27. Ven. Bāhiya Dārucīriya
The original name of this elder was Bāhiya which indicated the country he was born in. Later, he was known as Bāhiya Dārucīriya, “Bāhiya-clad-in-fibres,” because he wore wood fibre as his garment, the circumstances for which will be related here.
Aspiration in the Past
The future Bāhiya Dārucīriya was born into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. As with other future great venerables, he visited the Buddha’s monastery and while listening to a discourse, he witnessed a monastic being declared by the Buddha as the foremost among the monastics who attained Awakening quickly. He was wished to emulate that monastic. So after making a great offering, he expressed his aspiration before the Buddha to receive that distinction in the future. The Buddha saw that the aspiration would be fulfilled and made the prediction.
Meditating on Top of a Mountain
The future Bāhiya Dārucīriya spent all his life in doing deeds of merit and after his death, he was reborn in the Deva realm and subsequently, either in the human world or the Deva realm.
[The rest of this section is repeated from the story about Ven. Dabba above.]
During the waning years of the teaching of Buddha Kassapa, he was reborn as a worthy man and took up the monastic life. He found six other monastics who shared the view that living amongst people was not the correct way for gaining Awakening and that a real monastic must live in seclusion, and so they went up a high steep mountain by means of a ladder. Once at the top, they discussed among themselves: “He who has self-confidence, let him push away the ladder. He who clings to his life, let him go down by the ladder before it has been pushed away.” All seven monastics chose to remain on the mountain top until they attained Awakening and so they pushed away the ladder. “Now, friends, be diligent in your monastic practice,” they exhorted one another before choosing a place of their own on the mountain to strive for path-knowledge, ignoring the danger of death.
Of these seven monastics, the eldest became an Arahat on the fifth day. He knew he had finished what was required of the noble practice and went to Uttarakuru, the northern island continent, by means of his powers, to collect alms food. Having collected the alms food, he came back and offered it to his six monastic companions with these encouraging words: “Friends, have this meal. Let me be responsible for alms food collection. You devote yourselves to your meditation.” Then the remaining six replied: “Friend, have we made an agreement among us that he who first realises the supermundane Dhamma would be responsible to feed those who still have to reach that same goal?” The Arahat said: “No, friends, there was no such agreement.” Then the six monastics said: “Venerable sir, you have become an Arahat according to your past merit. We too would make an end of the suffering round of Saṁsāra if we could. May the venerable go wherever he pleases.”
The eldest monastic, being unable to persuade the six monastics into accepting the alms food, took the meal at a suitable distance and left them. On the seventh day, the second eldest monastic attained the state of Non-returner (Anāgāmi-phala). He too went to the northern island-continent by means of his powers and offered the alms food to the remaining colleagues. Being refused by his friends, he ate his meal at some suitable place and left. After the death and dissolution of his body, he was reborn in the Pure Abodes of the Non-returning (Anāgāmī) Brahmas.
The remaining five monastics did not achieve path-knowledge during that existence. After passing away from that existence, they were reborn in the Deva realm and the human realm throughout the long aeons in the interval period between Buddha Kassapa and Buddha Gotama. During the time of Buddha Gotama, they were reborn in various countries:
1. One was born in Gandhāra, in the city of Takkasilā, as a member of the royal family, and later became King Pukkusāti.
2. Another in Pabbateyya, also called the Majjhantika region, as the son of a female wandering ascetic, later he became Sabhiya, the wandering ascetic.
3. The third one, in a household in Bāhiya country, later became Ven. Bāhiya.
4. The fourth one, in a Rājagaha household was later known as Kumāra Kassapa.
5. The last in the Malla Country, in the city of Anupiya, in the royal family of a Malla Prince, later became Ven. Dabba.
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
During the interval between the two, Buddha Kassapa and Buddha Gotama, he remained in Deva existences. When Buddha Gotama was about to appear, he was reborn into a worthy family in the country of Bāhiya. When he grew up, he married and went on a sea voyage to Suvaṇṇabhūmi on a trading venture. The ship was wrecked on the high seas and all except Bāhiya perished and became the food of fishes and turtles.
As for him, being destined to fare in Saṁsāra till the last existence, he survived holding on to a piece of the wrecked ship for seven days. He was driven awash on the sands of Suppāraka, a seaport town. Before meeting anyone, he had to cover up his naked body. So he wrapped himself with a shroud of water plant from a reservoir. Then he picked a used old vessel for his alms bowl.
