25.8 The Story about the Five Hundred Bhikkhus
Pañcasatabhikkhuvatthu
Dhp 377
Burlingame: “The Grass Withereth, the Flower Fadeth”
Compare: Dhp-a 20.9
Five hundred bhikkhus who had received instructions from the Buddha saw jasmine flowers fading away and determined to attain Awakening before the flowers dropped from the stems; the Buddha projected an image of himself and gave them this teaching, after hearing which, they became Arahats.
Keywords: Meditation, Insight, Radiant Image
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“Just as striped jasmine,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to five hundred bhikkhus.
It seems that these bhikkhus obtained a subject of meditation from the Teacher, went forth to the forest, and applied themselves to meditation. While thus engaged, they saw jasmine flowers which had blossomed that very morning, dropping in the evening from the stem. Thereupon they thought to themselves: “We will obtain release from lust, hatred, and delusion, before you obtain release from your stems,” and applied themselves to meditation with renewed vigor.
The Teacher beheld those bhikkhus and said: “Bhikkhus, even as a flower is released from its stem, even so should a bhikkhu strive to obtain release from the pain of birth and rebirth.” And even as he sat within the Perfumed Chamber, he sent forth a light AJ: the terminology differs here, but it is clear a radiant image is meant (āloka here, obhāsa normally). and pronounced the following verse:
377. Vassikā viya pupphāni maddavāni pamuñcati,
evaṁ rāgañ-ca dosañ-ca vippamuñcetha bhikkhavo.
Just as striped jasmine casts
off its withered flowers,
just so, bhikkhus, cast off
all passion and hatred.
At the end of the teaching, all those bhikkhus were established in Arahatship.