10. The Chronicle of Buddha Padumuttara
[The most momentous of the events in Buddha Padumuttara’s life story has somehow been left out of this account. For, as we will see later, in chapters 43-45, it was during his Dispensation that nearly all of the 80 Buddha Gotama’s foremost disciples, both male and female, monastic and lay, were inspired, and made their aspirations for their respective positions later on. The only exceptions to this are Ven. Sāriputta and Ven. Mahā Moggallāna, who made their aspiration earlier under Ven. Anomadassī owing to a greater time amassing the perfections needed for these positions. This is very much worth noting.]
After the aeon with three Buddhas (vara-kappa), in which appeared the Buddhas Anomadassī, Paduma and Nārada had come to an end, one immeasurable period passed. Then in one aeon, 100,000 aeons before the present one, there appeared Buddha Padumuttara.
This particular aeon was an essential aeon (sāra-kappa) as Buddha Padumutta alone appeared then, yet it resembled a fine aeon (maṇḍa-kappa) of two Buddhas because of its delightful features. In the aeon to which Buddha Padumuttara belonged, there lived only people who abounded in meritoriousness.
In the Chronicle of the Buddhas, Padumuttara’s appearance was like this: Having completed his fulfilment of the perfections, Bodhisatta Padumuttara was reborn in Tusita which was a practice common to all Bodhisattas. Having agreed to the entreaties of Devas and Brahmas, he descended to the human abode to be conceived in the womb of Sujātā, Queen of King Ānanda, in the city of Haṁsavatī. When ten months had elapsed, the Bodhisatta was born in the royal garden of Haṁsavatī. When Prince Padumuttara was born, a rain of Paduma lotuses fell and his relatives gave him the name of Padumuttara.
Early Life
When he came of age, he enjoyed the divine-like royal household life living for 10,000 years in three palaces: Naravāhana, Yasavāhana and Vasavatti, and being entertained and served by 120,000 female attendants headed by his chief consort Vasudattā.
While he was thus living the royal household life, Princess Vasudattā gave birth to a son, named Uttara. Having seen the four omens, he resolved to undertake the noble task of renunciation. No sooner had he thus resolved, the Vasavatti palace rotated thoroughly like a potter’s wheel and rose up to the sky. Then it moved on its course, like the moon and other heavenly bodies, and descended onto the ground with the Bodhi tree at its centre.
The Bodhisatta came down from the palace and putting on the lotus robes offered by the Brahma, he became a recluse at that very spot. The palace then returned to the city and stood at its original site. Except womenfolk, all those who accompanied the Bodhisatta also became recluses themselves.
Awakening
Buddha Padumuttara practised the austerities with his companions for seven days. On the full-moon day of May (Vesākha), the day of his Awakening, he ate the milk rice offered by Rucanandā, daughter of the local wealthy man of Ujjeni. Having passed the daytime in a Sāla grove, he went alone, in the evening, to the Bodhi tree. On the way, he accepted eight handfuls of grass offered by a heretic named Sumitta. As soon as he spread the grass at the foot of the Salala Bodhi tree, there appeared the unconquered seat, which was 38 cubits.
Sitting cross-legged on the seat, he mustered his energy at four levels and dispelled Māra’s forces. He acquired the knowledge of previous lives in the first watch of the night; the knowledge of the divine eye in the middle watch; and contemplated conditional origination (paṭicca-samuppāda) in the third watch. After contemplating it, the Bodhisatta emerged from the fourth absorption (jhāna) through breathing meditation, and viewed the five aggregates with their characteristics.
By means of the knowledge of rise and fall (udayabbaya-ñāṇa) of all conditioned things, he contemplated the impermanence in 50 modes, and developed insight (vipassanā) up to the change of lineage (gotrabhū-ñāṇa). Through the noble path (ariya-magga), he realized all the attributes of the Buddhas, and became a Buddha, and uttered the verse of elation: Aneka-jāti saṁsaraṁ, “through the round of countless births and deaths” (Dhp 153). This utterance was customarily made by all Buddhas.