His austere appearance attracted the attention of the people. “If there is an Arahat in the world, this must be him!” so they said about him. They wondered whether the man, who was a holy man in their judgment, was observing an austere practice of the extreme type, and therefore was denying himself proper clothing. To verify their perception, they offered fine clothing to him. But Bāhiya thought to himself: “These people receive me because of my austere clothing only. It is well if I remain ill-clad so that their esteem for me will continue.” So he refused the fine clothes. As a result, the people had even greater respect for him and honoured him lavishly.
After having his meal, collected as alms from the people, Bāhiya retired to a traditional shrine. The people followed him there. They cleaned up the place for him to stay. Bāhiya then thought: “Just because of my external appearance these people show so much reverence to me. It behoves me to live up to their perception. I must remain an ascetic, well and true.” He collected fibres from wood and, stringing them up with twine, clothed himself after his own mode of clothing, and from that time, he got the name “Bāhiya Dārucīriya,” Bāhiya-in-wood-fibres.
Brahma’s Admonition
Of the seven monastics who went to the top a mountain to meditate for insight during the later part of Buddha Kassapa’s time, the second monastic attained Non-returning (Anāgāmi-phala) and was reborn in the Suddhāvāsa. As soon as he was reborn in that Brahma realm, he reviewed his previous life and saw that he was one of the seven monastics who had gone to the top of a steep mountain to meditate and that one had become an Arahat in that existence. Of the remaining five, he took an interest in their present existence and saw that all of them were reborn in the Deva Realms.
Now seeing that one of them had become a bogus Arahat at Suppāraka, living on the credulity of the people, he felt it was his duty to put his former friend on the right course. He felt sorry for Bāhiya Dārucīriya because, in his former life, this monastic was of a very high moral principle, even refusing the alms food collected by his colleague, the Arahat. He also wished to draw Bāhiya’s attention to the appearance of Buddha Gotama in the world. He thought of causing spiritual urgency in his old friend and in that instant he descended from the Brahma realm and appeared before Bāhiya Dārucīriya in all his personal splendour.
Bāhiya Dārucīriya was suddenly attracted by the strange luminosity and came out of his dwelling. He saw the Brahma and, raising his joined palms together, asked: “Who are you, sir?” – “I am an old friend of yours. During the later part of Buddha Kassapa’s time, I was one of the seven monastics, including yourself, who went up a steep mountain and practised
O Bāhiya, you have not become an Arahat; you have not attained the Arahat path (Arahatta-magga); you have not even started training yourself to become an Arahat. You have not got an iota of the right practice to become an Arahat. The Buddha has now appeared in the world, and is residing at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatthī. I urge you to go and see him.” After admonishing him thus, the Brahma returned to his abode.
Attainment of Awakening
Bāhiya Dārucīriya was stirred with spiritual urgency by the words of the Brahma and decided to seek the path that leads to Nibbāna. He went straight to Sāvatthī. Covering the 120 league distance in just one night, he reached Sāvatthī in the morning.
The Buddha knew that Bāhiya Dārucīriya was coming to see him but seeing that his faculties, such as faith, were not ripe enough to receive the truth and in order to let them ripen, he delayed receiving Bāhiya Dārucīriya and went into the city to collect alms food, accompanied by many monastics.
After the Buddha had left the Jetavana monastery, Bāhiya Dārucīriya entered the monastery and found some monastics strolling in the open after having had their breakfast, so as to prevent drowsiness. He asked them where the Buddha had gone, and was told that he had gone on alms round in the city. The monastics inquired from him which place he had come from. “I come from Suppāraka port, venerable sirs.” – “You have come from quite afar. Wash your feet, apply some oil to smooth your legs, and rest a while. The Fortunate One will not be long returning and you will see him.”
Although the monastics very kindly extended their hospitality, Bāhiya Dārucīriya was impatient. He said: “Venerable sirs, I cannot know if I am to meet with some danger to my life. I have come post-haste, covering the 120 league distance in just one night, not allowing myself any rest on the way. I must see the Fortunate One before thinking of any rest.” So saying, he proceeded into the city and got a full view of the Buddha who commanded an unrivalled personality. As he viewed the Buddha proceeding along the road, he reflected thus: “Ah, what a long time had passed before I have the opportunity of seeing a Fortunate One!” He stood rooted on the spot from where he was watching the Buddha, his heart filled with delightful satisfaction, his eyes never so much as winking, and riveted on the person of the Buddha. With his body bent down in salutation to the Buddha, and himself immersed in the glorious aura of the Buddha, he drew himself towards him, prostrating on the ground with the hands, knees and forehead touching the ground and worshipping and caressing the Buddha’s feet reverentially, kissed them enthusiastically.
