35a: List of Rains Retreats

[This and the next section are moved here from the end of chapter 19, where they interrupted the flow of the story.]

The Buddha had no fixed rain-residence for 20 years during the early period after his Awakening (paṭhama-bodhi), as he went from place to place wherever sentient beings could be saved from the round of suffering. Briefly, this is a list of rains retreats observed by the Buddha:

1. After teaching the Dhamma Wheel (Dhamma-cakka) to the Group-of-Five monastics headed by Ven. Koṇḍañña, together with 180 million Brahmas, at the Deer Park at Isipatana, near Bārāṇasī, the Buddha observed the first Rains Retreat (Vassa) in the Deer Park, going for alms round in Bārāṇasī.

2-4. Then the Buddha observed the second to fourth Rains Retreats at Veḷuvana monastery, making Rājagaha his alms resort.

5. The fifth Rains Retreat was observed at a monastery with pinnacles and finials called the Kūṭāgāra Hall in the Great Wood, depending for alms food on Vesālī.

6. The sixth Rains Retreat was spent at the monastery in the Chāya forest in the vicinity of Mount Makula.

7. The seventh Rains Retreat was observed on the emerald throne at the foot of the Coral (Pāricchatta) tree in the celestial realm of Tāvatiṁsa, teaching the Abhidhamma to his reborn mother.

8. The eighth Rains Retreat was spent in the forest of pigeon peas, a wildlife sanctuary, or the forest governed by a celestial Yakkha, with Saṁsumāragiri with the Bhagga country as his alms food resort.

9. The ninth Rains Retreat was observed at the Ghositārāma monastery where Kosambī was the alms food resort for him.

10. He spent the tenth Rains Retreat in the Pālileyyaka forest, where the elephant King Pāḷileyyaka placed himself at his service.

11. He spent the eleventh Rains Retreat at Nāḷikārāma monastery with the Brahmin village, Nāḷa, serving as his alms food resort.

12. He observed the twelfth Rains Retreat near the Margosa (Pucimanda) tree, which was governed by a Yakkha named Nāḷeru, with Verañjā country as his alms resort.

13. With Jantu village, in the Cāliya country, serving as his alms resort, he spent the thirteenth Rains Retreat at the Cāliya mountain monastery.

14. The fourteenth Rains Retreat was spent at the Jetavana monastery with Sāvatthī, in the country of Kosala, as his alms resort.

15. With Kapilavatthu, in the Sakka country, serving as his alms resort, he spent the fifteenth Rains Retreat at the Nigrodha monastery.

16. He spent the sixteenth Rains Retreat at Aggāḷava shrine, which was a temple for the spirits, with the country of Āḷavī serving as his alms resort.

17. The seventeenth Rains Retreat was spent at the Veḷuvana monastery, where Rājagaha of Magadha became his alms resort. [489].

18-19. The Buddha resided at the Cāliya mountain monastery for two Rains Retreats – the eighteenth and nineteenth – with his alms resort located in Jantu village within the Cāliya country.

20. The twentieth Rains Retreat was observed at the Veḷuvana monastery, in Rājagaha of Magadha, which served as his alms resort.

These are the places where the Buddha spent irregular rains-residence during the first 20 years after his Awakening (paṭhama-bodhi).

21-44. The Buddha observed regular Rains Retreats from the 21st to the 44th year at Jetavana and Pubbārāma monasteries at Sāvatthī, in the Kosala country, which served as his alms resort.

45. Then the Buddha spent his last Rains Retreat, the 45th in the village of Veḷuva, in Vesālī country, when on the verge of his Parinibbāna.

Various Works in Myanmar Dealing with the Rains Retreats

Ven. Monywe Zetawun Sayādaw had composed a verse for easy recollection of the places where Buddha Gotama had observed the Rains Retreats, in one of his works entitled the Light on the All-Seeing One (Samanta-cakkhu-dīpanī) (Vol II, p. 374). The author reproduced here the said verse of the Monywe Zetawun Saydaw. We have provided here only an excerpt thereof in prose.

The great friend of sentient beings of the three worlds spent two months or 60 days at the place of his Awakening, and then observed Rains Retreats in the places shown below:

1. First Rains Retreat (Vassa) at Bārāṇasī.

2-4. Veḷuvana monastery, Rājagaha.

5. Great Wood monastery, donated by the Licchavī princes of Vesālī.

6. Sixth at Mount Makula.

7. Seventh in Tāvatiṁsa.

8. Eighth in the Bhagga country.

9. Ninth at Ghositārāma monastery near Kosambī.

10. Tenth in the Pāḷileyyaka Forest of the elephant King Pāḷileyyaka.

11. Eleventh in the Brahmin village of Nāḷa.

12. Twelfth at Verañjā.

13. Thirteenth at Cāliya Mountain.

14. Fourteenth at Jetavana monastery, Sāvatthī.

15. Fifteenth at Nigrodha monastery of Kapilavatthu.

16. Sixteenth at Āḷavī.

17. Seventeenth at Veḷuvana monastery, Rājagaha.

18-19. Eighteenth and nineenth at Cāliya Mountain monastery.

20. Twentieth back at Rājagaha.

21-44. Thus the Buddha was on the move from place to place for the duration of the first 20 years, which is the first period after Awakening, as regards the second period, from the 21st to the 44th year, he spent 24 Rains Retreats alternately at Pubbārāma and Jetavana monasteries in Sāvatthī.

45. The Buddha spent the last Rains Retreat at the village of Veḷuva when on the verge of his Parinibbāna, making a total of 45 Rains Retreats (Vassa) spent variously at fifteen places in the course of 45 years before crossing over to the other shore at the age of 80. [491]