There are ten modes for each of the five aggregates (khandha), which makes 50 altogether. The ten modes are enumerated in the Path of the Analytic Knowledges (Paṭisambhidā-magga) commentary as follows: impermanent (anicca), crumbling (paloka), unstable (cāla), disintegrating (pabhaṅgu), uncertain (addhuva), mutable (vipariṇāma-dhamma), essenceless (asāra), unprosperous (vibhava) and liable to death (maraṇa-dhamma).
No sooner had the Bodhisatta become a Buddha then a rain of lotuses fell as though to adorn everything in the 10,000 world-element.
What is particularly noteworthy is this: After becoming an Awakened One, Buddha Padumuttara stayed absorbed in the fruition attainment (phala-samāpatti) for seven days under the Bodhi tree in the first week. On the eighth day, he thought he would set his foot on the ground, and as he was trying to put down his right foot on the ground, Paduma lotuses, which normally flower in water, miraculously pushed through the earth and appeared under his feet. Each lotus leaf measured nine cubits, each stamen filament, holding pollen, 30 cubits; each pollen, twelve cubits and each bloom had pollen that would fill nine water-jars.
Buddha Padumuttara was 58 cubits tall; the measurement between his two arms was eighteen cubits; that of his forehead five cubits; and that of each arm and leg eleven cubits. As his leg of eleven cubits trod on another pollen of twelve cubits, about nine jars-full of pollen rose up and spread all over his body of 58 cubits in height as though the powder of red orpiment and sulphuret of arsenic was sprinkled on it. On account of this particular happening, the Buddha was renowned as Buddha Padumuttara. This is based on the reciters of the Collection of the Thematic Discourses (Saṁyutta-nikāya). [It is an alternative account to that given above for his name.]
Three Occasions of the Buddha’s Teaching
1. Having become a Buddha, Buddha Padumuttara stayed near the Salala Mahā Bodhi tree for seven weeks. Having accepted a Brahma’s request, he thought as to whom he should teach first and saw Prince Devala and Prince Sujāta his future chief disciples who were endowed with the merits of their past deeds leading to the paths, fruitions and Nibbāna. Then he thought of their whereabouts and came to know that they were staying in Mithilā. Accordingly, taking his bowl and robe, and by his psychic power, the Buddha immediately appeared in the garden of Mithilā city.
Buddha Padumuttara then sent the gardener for the two princes, who discussed thus among themselves: “Our uncle’s son, Prince Padumuttara, after becoming a Buddha, has come to Mithilā city. We shall now visit him.” Then they approached the Buddha with their retinues and sat in suitable places.
Buddha Padumuttara appeared resplendent with the princes waiting upon him, like the full moon attended upon by stars, he taught the audience of Devas and humans led by the princes, the Dhamma Wheel (Dhamma-cakka) discourse which was also taught by all past Buddhas. At that time 1,000 billion Devas and humans attained the paths, fruitions and Nibbāna.
2. At another time, Sārada the recluse was teaching his followers some evil doctrine that would lead them to rebirth in the suffering states. The Buddha went to Sārada’s assembly and taught the Dhamma, giving the congregation illustrations of the dangers of rebirth in the Niraya hell, an abode of intense suffering. At that time 3,700,000 Devas and humans, including the disciples of Sārada, attained the paths, fruitions and Nibbāna.
3. Still at another time, the Buddha’s father, King Ānanda, sent 20 ministers with 20,000 men to bring back Buddha Padumuttara, who was staying at Mithilā, to his home city of Haṁsavatī, in the same way King Suddhodana did for his son Buddha Gotama. On arriving in the presence of the Buddha in Mithilā, the 20 ministers and their 20,000 men, after giving them a discourse, were called upon: “Come, O monks,” by the Buddha and they became summoned monastics. Accompanied by them, he travelled to Haṁsavati and stayed in the city to uplift the royal father’s spiritually.
Like our Buddha Gotama who visited Kapilavatthu and narrated the Chronicles of the Buddhas (Buddha-vaṁsa) in the assembly of his relatives, Buddha Padumuttara also taught the Chronicles of the Buddhas in the midst of his relatives while walking on the jewel-walk in the sky. At that time, five million Devas and humans attained the paths, fruitions and Nibbāna.
