26d: The Buddha’s Visits to Śrī Laṅkā
The Buddha’s First Visit to Śrī Laṅkā
This is an account of the Buddha’s three visits to the Island of Śrī Laṅkā, in the first, fifth and eighth year after Awakening, in abridged form, drawn from the Great Heritage (Mahā-vaṁsa).
The Buddha observed the first Rains Retreat (Vassa) after becoming a Buddha in the Deer Park at Isipatana, near Bārāṇasī. From there he proceeded to the forest of Uruvelā to emancipate the recluse Uruvelā Kassapa by an exhibition of miracles. At that time, the citizens of Aṅga and Magadha were going to pay their annual homage to the recluse with gifts. The recluse did not wish the Buddha to come to the great festival offering. His thoughts were known to the Fortunate One. So on that very day the Buddha went to Uttarakuru to receive an offering of food, and from thence he returned to Lake Anotatta to have his meal, and at night-fall in the ninth month of Awakening he went to Śrī Laṅkā.
His visit coincided with the conference of Yakkhas held at a spot which is the location of the garden of Mahānāgavana of today, measuring three leagues in length by one league in breath in the central part of the Island, along the bank of a river. The Buddha went to the place where the Yakkhas were holding the conference and while standing directly above their heads, on the spot where the Mahīyaṅgana Cetiya stands today, he caused heavy rain to fall and strong winds to blow and darkness to descend to frighten them.
The Yakkhas were very much frightened and they beseeched the Buddha to grant them a place of refuge, free from danger. The Buddha consoled them by telling them that he would relieve them of their anxieties and troubles, if he was offered a place on the Island to stay. Whereupon, they replied: “Lord of peace and tranquillity, we hereby offer you this very spot and we beseech you to give refuge to all our kind on this Island.”
The Buddha restored peace and calmed the fears of the Yakkhas by causing the rain, storm and blackout to cease and descended to earth and, spreading a leather rug, sat upon it. When the Buddha spread the leather rug over the place, Yakkhas ran away to escape from the unbearable heat emanating from the blazing carpet and took refuge in the remote areas of the Island. The Buddha caused the Island of Giridīpa to come close to Śrī Laṅkā to accommodate the restless Yakkhas. Once all the Yakkhas had settled there, he caused the Island to move back to its original site.
The blazing leather rug was removed as soon as Śrī Laṅkā was rid of all Yakkhas. Then all the good Devas assembled on the Island and held a conference among themselves. The Fortunate One taught the Dhamma to them with the result that millions of beings realized the four noble truths and a countless number of Devas took refuge in the Three Treasures with strong faith.
The Buddha’s Relics
Mahā Sumana Deva, a resident of the Sumanakūṭa Mountain, attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti) by hearing the Dhamma at the conference, just mentioned above. He requested the Buddha for an object of worship. The Buddha rubbed his head with his fingers to collect a handful of hair and gave it to Mahā Sumana. After that, the Buddha returned to Uruvelā forest.
Mahā Sumana brought the handful of hair in a gold casket and kept it at a spot that
In course of time, Ven. Sāriputta’s disciple, named Ven. Sarabhu, after the Buddha’s passing brought the neck-bone of the Buddha from the cremation by his supernormal power to this place. He sanctified it by enshrining it in the original shrine of small dimension and raised its height to twelve cubits, assisted by a company of monastics. Ven. Sarabhu then returned after reconstruction of the shrine.
Years rolled by and Prince Uddha Cūḷābhaya, younger brother of King Devānampiyatissa rebuilt the old shrine to a height of 30 cubits, enveloping the smaller shrine. Later, King Duṭṭhagāmaṇi again reconstructed that shrine, making it 80 cubits high. Thus, Mahīyaṅgana Cetiya grew to a great height by successive modifications through the years.
The Buddha’s Second Visit to Śrī Laṅkā
At a time when the Buddha was residing at Jetavana monastery in Sāvatthī, during the fifth Rains Retreat (Vassa), there was a battle being fought, involving huge armies for the possession of an emerald throne between two Nāgas, Mahodara and his nephew Cūḷodara. When the Buddha perceived this unhappy state of affairs, he woke up early and taking his robe and alms bowl, he went to theatre of war, which was the Island of Nāgadīpa, to save the Nāgas from destruction.
Mahodara was a powerful king who claimed sovereignty over the Nāga country, with an area of 500 leagues in that part of the ocean. Mahodara gave away his sister, Kaṇhā, in marriage to another Nāga King who was ruling over the Vaḍḍhamāna mountain region. In due time, they produced a son named Cūḷodara.
Cūḷodara’s maternal grandmother gave her emerald throne to Cūḷodara’s mother before her death. Consequently a war broke out over the possession of the throne between King Mahodara and his nephew Cūḷodara. These inhabitants of the mountain region were also powerful rulers in their own region with their own big army.
