26. Ven. Pilinda Vaccha

Aspiration in the Past

The future Ven. Pilinda Vaccha was born into a rich family in the city of Haṁsavatī during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. As with the other future great venerables, he went to the Buddha’s monastery, where, in the course of a discourse, he witnessed a monastic being proclaimed by the Buddha as the foremost among the monastics who were adored by Devas. As such, he had a strong desire to become such a great monastic in the future and made his aspiration before the Buddha. The Buddha saw that his aspiration would be fulfilled in future and made the prediction to that effect.

Homage Paid to a Shrine and the Saṅgha

The future Ven. Pilinda Vaccha, after a life of good deeds, passed away and was reborn in the Deva realm and subsequently, either in the Deva realm or human realm. During the time of Buddha Sumedha, he was reborn as a human being. He made great offerings at the great shrine, which was erected in honour of the Buddha who had passed away. He also made great offerings to the Saṅgha.

During a certain period, before the advent of the Buddha, the future Ven. Pilinda Vaccha was also reborn as a Universal Monarch, who profitably used his great opportunity and power in establishing the people in the five moral precepts.

Ascetic Life in His Final Existence

When Buddha Gotama was about to appear, the future Ven. Pilinda Vaccha was reborn as a Brahmin in Sāvatthī. His name was Pilinda; his clan name being Vaccha, thus he was called Pilinda Vaccha. Since young Pilinda Vaccha had a natural disenchantment with the world, he became an ascetic and studied the magical art known as the Cūḷa Gandhāra, which consisted of some powerful mantras. Having gained mastery of these mantras, he became adept at reading the minds of other people and was able to travel in the air. He became the greatest sage in Rājagaha, commanding a big following and amassing much wealth.

Then Buddha Gotama appeared in the world, and after a tour of the country, he reached Rājagaha. From the time the Buddha arrived in Rājagaha, the powers of Pilinda Vaccha were visibly impaired. However much he chanted his mantras, he could not travel in [1296] the air and he could not read other people’s minds. He had heard that although a master in his own way, his art belonged to the lower grade, and that when someone who had mastered the art of a higher grade happened to come near him or within his range, he would meet with a waning of his own powers. He bethought himself: “That statement that I had heard from my teacher’s teachers must be true, for since ascetic Gotama came to Rājagaha, my art has been visibly impaired. Ascetic Gotama certainly must be a master of the higher art. It would be well if I approached ascetic Gotama and learned his art.” He then went to the Buddha and said: “Venerable sir, I wish to learn a certain art from you. May the venerable one agree.”

The Buddha said: “If you wish to learn the art, you must become a monastic.” Pilinda Vaccha thought that becoming a monastic was the preliminary step in learning the art that he had in mind, and he agreed to become a monastic. The Buddha gave Pilinda Vaccha the meditation subject which suited his temperament and he, being endowed with sufficing conditions for Awakening, gained insight and soon became an Arahat.

Ven. Pilinda Vaccha’s use of Harsh Words

Ven. Pilinda Vaccha had a unique habit of calling other persons “outcaste” (vasala-samudācara), in such ways as: “Come, you outcaste,” or “Go, you outcaste,” or “Bring it, outcaste” or “Take it, outcaste,” etc.

The monastics referred this strange habit of Ven. Pilinda Vaccha to the Buddha. They asked: “Venerable sir, do noble ones (ariya) use such harsh language?” And the Buddha said: “Monastics, noble ones (ariya) do not use harsh words in derision. Yet, due to ingrained habit that has been acquired in successive past existences, harsh words may come to be used inadvertently.” The monastics said: “Venerable sir, Ven. Pilinda Vaccha, when speaking to other persons, whether with lay persons or monastics, always calls the other person an outcaste. What is the reason for this?”

“Monastics, Pilinda Vaccha, in his previous 500 successive existences was born a high class Brahmin who was used to calling every other person an “outcaste” (vasala). That habit became ingrained in him. He does not mean what he says in using the word “outcaste.” He has no evil intent. His word, though harsh to hear, is harmless. A noble one (ariya), being without a trace of malice, incurs no blame for using such habituated harsh language.” Further, the Buddha, on that occasion, spoke the following verse (Dhp 408):

Akakkasaṁ viññāpaniṁ, giraṁ saccam-udīraye,
yāya nābhisaje kañci, tam-aham brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ.

He who speaks gently, informative and true words and who does not offend anyone by speech, him I call a Brahmin.

At the end of this verse by the Buddha, many hearers gained Awakening at various levels, such as Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala), and so on.

Pepper to Rat’s Droppings

One day, in the course of collecting alms food in Rājagaha, Ven. Pilinda Vaccha met a man entering the city with a bowl full of pepper, and asked him: “What is that in your bowl, you outcaste?” The man was offended. He thought: “How inauspicious, early in the morning to be called an outcaste. This monastic deserves rude language to match his rudeness.” So thinking, he replied: “It is rat’s droppings, venerable sir.”

Ven. Pilinda Vaccha said: “So be it, outcaste.” When that man went out of sight of Ven. Pilinda Vaccha, he found to his astonishment that the bowl in which he had put the pepper, was now filled with rat’s droppings! Since the pepper had a rough resemblance to rat’s droppings, to make sure he placed a few of the contents in his hands and crushed it, and surely it proved to be rat’s droppings only. He felt very unhappy. He was carrying his merchandise of pepper in a cart. He wondered whether all the pepper in the cart had also turned into rat’s droppings. He went back to the cart and found that the cartload of pepper had also turned into rat’s droppings. His spirits sank. With his hand pressed against his pained heart, he reflected: “This is a mishap befallen on me after meeting that monastic. I am sure there must be some way to redeem this misfortune.”

Someone then noticed the pepper merchant in a deeply agitated state and said to him: “Hey, man, you look so cross. What’s the matter with you?” The merchant related what had passed between him and Ven. Pilinda Vaccha. The man then said: “Friend, do not worry. You must have met our teacher Ven. Pilinda Vaccha. Go with your bowl of rat’s droppings and stand in front of him. He will ask you: ‘What is that in your bowl, you rascal?’ Then you say to him: ‘That’s pepper, venerable sir.’ Ven. Pilinda Vaccha will say: ‘So be it, rascal,’ and you will find your bowl full of pepper again, and so the whole cartload.” The merchant did as instructed and all his pepper returned to its original state.

Foremost Title Achieved

Ven. Pilinda Vaccha, during the period before the Buddha appeared in the world, had been a Universal Monarch. He then established people in the five moral precepts, thereby leading them to the Deva Realms. Most of the Devas, in the six Deva realms pertaining to the sensual sphere, were indebted to him as the Universal Monarch who had brought them to those fortunate destinations. They paid homage to him day and night. That was why when the occasion arose for the Buddha to announce distinguished disciples, he declared:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
Devatānaṁ piya-manāpānaṁ yad-idaṁ Pilindavaccho.

Monastics, among my monastic disciples who are adored by Devas, Pilinda Vaccha is the foremost (etad-agga).