He said: “Venerable sir, may the Fortunate One give me a discourse. The discourse of the Fortunate One will be of benefit to me for a long time.” The Buddha said: “Bāhiya, this is not the time for giving a discourse. We are in the city on alms round.”
Herein it might be asked: “Has the Buddha any inappropriate time for seeing to the welfare of the sentient world?” The answer: “The inappropriate time,” here refers not to the Buddha, but only to the recipient of the Buddha’s message. It is beyond the ordinary person, even for an ordinary Arahat for that matter, to know the ripeness of a person’s faculties to be able to receive the Buddha’s message. Bāhiya’s faculties were not yet ripe to receive it. But it would be futile to say so to him, for he would not make head or tail out of it. That was why the Buddha only gave the reason: “We are on alms round,” for not giving a discourse and did not mention the faculties. The point is that although the Buddha is ever ready to give a discourse to a person who is ready to understand it. The Buddha knows
When this was said by the Buddha, Bāhiya Dārucīriya said for a second time: “Venerable sir, it is not possible for me to know if the Fortunate One were to meet with some danger to his life, or if I were to meet with some danger to my life. Therefore, may the Fortunate One give me a discourse. The discourse of the Fortunate One will be of benefit to me for a long time.”
And for the second time the Buddha said: “Bāhiya, this is not the time for giving a discourse. We are in the city on the alms round.”
Herein, Bāhiya had such great concern for his safety because he was destined to live this life as his last existence and his past merit prompted him to mention the extreme urgency about his safety. The reason is that for one destined to live his last life in Saṁsāra, it is not possible that he dies without becoming an Arahat. The Buddha wanted to give a discourse to Bāhiya and yet had to refuse for a second time for these reasons: He knew that Bāhiya was overwhelmed by delightful satisfaction on seeing him which was not conducive to gaining insight and Bāhiya’s mind needed to be calmed down into a state of equanimity. Besides, Bāhiya’s arduous journey of 120 leagues that was made in a single night had rendered him very weak physically. He needed some rest before being able to listen to the discourse profitably.
For a third time, Bāhiya Dārucīriya made his ardent request to the Buddha. And the Buddha, seeing:
1. That Bāhiya’s mind had calmed into a state of equanimity.
2. That he had enjoyed some physical rest and had overcome his fatigue.
3. That his faculties had ripened.
4. That danger to his life was imminent.
So the Buddha decided that the time had arrived to give him a discourse. Accordingly, the Buddha made his discourse briefly as follows:
1. “That being so, Bāhiya, you should train yourself thus: in seeing visible objects, be aware of the seeing as just seeing; in hearing sounds, be aware of the hearing as just hearing; likewise in experiencing odours, tastes and tangible objects be aware of the experience of smelling, tasting, and touching, as just smelling, tasting and touching respectively; and in cognizing mind objects, i.e., thoughts and ideas, be aware of them just as cognizant objects.
2. Bāhiya, if you are able to remain aware of the seeing, the hearing, the experiencing, and the cognition of the four categories of sense objects, you will then be one who is not associated with attachment, hatred or delusion on account of the visible object that is seen, the sound that is heard, the palpable object that is experienced, or the mind-object that is cognized. In other words, certainly you will not be one who is attached, who hates, or who is bewildered.
3. Bāhiya, if on account of the visible object that is seen, the sound that is heard, the palpable object that is experienced, the mind-object that is cognized, you become not associated with attachment, hatred or delusion, i.e., if you should indeed have become one who is without attachment, hate, or delusion, then Bāhiya, you will indeed become one who is not subject to craving, conceit or wrong view on account of the sense object that is seen, heard, experienced, or cognized. You will then have no thought of: ‘This is mine’ due to craving, no concept of ‘I’ due to conceit, or no lingering idea or concept of ‘my self’ due to wrong view.