Three Occasions of the Disciples’ Meeting
1. The meetings (sannipāta) of Padumuttara’s disciples took place three times. In the first meeting of 1,000 billion monastics on the full-moon day of the month of February (Māgha), the Buddha recited the Advisory Rules (Ovāda-Pātimokkha) in the garden nearby, also named Mithilā.
2. At another time, after observing the Rains Retreat (Vassa) at Mount Vebhāra, the Buddha taught numerous people who had come to see him; on being called upon by the Buddha: “Come, O monks,” 900 million became summoned monastics. At the meeting of these monastics, the Buddha recited the Advisory Rules (Ovāda-Pātimokkha).
3. Still at another time, Buddha Padumuttara, Lord of the Three Worlds, while travelling, in order to help multitudes of people free from the bonds of defilements, recited the Advisory Rules (Ovāda-Pātimokkha) at the meeting of 80,000 monks, who as laymen had gone forth in renunciation from various villages, market-towns, districts and countries.
The Bodhisatta as a Governor
At that time, our Bodhisatta was Jaṭila, governor of a province, and he was very wealthy. He performed a great alms giving of food and clothing-material to the Saṅgha, with the Buddha at its head. At the end of the discourse, which was delivered in appreciation of the alms giving, the Buddha predicted of the governor: “A 100,000 aeons from now this man will certainly become a Buddha, named Gotama.” On hearing the Buddha’s prophecy, the Bodhisatta was extremely happy and determined to fulfil the ten perfections more energetically.
Unusual Features of Buddha Padumuttara’s Dispensation
When Buddha Padumuttara appeared, the opposing heretics who were holding wrong views were unhappy, distressed, powerless and started fading away. They received no respect, no generosity and the like, even from a few people. In fact, they were driven out of the country. Then the heretics met together and approached the Buddha with these words: “Most energetic, heroic, venerable sir, may you be our refuge.”
The compassionate Buddha Padumuttara established the heretics, who had come to him, in the three refuges together with the observance of the five precepts. In this way the Dispensation of Buddha Padumuttara was free of heretics who were holding wrong views. It was indeed marvellous, with Arahats who were accomplished in the five kinds of mastery, who were not affected by the vicissitudes of the world, and who had the virtues of morality, concentration, wisdom, and forbearance.
Particulars of Buddha Padumuttara
Buddha Padumuttara’s birthplace was Haṁsavatī city.
His father was King Ānanda and his mother was Queen Sujātā.
He reigned for 10,000 years.
His three palaces were Naravāhana, Yasavāhana and Vasavatti.
His chief consort was Vasudattā, who was attended by 43,000 maids of honour.
The number of the maids is given as 120,000 in the section on “royal household life” but here it is mentioned as 43,000. The two numbers therefore seems inconsistent. It should be noted, however, that the former was the total number of maids serving the princess and the latter was the number of maids in each batch that waited upon the princess at any given time.
His son was Prince Uttara.
The vehicle during his renunciation, after seeing the four omens, was a palace.
He practised the austerities for seven days.
His two male chief disciples were Ven. Devala and Ven. Sujāta.
His attendant was Ven. Sumana.
His two female chief disciples were Ven. Amitā and Ven. Asamā.
His Bodhi tree was a Salala tree.
His noble male lay attendants were the wealthy men, Vitiṇṇa and Tissa.
His noble female attendants were Hatthā and Vicittā.
Buddha Padumuttara’s height was 58 cubits.
Endowed with 32 marks of a Great Man, he was like a column of gold erected as an object of worship.
The radiance emitting from the Buddha’s body cannot be hindered by gates, doors, walls, trees, high and huge earthen hills, rocky mountains and the like. In fact, the radiance shone forth within the surrounding area of twelve leagues.
The lifespan during Buddha Padumuttara’s time was 100,000 years. He lived for 80,000 years, four-fifths of the lifespan and rescued many beings, such as humans, Devas and Brahmas, from the currents of Saṁsāra and placed them on the shores of Nibbāna.
Having eradicated all kinds of doubt in beings whom he conveyed to Nibbāna, Buddha Padumuttara with his monastic disciples, attained the end of his existence just as a great mass of fire became extinct after burning brightly!
In this way, Buddha Padumuttara, conqueror of the five kinds of death (māra), attained Parinibbāna in