9. Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa
The venerable’s original name was Puṇṇa. Since he was the son of Ven. Koṇḍañña’s sister, Mantāṇī, the Brahmin lady, he was known as Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa.
Aspiration in the Past
The man of good family, who would become Mantāṇiputta, was born into the wealthy Brahmin family, in the city of Haṁsavatī, before Buddha Padumuttara appeared 100,000 aeons ago. On his naming day, his parents and relatives gave him the name Gotama.
On coming of age, the Brahmin youth Gotama, son of a wealthy Brahmin, studied the three Vedas and also became skilful in all crafts. While going from place to place in the company of 500 youths who were his pupils, he reflected on the Vedas and on seeing in them no means for liberation from Saṁsāra, it occurred to him: “Like the trunk of a banana plant, these Vedas are smooth outside but there is no substance inside. My wandering with attachment to them resembles an act of grinding the chaff in the hope of getting rice. What is the use of these three Vedas? There is no use at all for me.” Again he pondered: “I shall adopt an ascetic life and develop the absorptions (jhāna) based on the sublime states (Brahma-vihāra). Being one who never falls off from such absorptions, I shall take rebirth in the Brahma realm. Pondering thus he went together with his 500 pupils to the foot of a hill and lived there as an ascetic.
The followers of the ascetic Gotama were matted-hair recluses numbering 18,000. The master Gotama himself was accomplished in the five mundane psychic powers and the eight mundane absorptions and taught his 18,000 disciples how to develop concentration of mind by means of certain meditation devices. Following the teaching of their master, the 18,000 disciples also became accomplished in the five mundane psychic powers and the eight mundane absorptions.
In this way, as time went by, when the master Gotama became old, the Buddha Padumuttara was living amidst them with 100,000 monastics and having his native Haṁsavatī city as his resort for food. One day at daybreak, when the Buddha surveyed the world of sentient beings, he saw the potentials of the recluse disciples of
He also foresaw that: “With my visit to the ascetic Gotama, he will aspire to be foremost (etad-agga) among those who could proclaim the Dhamma well in the Dispensation of a Buddha to come.” Accordingly, he cleansed himself, took his bowl and robe and went in the guise of an insignificant man and stood at the entrance of Gotama’s hermitage, while the recluse’s disciples were away in search of herbs and fruit.
Although he had not known beforehand that the Buddha Padumuttara had appeared, the ascetic teacher Gotama, on seeing the Buddha, guessed it was the great man from a distance: “Considering the physical perfection of this noble visitor, such a personality could become a Universal Monarch if he were to live a household life, but if he were to live an ascetic life, he could become a genuine omniscient Buddha, who burst opens the roof of the defilements (kilesa). Therefore, this man appears to me as one liberated from the three worlds.” As soon as he saw the Buddha, he bowed his head most respectfully and said: “Exalted Buddha, please come this way!” So saying, he prepared and offered a seat to the Buddha, who then took the seat and taught Gotama.
At that time, his pupils, the matted-hair ascetics, returned. They had the thought: “We shall offer choice fruit and roots to our master and, as for us, we shall eat what remains,” but, they were surprised by the sight of the Buddha sitting in a high place and their master in a lower place.
“Look, we have been roaming about under the impression that there was nobody else who was nobler than our master in the world. Now we have clearly seen a great man who let our master take a lower seat and who himself took a higher one. This noble person must be most honourable!” So thinking, they went on, bringing their fruit baskets. The master Gotama, fearing that the pupils might respect him in the presence of the Buddha, asked them from a distance: “Pupils, do not pay homage to me! The Supreme One in the world of sentient beings, together with the Devas and Brahmas, who deserves the homage of all, is seated here. Pay homage to him!” Trusting their teacher that he would not have spoken without knowing, they bowed at the feet of the Buddha.
“Pupils, I have no other food to give to the Buddha. Let us offer him these fruits and roots.” So saying, he put the choice ones into the Buddha’s bowl. Only when the Buddha had partaken of the fruits and roots did the recluse and his pupils eat their shares.