4. Bāhiya, if you should indeed become one not subjected to craving, conceit or wrong view on account of the visible object that is seen, the sound that is heard, the palpable
The Buddha discoursed on the doctrine culminating in the ultimate cessation or Nibbāna where no substrata of existence remain. Herein, Bāhiya Dārucīriya was one who liked a brief exposition (saṅkhitta-ruci-puggala). Therefore, the Buddha in expounding the six sense objects did not go into all the six in detail, but combined odour, taste and tangible object as “palpable objects.” Thus the sense objects are grouped here under four headings only: What is seen (diṭṭha), what is heard (suta), what is experienced (muta) and what is cognized (viññāta).
1. Regarding the four steps in the above exposition, in the Buddha’s admonition to be just aware of the seeing as mere seeing, the hearing as mere hearing, the experiencing as mere experiencing, the cognition as mere cognition in respect of the four classes of respective sense objects which are conditioned phenomena, connotes that as eye-consciousness arises in seeing a visible object, as ear-consciousness arises in hearing a sound, as nose-consciousness arises in smelling an odour, as tongue-consciousness arises in tasting a flavour, or as mind-consciousness arises in cognizing a mind-object, there is just consciousness and there is no attachment, hatred or delusion there.
The reader should acquaint himself with the nature of the five-door cognition process and the mind-door process. Eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness and body-consciousness, these five kinds of consciousness are called the five kinds of sense-consciousness.
The Buddha enjoined Bāhiya that he should strive diligently, not to let craving, hatred and delusion creep into the impulsion thought-moments that follow the five-door cognition process and the mind-door processes that arise at the instant of the arising of those five kinds of sense-consciousness, at which stage, there is no craving, hatred or delusion, but pure sense-cognition alone. For at the impulsion moment, the appreciation of these sense objects naturally tend to let in greed, hatred and delusion.
The Buddha enjoined Bāhiya to strive diligently and not to allow greed, hatred and delusion to arise at the moment of impulsion in the thought-process because he wanted Bāhiya to understand that erroneous concepts, such as: “This is permanent,” “This is happy,” “This is beautiful,” or “This is substantial,” tend to creep into an unguarded mind, in respect of these four categories of sense objects. Only if one considers them as impermanent, miserable, ugly, and insubstantial, can there arise no erroneous impulsions to conceive them as permanent, happy, beautiful and substantial. Then only can insight arise, whereby great meritorious impulsions follow the neutral thought-process at the sense-cognition stage. The Buddha warned Bāhiya to guard against thinking wrongly about the conditioned phenomena which represent the four categories of sense objects as being permanent, happy, beautiful and substantial, and to view them, as they truly were, as being impermanent, miserable, ugly and insubstantial, and thus to cultivate insight so as to let the great meritorious impulsions follow the sense-cognition.
By showing right view in regard to the four kinds of sense objects which are conditioned phenomena, as being impermanent, miserable, ugly and insubstantial, the Buddha teaches Bāhiya Dārucīriya the six lower stages of purity and the ten stages of insight.
Where it is said: “Bāhiya, if you are able to remain aware of the seeing, the hearing, the experiencing, and the cognition of the four categories of sense objects, which are conditioned phenomena, through the ten stages of insight and attain the path-knowledge, then you will have eradicated greed, hatred and delusion; you will not be one who craves, who hates, or who is bewildered. In other words, you will be free from greed, hatred and delusion.” This indicates the four paths.
Where it is said: “Noble ones (ariya) on attaining the noble fruitions (ariya-phala) are totally uninfluenced by craving, conceit and wrong view, so that they never conceive any conditioned phenomena represented by the four categories of sense objects as ‘I,’ ‘Mine’ or ‘Myself.’ ” This indicates the noble fruitions.
Where it is said: “An Arahat, after the death-consciousness moment, ceases to be reborn either in this world of human beings or in any of the four other destinations; this is the total cessation of the aggregates of mind and matter, and is called Nibbāna, without leaving any trace of the aggregates.” This step indicates this ultimate Nibbāna, the remainderless cessation.
Bāhiya Dārucīriya even while listening to the Buddha’s discourse, had the four kinds of monastic morality purified, and had the mind purified through concentration and insight, having cultivated during that short moment, he gained the Arahat fruition (Arahatta-phala) with the fourfold analytical knowledge (paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa). He was able to destroy all the pollutants (āsava) because he was of a rare type of person who, through past merit, was destined to gain Awakening quickly, being endowed with inherent knowledge.
