7. Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya

Aspiration in the Past

This Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya was a son of a wealthy householder in the city of Haṁsavatī, in the lifetime of Buddha Padumuttara, and in the way mentioned in the story of Ven. Anuruddha he went to the monastery to listen to a discourse.

At that time, the Buddha declared a monk as the foremost (etad-agga) in having a very sweet voice. Seeing this, he became inspired to become like that monk in the lifetime of a Future Buddha. So he invited the Saṅgha headed by the Buddha and gave them a great alms giving (mahā-dāna) [1232] for seven days. Thereafter, he made supplication: “Exalted Buddha, I do not wish for any other result on account of this alms giving but to be declared a monk who is foremost (etad-agga) among those who has a sweet voice, in the Dispensation of a Future Buddha.” So saying, he prostrated at the Buddha’s feet.

Surveying the householder’s future, the Buddha saw that his wish would be fulfilled. He therefore said: “Your wish will come true. A 100,000 aeons from now, Buddha Gotama will appear. Then you will become a monk in his Dispensation and be declared foremost among those possessing a sweet voice.” Having predicted thus, the Buddha returned to the monastery.

Life as Cittapatta Cuckoo

Having received the prediction, the son of the wealthy man performed good deeds till his death and was reborn only in the realms of Devas and humans. When the Buddha Vipassī appeared, he was a cuckoo named Cittapatta and lived in the Khemā Deer Park. One day, he flew to the Himavanta and came back carrying a sweet mango in his beak. While seeing the Buddha surrounded by monks, it occurred to him: “On other days, I saw the Buddha but I had nothing to offer. However, I have brought this ripe mango today for my children to eat. I shall bring them some other fruit, but this mango I shall offer the Buddha.” Then he flew down and was hovering overhead, but not resting on the ground yet. Perceiving the cuckoo’s thought, Buddha Vipassī looked at his attendant, Ven. Asoka, who took out the alms bowl from its bag and placed it in the hand of the Buddha. Then the cuckoo put the mango, which he had brought in his beak, into the Buddha’s bowl as his offering. At that very place, the Buddha ate it while sitting. Filled with faith (saddhā), the cuckoo repeatedly reflected on the attributes of the Buddha as much as he had understood them and having paid respects to the Buddha, he returned to his nest where he remained for a week without even searching for food, instead spending the time feeling joyous and happy. In his life as Cittapatta Cuckoo, this much of his good deeds was done. As a result of this, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya voice was very sweet and pleasant.

Life as a Master Carpenter

During the time of the Buddha Kassapa, the future Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya became a master carpenter. After the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, his devotees discussed building the only shrine for the single body relic. The main disagreement was about the size of the shrine. Some said: “It should be seven leagues.” Some said: “Seven leagues is too big, and the construction will not be finished. Let us make it six leagues.” Some said: “Six leagues is still too big, and the construction will not be finished. Let us make it five leagues.” In this way, the size was reduced to four leagues, three leagues, two leagues. Then the master carpenter, the future great elder Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya, as he was chief at the meeting decided: “Friends, come. No matter who said what, let us built a shrine (cetiya) which is easy to repair in the future.” So saying, he took the measuring rope and went to the construction site. While measuring, he made the length of one mile and said: “Let each side of the shrine be one mile so that the four sides will make a league. As it will be a league at the base, so will be its height.” The carpenter thus brought the discussion to an end.

In agreement with him, the people built the relic shrine (dhātu-cetiya), which was one mile on each side and one league in total and was one league in height. In this way, the master carpenter decided the size and the construction of the shrine dedicated to the Buddha who possessed incomparable attributes.

Ascetic Life in His Final Existence

As a result of his decision on the small size of the shrine of the Buddha, the possessor of unique attributes, he was small-bodied, shorter than others, in all his subsequent existences, and in his last existence in the lifetime of our Buddha, he was born in a wealthy family in the city of Sāvatthī. His parents named him Bhaddiya.

When the wealthy son Bhaddiya came of age, and while the Buddha was residing at Jetavana, he went to the monastery and listened to the Dhamma. So great was his faith that he [1233] was ordained and learned a meditation subject from the Buddha. Putting effort into insight (vipassanā) practice, he became an Arahat.

