22. Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna
Aspiration in the Past
The future Kuṇḍadhāna was born into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. Like all other future great disciples, he went to the Buddha’s monastery to listen to his discourse. There he saw a monastic
Evil Action Committed in the Past
The future Kuṇḍadhāna passed away from the human existence in which he received the Buddha’s prediction after spending a life performing meritorious deeds. He was reborn either in the Deva realm or the human realm for a great many aeons. During the time of Buddha Kassapa, he became a terrestrial Deva.
Buddha Kassapa appeared during the time when the human lifespan was 20,000 years, unlike Buddha Gotama’s time when the human lifespan was 100 years and the Monastic Rules (Pātimokkha) was recited bi-monthly on the Observance Day (Uposatha), the Observance Day congregations to recite the Monastic Rules (Pātimokkha) took place only once in six months during the time of Buddha Kassapa.
Two monastic friends, living at different places, went to the Observance Day congregation where the Monastic Rules (Pātimokkha) were recited. The terrestrial Deva, who was the future Kuṇḍadhāna, knew the strong tie of friendship that existed between these two monastics. He wondered if anybody could ruin this friendship and waited for a chance to do so by following the two monastics for some distance.
Then one of the monastics, leaving his alms bowl and robes with the other, went off to a place where water was available, to answer the call of nature. After finishing the personal ablutions, he came out of the bush. The Deva, in the guise of a very beautiful woman, followed close to the monastics, tidying up her dishevelled hair and rearranging her skirt, and appearing to have come out of the same bush.
The monastic companion saw this strange scene from a distance where he was left waiting, and was very upset. He thought to himself: “I never knew him to be so vile. My affection for him that has lasted so long is now ended. If I had known him to be such a rogue, I would not have extended my friendship to him.” As soon as the former monastic came back to him, he handed back to him his property, saying: “Here are your alms bowl and robes, I will never go the same way with you again.”
From now on we shall refer to the two monastics as the complainant or accuser (codaka) and the accused (cuditaka).
The accused, who was actually a well-disciplined monastic and had no fault whatsoever, was taken aback by his friend’s harsh words which seemed to smite his heart as if someone were to deal a vicious thrust at it with a sharp spear. He said: “Friend, what do you mean? Never have I committed any breach of the monastic discipline, not even the trivial ones. Yet, you call me a knave. What have you seen me doing?” – “If I had seen anything else, I would have ignored it. But this is serious, you came out of the same bush, having spent the time together there with a very attractive woman dressed in fine clothes and decorations.” – “No, no, my friend, that is not true! Nothing of that sort happened. I have never seen the woman you mention.” But the complainant was quite sure of himself. The accused denied thrice any misdoing. But the complainant believed what he had seen. He parted company with the accused there and then. Each went his own way to the Buddha’s monastery.
At the Assembly Hall for the Observance Day ceremony, the accused was seen inside and so
On seeing this, the terrestrial Deva was remorseful: “Oh me! I have made a grave mistake. I must atone for it.” So he assumed the form of an elderly lay-disciple and, going near to the complainant, said: “Why, venerable sir, do you remain outside the Hall of Discipline?” The monastic replied: “This Hall of Discipline contains a vile monastic. I cannot join the Observance Day ceremony together with him. So I keep myself away.” The Deva then said: “Do not think so, venerable sir. That monastic is of pure morality. The woman you saw was none other than myself. I wanted to test the strength of your mutual affection and to see whether you are moral or not. I accompanied the accused in a woman’s guise for that purpose.”
The monastic said: “Virtuous man, who are you?” – “I am a terrestrial Deva, venerable sir,” and so saying, he prostrated at the monastic’s feet. “Kindly excuse me, venerable sir. The accused knows nothing about what had happened. So, may the venerable one go ahead with the Observance Day ceremony with a clear conscience.” Then he led the monastics into the Observance Day hall. The two monastics performed the Observance Day ceremony at the same place, but the complainant did not remain together with the accused in their previous cordial relationship.
The accused practised meditation for insight and gradually became an Arahat. The terrestrial Deva suffered the evil consequences of that evil deed during the whole of the interval (Buddhantara) between the arising of Buddha Kassapa and Buddha Gotama through a long period. He was reborn in the lower worlds (apāya) most of the time. When he regained human existence, he was subjected to blame for the misdeeds others had perpetuated.
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
The terrestrial Deva, having paid dearly for his misdeed, was reborn as a Brahmin in Sāvatthī during the time of Buddha Gotama. His parents named him Dhāna. He learned the three Vedas as a youth but later in life, he became devoted to the Buddha after listening to the Buddha’s discourses and took up the monastic life.
From the very day Dhāna became a monastic, a fully adorned woman, an apparition of a woman created as the result of his past misdeed, always followed him wherever he went. Wherever he went, the woman went; when he stopped, she stopped. This woman, though not seen by him, was seen by everybody else. So dreadful is the work of evil-doing.
When Ven. Dhāna went on the daily alms round, his female lay supporters would say jestingly: “This spoonful is for you, sir, and this spoonful is for the female friend who accompanies you, sir. This made him miserable. Back at the monastery, too, he was an object of ridicule. Novices and young monastics would surround him and jeer at him, saying: “Ven. Dhāna is a lecher!” From such jeering, he came to be called Kuṇḍadhāna or “Dhāna the lecher.”
