10. Ven. Kaccāyana
Aspiration in the Past
The good man, the future Kaccāyana, was brought up in a family of
So thinking, he invited the Buddha and performed a grand alms giving (mahā-dāna) for seven days in the way mentioned above. “Fortunate One,” said the man, “as a result of this seven days great alms giving, I do not wish for any other bliss but to be the foremost (etad-agga) like the monk, who, seven days ago, was declared as the best among those who can elaborately and analytically explain what has been briefly spoken.” Having said thus, he prostrated at the feet of the Buddha.
When the Buddha Padumuttara surveyed the future, he saw that the man of good family’s wish would be fulfilled. He therefore predicted saying: “Friend, at the end of 100,000 aeons from now, there will appear the Buddha Gotama. In his Dispensation, you will become the foremost (etad-agga) among those monastics who are able to expound in detail the meaning of the doctrines taught briefly.” After giving an appreciative discourse the Buddha left.
Donation of Gold Bricks
Having performed meritorious deeds till he died, the man of good family was reborn either in the realm and the human world for 100,000 aeons and was then reborn in a good family, in the city of Bārāṇasī, during the lifetime of the Buddha Kassapa. When the Buddha entered Parinibbāna, the man of good family went to the site where a gold shrine (cetiya) was being built. There he donated bricks of gold worth 100,000 pieces of money in honour of the Buddha and made the following wish: “Exalted Buddha, in whichever plane of existence I am born may the colour of my body be gold!”
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
Having performed deeds of merit, he was reborn either in the realm or the human world for one immeasurable period (asaṅkhyeyya-kappa) during the interval between two Buddhas. In the lifetime of our Buddha, he was a son of the Brahmin chaplain in the city of Ujjenī. On his naming day, his father remarked: “My son, having a golden complexion, brings his own name.” He was, therefore, named Kañcana (Gold) by his parents and relatives.
On reaching adulthood, the golden boy was accomplished in the three Vedas. When his father, the Brahmin chaplain, died he succeeded him in the same post. As the Brahmin chaplain, he was also known by the name of his clan, which was Kaccāna, which is a contracted form of Kaccāyana.
King Caṇḍapajjota summoned his ministers and said: “Ministers, a Buddha has emerged in the world. Those of you who are able to bring him to me may do so.” The ministers unanimously replied: “Great King, no one except the Brahmin chaplain Kaccāna is able to do so. He may be sent to bring the Buddha.” The king then summoned him and said: “Friend Kaccāna, go and bring the Buddha to me.” – “Noble King,” replied Kaccāna, “I shall go, provided I have your permission to become a monk.” – “Friend Kaccāna, do whatever you want, but bring the Buddha.” So saying, the king gave his permission.
Thinking: “Those who go to a Buddha should not do so in a large company,” he went to the Buddha with the seven others, he being the eighth. The Buddha taught a discourse, at the end of the discourse, the chaplain Kaccāna became an Arahat together with his seven companions, all being endowed with the analytical knowledges (paṭisambhidā-patta). Then the Buddha stretched out his right hand and called out: “Come, monks.” The hair and the beard of all eight instantly disappeared; and alms bowl and robes created by a miracle (iddhi-maya) appeared on their bodies. They achieved the ascetic life and their appearances became like that of great disciples of 60 or 80 years’ standing.
Having reached the apex of his monk’s life, which was becoming an Arahat, Ven. Kaccāna did not forget, but requested the Buddha to visit the city of Ujjenī by reciting verses in
Being aware that: “Buddhas speak no word of ambiguity,” Ven. Kaccāna made obeisance most respectfully and left for Ujjenī city with the seven monastics who were once his companions.
Two Daughters of Different Merchants
While on the way to Ujjenī, Ven. Kaccāna went on an alms round in the township of Telapanāḷi, which was situated in the middle of his journey. In that township lived two ladies whose fathers were merchants. Of them one belonged to the family of a merchant whose business had failed. When her parents died, she had to live depending upon her nurse. But she possessed a full and beautiful body; her hair was longer than that of others, softer and more pliant as well and jet black, resembling the colour of a bee. The other lady, living in the same township, had less hair. Prior to Ven. Kaccāna’s visit, she tried to buy some hair from the lady with luxuriant hair through a messenger saying that she would pay her 100 or 1,000 pieces of money or any price demanded. But she had refused to sell.
On the day that Ven. Kaccāna came for alms food, the lady with the beautiful hair saw him together with the seven monastics, and noticed they had empty alms bowls. Then it occurred to her: “A golden descendant of Brahma has come with a bowl that has been washed; it is empty, but I have no other things to offer. This lady sent somebody to buy my hair. Now I shall get enough to make offerings for the noble one with the money from the sale of my hair.” So she sent her nurse to invite the venerables and gave them seats in her house.
When the venerables began to sit down, the lady went into her chamber and asked her nurse to cut her hair and she sent her away, saying: “Mother, go and sell my hair to the lady of such and such a name and bring back whatever amount of money paid by her. We shall offer food to the venerables.” The sad nurse wiped her tears with the back of the palm of her hand and holding up her breast with the other hand, she went to the other lady, secretly carrying the hair so that the venerables might not see it.
It is a usual way of dealing on the part of the buyer to have no appreciation for the thing personally brought by the seller however much the merchandise is excellent and valuable, so the buyer tries to get it at a very low price. Hence, the wealthy lady lacking in hair thought: “Formerly I was unable to obtain the hair although I was willing to pay a lot of money for it. Now the hair has been cut off but she will not get the original price. She must accept any amount I am going to pay.” Accordingly she said to the nurse: “Nurse, I failed to get the hair despite my offer of so much money to your mistress. The lifeless hair, which might have fallen from anywhere, is worth only eight coins.” So she paid the nurse only eight coins, an unreasonably low price.
