THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
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given in AmbalaÔÔhika Park‛, (3) the RÈhula-saÑyutta, ‚Saying connected with RÈhula‛ (4)
the MahÈ-RÈhulovÈda Sutta, ‚Greater Discourse as Advice to RÈhula‛, and (5) the C|la
RÈhulovÈda Sutta, ‚Lesser Discourse as Advice to RÈhula‛,
Gist of these Suttas: At the time when the Buddha visited the palace at Kapilavatthu for
the first time and met Prince RÈhula who was then seven years old, the Prince asked for his
inheritance, grasping the edge of the Buddha's robe: ‚Father, you whose defilements have
all been put away! Please grant me your inheritance!‛ Accordingly the Buddha handed him
over to Venerable SÈriputta to ordain him as a novice.
(1) Thereafter the Buddha decided to make some exhortations to RÈhula, for he thought:
‚Children tend to speak of all kinds of things, proper as well as improper.‛ He then
summoned His son and said: ‚RÈhula, a
sÈmaÓera
should not indulge in
tiracchÈna-
kathÈ
, ‘animal talks’ such as those about princes and rulers and the like, which are
not conducive to the Path and Fruition. Dear son, if you wish to talk, talk about such
and such Dhamma.‛ And the Buddha gave RÈhula a sermon, ‘SÈmaÓera-paÒha’ by
name, containing ten questions and fifty-five answers that are never left out by all
Buddhas from Their Teaching. (
Khuddaka-paÔha
, the first book of the Khuddaka
NikÈya)
(2) Again the Buddha considered: ‚Children are fond of telling lies. They are likely to
say: ‘I see’ when they do not; or ‘I do not see’, when they do. Therefore I shall
exhort RÈhula in advance.‛ Hence, He taught the AmbalaÔÔhika RÈhulovÈda which
enumerates seven examples in order: first, the four examples of water cups which
can be easily seen by the eye, the two examples of an elephant in warfare, and one
example of a mirror. (AmbalaÔÔhika-RÈhulovÈda Sutta, Bhikkhu-Vagga, Majjhima-
PaÓÓÈsa, MÈjjhima NikÈya.)
Besides, the Buddha taught RÈhula another Sutta which forbade the arising of craving
for the four requisites, which removed desire, greed and craving for the five sensual
pleasures, and explained the significant advantages of association with good friends.
(Sutta-NipÈta I, this particular Sutta is called AbhiÓha RÈhulovÈda Sutta)
(3) The RÈhula SaÑyutta teaches not to develop craving and desire for the three kinds of
existence wherever one is born. (SaÑyutta NikÈya, etc.)
(4) The MahÈ-RÈhulovÈda Sutta was delivered in order not to cultivate
gehassita
chandarÈga
, thinking: ‘I am beautiful, my look is clean and serene’ with reference to
one's body. (Majjhima PaÓÓÈsa, Majjhima NikÈya)
(5) After that when the Buddha was in his fourteenth year as an Enlightened One (when
RÈhula-was newly ordained as a
bhikkhu
but had not yet completed a
vassa
), the C|la
RÈhulovÈda was taught so that RÈhula might attain arahatship right away (Upari-
PaÓÓÈsa, Majjhima NikÈya)
Of the above discourses,
Nothing can be said of the date of the deliverance of the RÈhula Sutta (AbhiÒÒÈ
RÈhulovda Sutta). In fact, it was taught by the Buddha off and on.
(1 & 2) The SÈmaÓera PaÒha and the AmblaÔÔhika RÈhulovÈda Sutta were delivered when
RÈhula was a young
sÈmaÓera
of seven.
(3) The RÈhula SaÑyutta was given occasionally during the period between RÈhula's
novitiate which commenced when he was seven and his ordination as a young
bhikkhu
who had not yet observed even a single.
(4) The teaching of the MahÈ-RÈhulovÈda took place when RÈhula was eighteen.
(5) The teaching of the C|la-RÈhulovÈda took place when RÈhula had just become a
bhikkhu
with no experience even for a
vassa
.
Among these Discourses, the RÈhula Sutta (AbhiÒÒÈ RÈhulovÈda Sutta) was given in
order to exhort RÈhula incessantly; (1) The SÈmaÓera PaÒha was preached to make RÈhula
avoid talking about improper things. (2) The Ambatatthika RÈhulovÈda Sutta was to instruct
him not to tell lies knowingly. (3) The RÈhula SaÑyutta was given in order to let RÈhula