There was a Deva, named Samiddhi Sumana, living in the Rājāyatana tree near the arched entrance to Jetavana monastery. He accompanied the Fortunate One all the way to Nāgadīpa, carrying the Rājāyatana tree as an umbrella, to protect the Fortunate One from the weather, with the permission of the Fortunate One.
This will be further clarified: Samiddhi Sumana was a human being living in Nāgadīpa in his previous existence. Once, he noticed a Paccekabuddha having his meal at the spot where the Rājāyatana Cetiya is standing today. He offered the Paccekabuddha, out of reverence, a bunch of branches for use in washing and cleaning the bowl after his meal.
For this deed of merit, he became a Tree Deva of the Rājāyatana tree near the arched entrance to the garden of Jetavana, owned by Prince Jeta. The Rājāyatana tree stood outside the monastery since the time of its construction. The Buddha brought Sumiddhi Sumana together with the Rājāyatana tree which was for his own benefit and in the interest of the Island.
The Buddha, on arrival at the Island, sat in the sky above the middle of the battle grounds and caused complete darkness in the area to frighten the combatants in the battle. Then he caused the area to become bright and clear again to relieve the Nāgas of fear and anxiety. The Nāgas, on seeing him, felt happy and rallied around him and worshipped at his feet with profound respect.
When the Buddha taught the Dhamma to them in the interest of peace and tranquillity,
Then the Buddha came down and sat on the throne and partook of the delicious food offered by the Nāgas and taught the Dhamma to them again, with the result that 800 million Nāgas, both of land and water, took refuge in the Three Treasures with great faith. These events marked the first visit to Śrī Laṅkā by the Buddha.
Maṇi-akkhika, the Nāga King of Kalyāṇi region, a maternal uncle of Mahodara, also arrived at Nāgadīpa to take part in the war. He had already taken refuge in the Three Treasures at the time of the Buddha’s first visit to Śrī Laṅkā. He made a solemn request to the Buddha: “Exalted lord, you have, indeed, done a great deed of kindness to us by your exhortations. Had you not come to this place, by now we would have been reduced to ashes. Our ardent wish is that, out of compassion, you do honour to the place of my dwelling, Kalyāṇi, by your visit when you come to Śrī Laṅkā on the next occasion.” The Buddha kept silent to signify his acceptance of the invitation.
Then the Fortunate One urged them to build Rājayatana Cetiya on that spot as a memorial to the happy occasion. He presented the Rājayatana tree to them and returned the emerald throne with instructions to hold them as sacred objects of veneration: “Nāga lords, these two objects should be held in high reverence as relics of my utensils (paribhoga-cetiya) in your own interest and for your continued prosperity.” The Buddha, after leaving those instructions, returned to Jetavana monastery at Sāvatthī. These events marked the second visit to Śrī Laṅkā by the Buddha.
The Buddha’s Third Visit to Śrī Laṅkā
Three years later, Maṇi-akkhika, the Nāga King, went to Sāvatthī to invite the Buddha cordially to Śrī Laṅkā, while he was in residence at Jetavana monastery. It was on a full moon day of May (Vesākha), during the eighth year after the Buddha’s attainment to Buddhahood, and one day after Maṇi-akkhika’s arrival. The Buddha, on being informed of the time for the meal, put on his robe and went across to Śrī Laṅkā, together with 500 monastics.
The Nāga King Maṇi-akkhika, accompanied by his Nāgas, conducted the Buddha and his monastics to a jewelled pandal near the site where Kalyāṇi Cetiya is now situated and offered delicious celestial food to him and the monastics with profound respect.
After teaching Maṇi-akkhika and all the Nāgas, the Buddha travelled through the sky to the Sumanakūṭa hill and left an impression of his foot, in order that future generations might hold it as a sacred place (pāda-cetiya). He went to the base of the hill in the company of monastics to spend the day and proceeded to Dīghavāpī.
During his sojourn at Dīghavāpī, he and the monastics enjoyed fruition-attainment (phala-samāpatti) on the spot where the Dīghavāpī Cetiya is standing today. This is one of the sacred places held in high reverence by the people from the days of yore. From here, the Buddha proceeded to the Garden of Mahā Meghavana.
On arrival at Meghavana garden, together with the 500 monastics, the Buddha sat and enjoyed fruition-attainment together with the monastics. On the spot where the Buddha sat a sapling of the original Mahā Bodhi tree was planted.
From there, they proceeded to the location of the Mahā Cetiya and together they enjoyed fruition-attainment. Rising from this attainment, they proceeded to the present location of Thūpārāma Cetiya and enjoyed fruition-attainment together again.
Rising from this fruition-attainment, they went to Silā Cetiya, which still