11.8 The Story about the Exalted Utterances (Spoken) to Elder Ānanda
Ānandattherassa Udānavatthu
Dhp 153-154
CST4: Udānavatthu
Burlingame: Elder Ānanda’s Stanzas AJ: titled such, even though the verses are not spoken by Ānanda, but the Buddha.
Compare: Nidānakathā BG: Ja Nid vs 278-279 (Jātaka, 1.76). The “Builder of the House” is of course craving, (taṇhā), the cause of rebirth and suffering.
After he had defeated Māra at the foot of the Bodhi tree, the Bodhisatta, in the three watches of the night, attained insight into his previous existences, the rising and falling away of beings according to their intentional actions, and dependent origination, which led to his Awakening, at which point he spoke exalted utterances.
Keywords: Meditation
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“Through the round of births and deaths,”
For the Teacher, sitting at the foot of the Bodhi tree, before the set of sun, overcame the force of Māra; in the first watch, drove away the darkness that veils previous states of existence; in the middle watch, acquired the divine eye; and in the last watch, out of pity for living beings, by focussing his thoughts on dependent origination and meditating on it both forwards and backwards, at sunrise he obtained Complete Awakening.
Thereupon he uttered an exalted utterance common to countless thousands of Buddhas, pronouncing the following verses:
153. Anekajātisaṁsāraṁ sandhāvissaṁ anibbisaṁ
gahakārakaṁ gavesanto: dukkhā jāti punappunaṁ.
Through the round of births and deaths
I have wandered without finding
the housebuilder I was seeking:
born and suffering once again.
154. Gahakāraka diṭṭhosi! Puna gehaṁ na kāhasi:
sabbā te phāsukā bhaggā, gahakūṭaṁ visaṅkhitaṁ,
visaṅkhāragataṁ cittaṁ, taṇhānaṁ khayam-ajjhagā.
O housebuilder, now you are seen!
You will not build the house again:
all your rafters have been broken,
and the ridgepole has been destroyed,
my mind has reached the unconditioned,
and craving’s end has been achieved.