The nurse brought the money to her mistress who offered a portion of food worth a coin to each of the eight monks. When Ven. Kaccāna reflected, he saw the lady’s act of merit was full of potential. So he asked: “Where is the lady now?” – “In her chamber, sir,” answered the nurse. Ven. Kaccāna then asked the nurse to bring the lady before him.
The lady who gave the alms food came out at Ven. Kaccāna’s request, made but once, for she had much respect for the monks and having bowed before them, she developed strong faith in them. The seeds of an alms giving sown in the Buddha’s Dispensation is likened to the fertile soil which yields good results even in the present life. Hence, as soon as the lady bowed down, her hair became luxuriant as before. The venerables then received the food and rose into the sky even while she was watching them; and they descended at King Caṇḍapajjota’s garden called Kañcanavana.
Having seen Ven. Kaccāna, the gardener went to the king and informed him: “Great King, our master, the chaplain Kaccāna, became a monk and is visiting the royal garden.” King Caṇḍapajjota went to the garden and made obeisance to Ven. Kaccāna, who had finished his meal, venerating him with the hands, knees and forehead touching the ground and sat at a suitable distance and asked: “Venerable sir, where is the Fortunate One?” Ven. Kaccāna answered: “Noble King, the Buddha himself has not come yet, but he has sent me.” The king asked again: “Venerable sir, from where did you get the meal today?” In replying to the king’s question, Ven. Kaccāna told the king all about the hard-earned merit of the lady who was his alms food giver.
Having provided Ven. Kaccāna with accommodation, King Caṇḍapajjota invited him to the next day’s meal and returned to the palace where he called up the lady, the food donor, by royal order and made her his Chief Queen. This was the acquisition of wealth and happiness in the present life by the lady as the result of the first impulsive wholesome volition (paṭhama-javana).
Herein the meaning is: In performing alms giving (dāna), there are seven impulsive moments concerning a great wholesome volition (mahā-kusala-cetanā). Of them, the first impulsive volition results in the present life, if there are favourable circumstances. Hence, the first impulsive volition is called a deed resulting in the present life (diṭṭha-dhamma-vedanīya-kamma).
The seventh impulsive volition has a result in the second life, if there are favourable circumstances. Hence it is called the deed resulting in the immediately following life (upapajja-vedanīya-kamma).
The volition of the middle five impulsions give results in successive lives from the third, if there are favourable circumstances; hence, any volition of these middle five impulsions is called a deed giving results in successive lives (aparāpariya-vedanīya-kamma). It means a deed that has results in successive existences.
When a deed brings about its result, the result is of two kinds: existence (bhava) and acquisition of wealth (bhava-samāpatti). The resultant mental aggregates and the body formed by deeds (kamma) that emerge at the time of conception (paṭisandhi) and at the time of growing (pavatti) are called the existence (bhava) result. The mental aggregate and the body generated by deeds (kamma) are called the attainment of existence (patti-bhava). Various forms of wealth enjoyed in life are called the acquisition of wealth (bhava-samāpatti).
Of the three kinds of resulting deeds, the deeds resulting in the immediately following life (upapajja-vedanīya-kamma) and the deed resulting in successive lives (aparāpariya-vedanīya-kamma) bring their respective existence result and acqusition of wealth result.
As regards the first impulsive volition or the deed resulting in the present life, when it results presently, it brings only acqusition of wealth, the various forms of wealth to be enjoyed in that life, but not existence (bhava) because that result has already given by the birth-generation (janaka-kamma) that created conception as its result in this life. Therefore, the first impulsive volition or the deed resulting in the present life of the lady in question brought her only the acqusition of wealth (bhava-samāpatti) result which was wealth and property in the same existence.
From that time onwards, King Caṇḍapajjota did great honour to Ven. Kaccāna. Pleased with the teaching of Ven. Kaccāna, many became monks in his presence. Since then, the whole city of Ujjenī had been covered with the colour of the robes and blown by the breeze caused by the movements of the going and coming of the monks. The queen conceived a son and she gave birth to him after ten months, the prince was named Gopāla after his grandfather. Subsequently the queen became well-known by the name of Gopālamātā in relation to her son. As Queen Gopālamātā was so impressed by Ven. Kaccāna, she built a big monastery for him, in the garden of Kaccānavana and donated it to him with the king’s permission. Having made the people of Ujjenī faithful in the Buddha’s Dispensation, Ven. Kaccāna returned to the Buddha.
Foremost Title Achieved
At a later time, while staying at Jetavana, in the assembly of monks, the Buddha spoke in praise of Ven. Kaccāna and declared him foremost (etad-agga), in connection with the three discourses: 1) the Discourse on the Honey Ball (Madhupiṇḍika-sutta, MN 18, 2) the Kaccāna repetition (Kaccāna-peyyāla, probably MN 133ff) and the Discourse on the Way to the Beyond (Pārāyaṇa-sutta,
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
saṁkhittena bhāsitassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajantānam
yad-idaṁ Mahākaccāno.
Monks, among my disciples who are able to elaborate what has been taught briefly, Mahā Kaccāna is the foremost (etad-agga).
The sermons given by Ven. Mahā Kaccāna may he taken from the Traditions (Apādāna, Tha-ap 35) text and its commentary, the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā, Thag 8.1) and its commentary, etc.