms of the BrahmÈs.‛