24. Ven. Upasena Vaṅgantaputta

Aspiration in the Past

In the past, Upasena Vaṅgantaputta was born into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. When he came of age, he went to the Buddha’s monastery, like all the great future venerables, to listen to the Buddha’s discourse. There, he witnessed a monastic being declared by the Buddha as the foremost (etad-agga) among those who gained the esteem of a wide following. The worthy man admired that monastic and made his aspiration to that honour in some future existence. The Buddha saw that the aspiration of the man would be fulfilled and made the prediction as in the cases of other similar aspirants. Then he returned to the monastery.

Ascetic Life in His Final Existence

That worthy man, after leading a life filled with good deeds, passed away into the fortunate destinations. At the time of Buddha Gotama, he was born into a family in the Brahmin village of Nālaka, in the country of Magadha. His mother was Sārī, the wife of a rich Brahmin. He was named Upasena in his boyhood. He grew up and learned the three Vedas, but after hearing the Dhamma from the Buddha, he was deeply devoted to the Buddha and became his disciple.

Ven. Upasena, who had one Rains Retreat (Vassa) in the monastic life, had a desire to increase the number of monastics. He admitted a man into the state of a novice and then raised him to full monastic life. Ven. Upasena, at the end of the Rains Retreat, after attending the usual congregation of monastics, went to see the Buddha together with his own close disciple who was then of one Rains Retreat as a monastic and, himself, as preceptor to that monastic, of two Rains Retreat as a monastic, thinking that the Buddha would be pleased with him for his well-intended act of admitting a newcomer into the Saṅgha.

As Ven. Upasena was sitting in a suitable place before the Buddha, the Buddha said to him: “Monastic, how many Rains Retreats have you spent as a monastic?” “Two Rains Retreats, venerable sir,” Upasena replied. “How many Rains Retreats has that monastic who accompanies you?” – “One Rains Retreat, venerable sir.” – “How are you two related?” – “He is my close disciple, venerable sir.” – “You vain man, you are bent on gaining the four requisites very quickly.” The Buddha then denounced Ven. Upasena on many grounds.

Then the Buddha pronounced a rule thus: “Monastics, let no monastic, who has not completed ten Rains Retreats (Vassa) in the Saṅgha, admit a person into the monastic life. He who infringes this role incurs a minor breach of the [1290] discipline (dukkaṭa). Monastics, I allow a monastic with ten Rains Retreats (Vassa) or more to act as preceptor to a new monastic in the admission of that person into the monastic life.” These two Vinaya rules came about concerning Ven. Upasena (Vin Mv 1, PTS 1.59).

Upasena, on being reprimanded by the Buddha, thought of receiving praise from the Buddha on account of the following. “I will make the words of praise, with reference to this very question of following, come out of the same mouth of the Fortunate One, which is splendid like the full moon,” so he encouraged himself. On that same day, he went into seclusion, meditated with diligence, cultivated insight and in a few days became an Arahat.

Upasena was a monastic with a celebrated family background. With his reputation throughout the land as an able expounder of the doctrine, he earned the confidence and good will of many boys of worthy families who were his blood relations or friends. These young boys became novices under his guidance. But he made an understanding with them at the outset: “Boys, I am an avowed dweller in the forest. If you can live in the forest like me, you may become novices,” and he told them the elements of the thirteen kinds of austere practice (dhutaṅga). Only those boys who could take up the austere practices were admitted as novices by him, but only to such an extent as their tender ages could take. When Ven. Upasena himself had completed ten Rains Retreats (Vassa) as a monastic he mastered the Vinaya and admitted the novices into full monastic life, acting as their preceptor. The number of those monastics under his preceptorship grew to as many as 500.

During those days, the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatthī. At one time, the Buddha said to the monastics: “Monastics, I wish to remain alone for half a month,” and stayed in seclusion. Then the Saṅgha made a mutual agreement amongst themselves that any monastic who went near the Buddha alone would have to make a formal confession of his guilt for doing so.

Ven. Upasena, accompanied by his disciples, went to the Jetavana monastery to pay homage to the Buddha, and after paying respects to the Buddha, they sat in a suitable place. Then the Buddha, intending to start a conversation, asked a young monastic who was a close disciple of Ven. Upasena: “Monastic, do you like wearing rag robes?” The young monastic made a preliminary statement: “I do not like it, venerable sir,” but went on to explain that although he did not personally like it, out of his high regard for his preceptor, he observed the austere practice of wearing rag robes. The Buddha praised Upasena for that, and also said many words in praise of Upasena on various other counts.

Foremost Title Achieved

On one occasion, sitting in the congregation to declare outstanding monastics, the Buddha declared:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
samanta-pāsādikānaṁ yad-idaṁ Upaseno Vaṅgantaputto.

Monastics, among my monastic disciples who win the high esteem of their following, Upasena Vaṅgantaputta is the foremost (etad-agga). [1291]

Upasena’s Tragic Demise

At one time Ven. Sāriputta and Ven. Upasena were dwelling near Rājagaha at the Sappasoṇḍika Cave, the cave resembling a snake’s hood, in the ebony forest. At that time, a poisonous snake fell onto the body of Ven. Upasena.

Then Ven. Upasena called the monastics, saying: “Friends, come! Put this body of mine on the cot and carry it outside before this body disintegrates here like a ball of chaff.”

Thereupon Ven. Sāriputta said to Ven. Upasena: “We do not see any change in the body and any change in the faculties of Ven. Upasena. Yet Ven. Upasena said: ‘Friend, come! Put this body of mine on the cot and carry it outside before this body disintegrates like a ball of chaff.’ ”

Then Ven. Upasena said: “Friend Sāriputta, as a matter of fact, only in one who views through wrong view and craving, such as: ‘I am the eye, the eye is mine,’ or, ‘I am the ear, the ear is mine; I am the nose, the nose is mine; I am the tongue, the tongue is mine; I am the body the body is mine; I am the mind, the mind is mine,’ do changes in the body and changes in the faculties occur.

Friend Sāriputta, I do not have any view either through wrong view or through craving, such as: ‘I am the eye, the eye is mine’ or … ‘I am the mind, the mind is mine.’ Friend Sāriputta, how should there be any change in the body or any change in the faculties in me who does not hold such views?”

Ven. Sāriputta said: “It is indeed so, friend Upasena. Since you, friend Upasena, have long ago removed the wrong view of ‘my self,’ the craving to ‘mine,’ and the conceit ‘I,’ it is not possible for such views to arise, either through wrong view or through craving, such as: ‘I am the eye, the eye is mine’ or … ‘I am the mind, the mind is mine.’ ”

Then the monastics put the body of Ven. Upasena on a cot and carried it outside. There and then Ven. Upasena’s body disintegrated like a ball of chaff and he passed away realizing the exhaustion of rebirth.