Teachings around Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya

Herein, the worthy and inspiring discourses in connection with the great elder will be reproduced in brief.

After becoming a monk, he took a meditation subject from the Buddha and engaged in insight practice and attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala) first. At that time, learners (sekha), such as Stream-enterers (Sotāpanna), Once-returners (Sakadāgāmī) and Non-returners (anāgāmī), approached Ven. Sāriputta to ask him for meditation subjects, or sermons, or answers to their problems for the sake of higher attainments. In complying with their requests, Ven. Sāriputta explained to them how to meditate; he gave them sermons and answered their questions. As the monks continued to strive, some became Once-returners (Sakadāgāmī), some Non-returners (Anāgāmī), some became Arahats and acquired the threefold knowledge, the sixfold psychic power or the four analytical knowledges.

Seeing these monks and poising himself to seize an opportunity for his own uplift, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya reflected on his stoutness of heart and his being almost devoid of defilements; and reflecting thus, he approached Ven. Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him and made a request for a discourse. Ven. Sāriputta on his part gave a discourse that was in harmony with the young Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya’s inclination.

In accordance with Ven. Sāriputta’s discourse, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya developed his insight (vipassanā) wisdom along the lines set out in the teaching. On account of the two factors: The might of Ven. Sāriputta’s teaching and Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya’s possession of deeds of merit done in the past, the latter’s insight knowledge improved, culminating in Awakening. Fully aware of this, the Buddha, at that time uttered a solemn utterance as follows (Ud 7.1):

Uddhaṁ adho sabbadhi vippamutto,
ayaṁham-asmī ti anānupassī,
evaṁ vimutto udatāri oghaṁ,
atiṇṇa-pubbaṁ apunabbhavāya.

An Arahat, who has destroyed the pollutants (āsava) is freed from above (uddhaṁ) from the material elements (rūpa-dhātu) and the immaterial elements (arūpa-dhātu), as well as from below (adho) from the elements of sensual pleasure (kāma-dhātu) and also with regard to all kinds (sabbadhi) of formations, is freed in the manner of the three kinds of deliverance: deliverance by elimination (vikkhambhana-vimutti), deliverance by cutting off (samuccheda-vimutti) and deliverance by calming (paṭipassaddhi-vimutti). That Arahat, who has destroyed his pollutants (āsava), no longer wrongly sees through conceit and false view, with regard to the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitions and consciousness, taking it as: “This really I am!” The Arahat, who has thus been delivered in all ways from the ten fetters and all unwholesome things, has crossed the fourfold whirlpool or the whirlpool of Saṁsāra which he had never dreamed to do before the attainment of the noble path. He had crossed over to the other shore through total extinction (anupādisesa-nibbāna) and stands blissfully there, taking no new birth.

As has been described in the first discourse (sutta), while meditating based on the first advice received from Ven. Sāriputta, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya became an Arahat. But Ven. Sāriputta was unaware of this through lack of reflection, and still thought [1234] that Bhaddiya was a learner.

On a later day Ven. Sāriputta taught him again in detail, how to reach Awakening, by doubling the length of the discourse and touching upon many points, just as a very generous supporter, when asked for a little, would lavishly give more than what was required. On his part, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya did not react by thinking: “Now that I have done my duty as a monk, what is the use of this teaching of his,” instead he listened to the teaching as before, with all reverence to the Dhamma (Dhamma-gārava).

Seeing the situation, the Buddha, staying at the Jetavana monastery of Sāvatthī, uttered a solemn utterance by means of his supernormal power so that Ven. Sāriputta might come to know of the destruction of the moral pollutants by Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya (Ud 7.2):

Acchecchi vaṭṭaṁ vyagā nirāsaṁ,
visukkhā saritā na sandati,
chinnaṁ vaṭṭaṁ na vattati,
esevanto dukkhassa.

