17.5 The Story about the Brahmin from Sāketa
Sāketabrāhmaṇavatthu

“Those sages without violence,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Añjanavana (Black Wood) near Sāketa with reference to a question asked by the bhikkhus. {3.317}

It seems that once upon a time, as the Fortunate One, accompanied by the Saṅgha of bhikkhus, was entering Sāketa for alms, a certain old Brahmin who lived in Sāketa passed out of the city, and seeing the One of Ten Strengths entering within the gate, fell down before his feet, and grasping him firmly by the ankles, said to him: “Dear son, is it not the duty of sons to care for their mother and father when they have grown old? Why is it that for so long a time you have not shown yourself to us? This is the first time I have seen you. Come look upon your mother.” And taking the Teacher [30.109] with him, he escorted him into his house. When the Teacher had entered the house, he sat down on the seat prepared for him, together with the Saṅgha of bhikkhus.

The Brahmin’s wife also approached the Teacher, {3.318} and falling before his feet, said: “Dear son, where have you been all this time? Ought not mothers and fathers to be cared for when they have grown old?” And she directed her sons and daughters to salute the Teacher, saying: “Go salute your brother.”

Delighted at heart, the Brahmin and his wife offered food to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus presided over by the Buddha, saying: “Venerable Sir, take all of your meals right here.” The Teacher replied: “The Buddhas never take their meals regularly in the same place.” Then said the Brahmin and his wife: “Well then, venerable Sir, be good enough to send to us all those who come to you and invite you to be their guest.”

From that time forward, the Teacher sent to the Brahmin and his wife all those who came to him with an invitation to be their guest, saying: “Go tell the Brahmin.” Such persons would then go and say to the Brahmin: “We would invite the Teacher for tomorrow,” and the Brahmin on the following day would take from his own house jars of boiled rice and jars of curries, and go to the place where the Teacher sat. In case the Teacher was invited nowhere else, he always took his meal in the house of the Brahmin. Both the Brahmin and his wife gave alms regularly to the Realised One, listened to the Dhamma, and in the course of time reached the fruition of Non-returning.

The bhikkhus began a discussion in the Dhamma Hall: “Friends, the Brahmin knows perfectly well that the Realised One’s father is Suddhodana and that his mother is Mahā Māyā. But although he knows this, both he and his wife address the Realised One as ‘our son,’ {3.319} and the Teacher acquiesces in this form of address; pray what can be the explanation of this?”

The Teacher overheard their talk and said: “Bhikkhus, both the Brahmin and his wife are addressing their own son when they say to me: ‘Our son.’” Having said this, he related the following

Story of the Past: The Bodhisatta’s Relatives in Past Existences

Bhikkhus, in times past this Brahmin was my father for five hundred successive existences, my uncle for five hundred existences, and my grandfather for five hundred existences; likewise the Brahmin’s wife was my mother for five hundred existences, my aunt for five hundred existences, and my grandmother for five hundred existences. Thus I was brought up by this Brahmin during fifteen hundred states of existence, and by the wife of this Brahmin during fifteen hundred [30.110] states of existence.

Having thus explained that he had been their son during three thousand states of existence, he pronounced the following verses: BG: The first verse is from Ja 68; the second verse is from Ja 237.

In whom the mind is established,
in whom the heart has confidence,
in that person unseen before,
in him too he gladly trusts.

Through living together in the past, or
being beneficial in the present,
in this way love arises, like
a water-lily arises on the water.

For the entire period of three months during which the Teacher kept residence, he resorted only to that family for his meals, and at the end of the three months they experienced Arahatship and passed into Parinibbāna. Men rendered high honors to their bodies, placed both bodies on one hearse, and carried them out.

The Teacher, surrounded by a retinue of five hundred bhikkhus, accompanied the bodies to the charnel ground. Hearing the report: “They were the mother and father of the Buddhas,” a great multitude went forth from the city. The Teacher entered a certain hall near the charnel ground and remained therein.

Men worshipped the Teacher, saying to him: “Venerable Sir, do not {3.320} grieve because your mother and father are dead,” and held sweet converse with him. Instead of repulsing them by saying: “Speak not thus,” the Teacher surveyed the thoughts of the company and teaching the Dhamma with reference to that particular occasion, recited the Jarā Discourse, Snp 4.6 (Verses 804-813). AJ: the commentary quoted only the first verse, here I include the rest of the verses. as follows:

This life is indeed short, one dies on the
near shore, short of a hundred years,
and whoever lives for longer,
then still he will die because of old age.

People grieve over what is taken as mine,
for there are no permanent possessions,
for there is indeed separation here,
having seen this, he does not live at home.

Through death, even that is abandoned, which
a person thinks about as: this is mine.
understanding this, the wise devotee
does not incline towards ownership.

Just as that which was met with in a dream,
waking up, a person sees it no more,
so also a beloved person who is
dead and has made his time is seen no more.

Although those people were seen and were heard,
and were called by their name, it is only
their name that lives on and can be
spoken, when that person has died.

There is grief, lamentation, selfishness,
not abandoning greed for possessions;
therefore the sages, after abandoning
possessions, roam around free from danger.

For a bhikkhu living in solitude
resorting to a secluded seat, they
say it is not in harmony for him
to be seen in a dwelling place himself.

The sage, not dependent, in any way,
takes nothing as pleasant or unpleasant,
therefore lamentation and selfishness,
like water on a leaf, do not adhere.

Just as a water drop on blue lotus,
like water on a lotus leaf adheres
not, so the sage does not adhere
to whatever is seen, heard, cognised.

Because of this, the pure one does not think
about things that are seen, heard and cognised;
not wishing for purity from others,
he is neither passionate nor dispassionate.

At the end of the teaching 84,000 living beings had comprehension of the Dhamma.

The bhikkhus, not knowing that the Brahmin and his wife had passed into Parinibbāna, asked the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, what will be their future state?” The Teacher replied: “Bhikkhus, in the case of such as they, beyond training and sages, there is no future state. Such as they reach the eternal, deathless, Great Nibbāna. So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

225. Ahiṁsakā ye munayo, niccaṁ kāyena saṁvutā,
te yanti accutaṁ ṭhānaṁ, yattha gantvā na socare.

Those sages without violence,
constantly restrained in body,
go to the deathless Nibbāna,
having gone there they do not grieve. {3.321}

At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.