As these jeerings became more and more frequent, Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna could not bear it any longer and retorted: “You only are lechers, not me; your preceptors are lechers, your teachers are lechers.” Other monastics who heard him say these harsh words reported the matter to the Buddha, who sent for Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna and asked him whether the report was true or nor. “It is true, venerable sir,” Kuṇḍadhāna admitted. “Why did you use such abusive language?”
“I could not bear their jeerings any longer, venerable sir,” Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna explained and he related his story. “Monastic, your past evil deed still needs retribution. Do not use such harsh words in future.” And on that occasion, the Buddha uttered the following two verses (Dhp 133-134):
Māvoca pharusaṁ kañci, vuttā paṭivadeyyu taṁ,
dukkhā hi sārambha-kathā, paṭidaṇḍā phuseyyu taṁ.
Monastic Dhāna, do not use harsh words to anyone; those who are thus spoken to will retort. Painful to hear is severe talk, and retribution will come to you from those co-residents to whom you have used harsh words, just as ashes thrown against the wind will fly back.
Sace neresi attānaṁ, kaṁso upahato yathā,
esa pattosi Nibbānaṁ, sārambho te na vijjati.
Monastic Dhāna, if you can keep your calm and quiet like a gong whose rim has been broken you will have attained Nibbāna. Then there will be no vindictiveness in you.
By the end of the discourse many listeners attained various levels of the path-knowledge.
Investigation by King Pasenadi Kosala
The news of Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna’s regular association with a woman was brought to the attention of King Pasenadi of Kosala by the monastics. The king ordered an investigation while he personally kept watch on Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna’s monastery together with a small group of his men.
He saw Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna was stitching a robe and the reputed woman also was seen standing near him. The king was enthralled by this sight. He drew near her. Then that woman was seen going into the monastic dwelling. The king followed her into the dwelling and searched for her everywhere but he could find no one inside. Then he made the correct conclusion that the woman that he saw earlier was not a real human being but only an apparition that appeared due to some past deed that belonged to Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna.
When the king first entered the monastery, he did not pay respects to Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna. Only after discovering the truth of Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna’s innocence did he make obeisance to him and say: “Venerable sir, are you well provided by way of daily alms food?” – “Not too bad, Great King,” replied Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna. “Venerable sir, I know what you mean. Since you have are seen always accompanied by a woman, who would be kindly disposed towards you? But from now on, you need not go on alms round. I will be a lay supporter to you and see to the provision of the four requisites. May you uphold the religious practice diligently and well.” From that time onwards, the king made an offering of daily alms food to Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna.
Being free of anxiety about livelihood, regularly enjoying the support of the king, Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna gained concentration and developed insight, and became an Arahat. From the time of attaining Awakening the apparition of the woman disappeared.
Foremost Title Achieved
Mahā Subhaddā, the daughter of Anāthapiṇḍika in the householder of Sāvatthī, was obliged to live in the house of a man, in the town of Ugga, who had no confidence in the Buddha. One day, intending that the Buddha show compassion on her, she took the Observance Day (Uposatha) precepts and kept her mind free from defilements. Standing at the upper storey of her mansion, she threw out eight handfuls of jasmine into the air and wished: “May these flowers go straight to the Fortunate One and form themselves into a canopy above him. May the Fortunate One, out of consideration for this floral tribute, come to my residence tomorrow to receive my offering of alms food.” The flowers flew straight to the Buddha and formed themselves into a canopy above him even while he was delivering a discourse.
The Buddha, on seeing the flower canopy offered by Mahā Subhaddā, perceived her wish and decided to receive her food offering. Early the next morning, the Buddha called
Then Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna said: “Friend, bring me the lots,” and stretched out his hand to make a draw. Ven. Ānanda thought Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna was still a worldling and informed the matter to the Buddha who said: “Ānanda, let him draw the lot if he wishes.”
Then Ānanda thought: “If Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna were unfit to draw the lots, the Fortunate One would disallow the draw. Now that he has been allowed him there must be some reason. I should let him draw.” And as he was retracing his steps to Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna, the latter entered into the fourth absorption (jhāna), the basic mental state for supernormal powers and stood in mid-air and then he said to Ven. Ānanda: “Friend Ānanda, bring me the lots. The Fortunate One knows me. The Fortunate One does not say anything against my drawing the lot first before other monastics.”
When on another occasion, Cūḷa Subhaddā, the younger daughter of Anāthapiṇḍika, invited the Buddha to Sāketa to receive alms food offering too, Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna made the first draw among the 500 monastics.
Then again, when the Buddha went to a market town in the country of Sunāparanta, flying through the sky by using his psychic power, Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna was also the first to draw the lots for receiving alms food.
On another occasion, in the assembly of monastics, the Buddha spoke of Ven. Kuṇḍadhāna:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
paṭhamaṁ salākaṁ gaṇhantānaṁ yad-idaṁ Kuṇḍadhāno.
Monastics, among those of my monastic disciples who successfully draw lots ahead of all others for alms food offering, Kuṇḍadhāna is the foremost (etad-agga).