In an Arahat, who has destroyed the pollutants (āsava), the round of moral defilements (kilesa-vaṭṭa) is cut off. ^{Note that the cutting off of the round of moral defilements leads to the cutting of the round of deeds (kamma-vaṭṭa).} An Arahat, who has destroyed the pollutants (āsava), and reached the wonderful bliss of Nibbāna, is free from craving. In an Arahat who has destroyed the pollutants (āsava), the morally defiling river of craving that has flowed steadily has been dried up by the fourth sun of the Arahat path in the way the five great rivers were, because of the rising of the fourth sun when the world was on the verge of devolution. ^{Craving (taṇhā) is the cause of suffering (samudaya-sacca). Therefore, the elimination of craving means the elimination of all kinds of passion. Hence craving (taṇhā) is emphasised here.} By no means does the river-like craving flow any longer. The round of action that has been cut, the way the tree is uprooted, and never repeats its being. ^{Note that the cutting off of the round of deeds (kamma-vaṭṭa) gives rise to the cutting off of the round of results (vipāka-vaṭṭa) that might otherwise take place in future.} The absence of the round of results due to the cutting off of the round of passion and actions, is the end of suffering.

Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya’s Virtues

Once, while the Buddha was staying at Jetavana in Sāvatthī a large number of monastics visited him. At that time, Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya, after going on alms round with many other monks in a village, having finished his meal, washed his alms bowl, dried it, put it in its bag, and carried it on his shoulder by means of a sling. He folded his outer garment and put it on his left shoulder. He had all forms of pleasant deportment, such as stepping forward, stepping backward, looking straightforward, looking sideward, bending, stretching, and casting down his eyes. He set out on foot to the Buddha with his mind well concentrated by both mindfulness (sati) and clear comprehension (sampajañña) treading evenly on the fore footstep with the hind footstep.

When he went thus, he did not mix with others but followed behind them because he led a solitary life (eka-cārī). Another explanation: His ugly dwarfish body structure brought jeers and contempt from such worldly monks as the Group-of-Six (Chabbaggiya). Remembering this, the considerate Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya thought: “May these few worldly monks not develop unwholesomeness, on account of me!” and hence he followed behind them. In this manner, these monastics and Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya arrived in Sāvatthī and entered the Jetavana monastery and approached where the Buddha was.

Seeing from a distance the pleasant deportment of Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya who was following behind the monks, it occurred to the Buddha thus: “These monks do not know the greatness of my son. Therefore, some of these worldly monks have overwhelmed my son with contempt and jeers. Such actions will bring them no benefit but cause suffering for a long time. Now, the time has come for me to reveal the virtues of my son to them and thereby [1235] set him free from their acts of contempt.”

So the Buddha asked the monks: “Do you see, monks, that monastic who came behind you and who was bullied by some worldly monks with their mocking remarks because of his ugly dwarfish frame?” – “Yes, we do, exalted Buddha,” answered the monks. Then the Buddha said: “Monks, this monastic is of great supernormal power. There is almost no absorption (jhāna) in which he has not engaged.

Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya has personally become an Arahat, even in this present life, by realizing it through extraordinary intelligence, the Arahat fruition that is the goal of the peerless and noble practice sought after by those clansmen who rightly chose to leave household life for monkhood.

After saying thus, the Buddha also spoke a solemn utterance in verse as follows (Ud 7.5):

Nelaṅgo seta-pacchādo, ekāro vattatī ratho,
anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ, chinna-sotaṁ abandhanaṁ.

Behold carefully this chariot-like body frame of my son Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya. It consists of the wheel, the principal component part of the chariot equal to the flawless morality of an Arahat; the coverings of the chariot are equal to the white and clean emancipation of an Arahat, the spokes of the wheel of the chariot equal to the incomparable mindfulness of an Arahat; the chariot-like body frame of my bosom son Bhaddiya moves about in full swing, even without lubrication. Following from behind a large number of monks, he has no suffering of defilement; all the oil of craving has been eliminated. He had none of the ten fetters.

Here, the Buddha was so overjoyed because of the virtues of Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya that he urged others to have a look at Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya’s body.

Foremost Title Achieved

At a later time, while the Buddha was staying at Jetavana and holding a meeting, he declared, in respect of Ven. Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ, bhikkhūnaṁ
mañjussarānaṁ yad-idaṁ Lakuṇḍaka-bhaddiyo.

Monks, Lakuṇḍaka Bhaddiya is the foremost (etad-agga) among my disciples having a sweet voice.