After partaking of the fruits as his meal, the Buddha wished: “May the two chief disciples come to me with 100,000 monastics.” At that moment the chief disciple, Ven. Mahā Devala, considered: “Where has the Fortunate One gone?” and knowing that “the Buddha wishes for our visit,” he appeared in front of the Buddha with his head bowed, together taking 100,000 monastics.
Gotama addressed his pupils: “Pupils, we have nothing to offer to the assembly of monks. They have no choice but to stand miserably. Let us make seats of flowers for the Saṅgha headed by the Buddha. Bring aquatic flowers and terrestrial flowers quickly!” The ascetic pupils instantly brought beautiful and fragrant flowers by their supernormal powers from the foot of the hill. And, in the way stated in the story of the great elder Sāriputta, they made floral seats.
The engagement in the attainment of cessation absorption (nirodha-samāpatti-jhāna) by the Buddha and his monks, the holding of floral umbrellas over them by the recluses and all the other accounts should also be understood in the way as mentioned in the story of great elder Sāriputta.
On the seventh day, when the Buddha emerged from the attainment of cessation absorption (nirodha-samāpatti-jhāna), he saw the recluses, who were surrounding him, and asked a monastic disciple, who was foremost (etad-agga) in teaching: “Dear son, these recluses have done a great honour. Dear son, give them a discourse in appreciation of the floral seats.” The Arahat took the command respectfully and gave an appreciative discourse after reflecting on the teaching. At the end of the discourse, the Buddha himself taught in addition the means leading to attainment of the paths and the fruitions in a voice that resembled a Brahma’s. When the teaching ended, the 18,000 matted-hair recluses became Arahats, except only for their master, Gotama.
As the master, however, was unable to realize the truth in that life, he asked the Buddha: “Exalted Buddha, who is the monastic that gave a discourse earlier?” When the Buddha answered: “Ascetic Gotama, the monk who taught first is the foremost (etad-agga) among those who are able to teach well in my Dispensation.” Gotama said: “Exalted Buddha, as the result of the merit of the service (adhikāra) given to you, may I, like the monk who taught me first, become the foremost (etad-agga) among excellent teachers in the Dispensation of a Future Buddha.” Having said thus, he prostrated at the feet of the Buddha.
The Buddha surveyed the future and saw that the wish of the ascetic Gotama would be fulfilled without any doubt. Accordingly, he predicted: “In the future, 100,000 aeons from now, Buddha Gotama will appear. Then you will become foremost among those who are excellent in teaching the Dhamma!” And he called the ascetic pupils who had now become Arahats: “Come, monks (etha bhikkhavo).” Then the hair and beard of all the recluses disappeared immediately without being shaved, and they were instantly robed and readily equipped with alms bowls and robes created by miraculous power. Their ascetic appearance vanished and they became like great disciples who were of 60 years’ standing or 80 years of age. Buddha Padumuttara returned to the monastery accompanied by the whole company of monks.
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
Having rendered his service to the Buddha till the end of his life and performed good works to the best of his ability, the ascetic Gotama took rebirth only in the realm of Devas or that of humans for 100,000 aeons. At the time of our Buddha’s appearance, he was reborn in a wealthy family in the Brahmin village of Doṇavatthu. The child was named Puṇṇa by his parents and relatives.
Having attained the path and wisdom and become an Arahat having omniscience, the Buddha taught the first discourse and in the course of his journey, he stayed somewhere, with Rājagaha as his resort for alms food. While the Buddha was staying there, Ven. Aññāsi Koṇḍañña came to the Brahmin village of Doṇavatthu, near Kapilavatthu, and ordained Puṇṇa the youth, the son of his sister, and taught him how to practise as a monk. The next day, Ven. Koṇḍañña visited the Buddha and having venerated him respectfully and sought permission, he went to the Chaddanta forest, residing there till his death.
Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa, however, did not go along with his uncle to the Buddha, for he thought: “I shall go to the Buddha only after attainment of Awakening, the culmination of my duties as a monk.” So he stayed behind in the city of Kapilavatthu. And when he put great efforts in his endeavours, he soon became an Arahat.
From Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa, 500 clansmen took ordination. As he himself followed and practised the ten bases for speech (kathā-vatthu), he gave an exhortation to the 500 monks involving the ten bases for speech.
The ten forms of speech (kathā-vatthu) are: 1) Speech concerning few wants (apiccha-kathā); 2) speech concerning easy contentment (santaṭṭhi-kathā); 3) speech concerning seclusion (paviveka-kathā); 4) speech concerning freedom from the fivefold contact (asaṁsagga-kathā); 5) speech concerning industriousness (viriya-kathā); 6) speech concerning morality (sīla-kathā); 7) speech concerning mental concentration (samādhi-kathā); 8) speech concerning wisdom (paññā-kathā); 9) speech concerning liberation (vimutti-kathā); and 10) speech concerning reflective wisdom (paccavekkhaṇa-kathā). As he himself engaged in these ten forms of speech, so did he advise these ten to his followers.
Being established in the exhortation of their teacher, all 500 monks worked to fulfil their ascetic duties and became Arahats. Knowing about the culmination of becoming Arahats by their performance of the ascetic duties, the 500 monks went to their preceptor (upajjhāya), Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa, and waited upon him. And they said: “Venerable sir, our ascetic works have culminated in their highest point by our becoming Arahats. We also practised the ten bases for speech quite easily. The time has come for us to visit the Fortunate One.”
On hearing the words of the monks,
The 500 monastics, who were all the natives of Kapilavatthu where the Buddha was born, who were all Arahats, free from the pollutants (āsava), and who had all made easy acquisition of the ten bases for speech, accepted the advice of their preceptor. They arrived at the Veḷuvana monastery of Rājagaha after covering a distance of 60 leagues, and having venerated the feet of the Buddha they sat down at a proper place.
Since it was a natural law (dhammatā-āciṇṇa) of Buddhas to exchange greetings with visitors, the Buddha spoke sweet introductory words by asking: “How are you, monks? Are you fit and well?” and so on. He also put another question: “Where did you come from?” – “We came from the region of Kapilavatthu, your birthplace,” replied the monks. Then the Buddha asked: “Among the monks of the region of Kapilavatthu, my birthplace, who is admired by his fellow monastics as one of few wants, who speaks words of Dhamma connected with few wants?” As a priority, the Buddha asked this question of monastics who easily practised the ten bases for speech. The answer, given unanimously by the 500 monks was: “Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa is like that, venerable sir.” Overhearing the answer, Ven. Sāriputta was very keen to meet Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa.
The Buddha, thereafter, went from Rājagaha to Sāvatthī. Learning of the Buddha’s visit to Sāvatthī, Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa went alone to Sāvatthī and met the Buddha personally without any monks leading him. The Buddha gave him a discourse with reference to the ten bases for speech (kathā-vatthu). Having listened to the discourse, Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa paid his respects to the Buddha, and went to Andhavana forest in order to live in seclusion and spent the day at the foot of a tree. Hearing that Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa was on his way to Andhavana, Ven. Sāriputta followed him, continuously watching the head of the foregoing Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa from behind, lest he should lose sight of him. After waiting for a chance, Ven. Sāriputta, in the evening, approached the tree where Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa was. Having exchanged greetings with him, Ven. Sāriputta asked him about the seven purities (visuddhi). Ven. Mantāṇiputta Puṇṇa answered each and every question. Then one expressed to the other his appreciation of their Dhamma talks, see the Discourse on the Relay-Chariots (Ratha-vinīta-sutta, MN 24) for more details.
Foremost Title Achieved
At a later time, in an assembly of monks, the Buddha spoke in praise of Ven. Mantiṇiputta Puñña:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
Dhamma-kathikānaṁ yad-idaṁ Puṇṇo Mantāniputto.
Monks, among my monastic disciples who teach the Dhamma, Mantāniputta Puñña is the foremost.
Speaking thus, the Buddha placed the great elder foremost (etad-agga) among all excellent Dhamma teachers.