After becoming an Arahat, Bāhiya Dārucīriya, on reviewing himself with the reviewing knowledge (paccavekkhaṇa-ñāṇa) of 19 factors, felt the necessity, as in the usual way of an Arahat, to become a monastic and requested the Buddha to admit him into the Saṅgha. The Buddha asked him: “Have you got the monastic alms bowl and robes?” – “Not yet, venerable sir,” he replied. “In that case,” said the Buddha, “go and find them first.” After saying so the Buddha continued his alms round in the city of Sāvatthī.
Bāhiya had been a monastic during the time of Buddha Kassapa’s teaching. He remained a monastic and strove for Awakening for 20,000 years. During that time, whenever he received monastic requisites, he thought that the gains he made were due to his own past merit of alms giving and did not consider it necessary to share them with fellow monastics. For that lack of generosity in giving away robes or alms bowl to other monastics, he lacked the necessary merit to be summoned by the Buddha in the “Come, monastic” way.
There are other teachers according to the commentary on the Discourse to Bāhiya (Bāhiya-sutta, Ud 1.10) who explain differently about why the Buddha did not summon Bāhiya with the words: “Come, monastic.” According to them, Bāhiya was once reborn as a robber in a world-element where no Buddha had arisen. He robbed a Paccekabuddha of his robes and alms bowl by killing him with a bow and arrow. The Buddha knew that on account of that evil deed, Bāhiya Dārucīriya could not enjoy the benefit of mind-made robes and bowl even if the Buddha summoned him, saying: “Come, monastic.” However, the evil consequence of that evil deed is more relevant with the fact of Bāhiya’s fate in having no proper clothing but only fibres of wood.
Bāhiya’s Tragic Demise
Bāhiya left the Buddha and roamed the city looking for an alms bowl and pieces of rags for making robes, etc. While doing so, he was gored to death by a cow which had a suckling calf.
According to the commentary on the Discourse to Bāhiya in some past existences, four sons of rich men hired a prostitute and enjoyed themselves in a park. When the day was out, one of them suggested that they should rob the girl in the darkness, where nobody was around, of her possessions in the form of jewellery and 1,000 silver coins. The three friends agreed. They attacked her brutally. The girl had angry thoughts while being hit by them: “These wicked and shameless men have used me under passionate impulse and now try to kill me out of greed. I have done no wrong to them. I am helpless now. Let them kill me this time. May I become a Yakkhinī in my future lives and be able
In a later existence, one of those four wicked men was reborn as Pukkusāti in a worthy family; another was reborn as Bāhiya Dārucīriya; another one was reborn as Tambadāṭhika, a robber; another one was reborn as a leper named Suppabuddha. The prostitute had been reborn as a Yakkhinī in hundreds of various forms of existences of the four murderers whom she gored to death assuming the form of a cow. Bāhiya thus met untimely death; he was killed on the spot.
When the Buddha had finished the alms round and left the city in the company of many monastics, he found the dead body of Bāhiya in a refuse dump, and he said to the monastics: “Go now, monastics, get a stretcher from some house and carry the body of Bāhiya, give him a proper funeral by cremation, and enshrine the relics.” The monastics carried out the Buddha’s instructions.
Back at the monastery, the monastics reported to the Buddha the completion of their tasks and asked the Buddha: “Venerable sir, what is the destination of Bāhiya?” By this question they were inquiring whether Bāhiya died a worldling, or a noble one (ariya) who had not done away with rebirth, or an Arahat who had lived his last life, the Buddha explained: “Monastics, Bāhiya is wise. He trained himself in accordance with the gaining of the supermundane. He caused me no trouble on account of the doctrine. Monastics, Bāhiya has made an end of suffering (dukkha).”
Herein the Buddha’s instructions to the monastics to enshrine the relics of Bāhiya was a plain indication of the fact that Bāhiya died an Arahat. But some of the monastics failed to understand the implication of the instructions, or it is possible that they asked the Buddha in order to make the fact even clearer.
The Buddha’s Verse on the Occasion
On hearing that Bāhiya Dārucīriya had died an Arahat, the monastics were full of wonder. They said to the Buddha: “When did Bāhiya Dārucīriya become an Arahat, venerable sir?” – “From the moment he heard my discourse,” replied the Buddha. “When did the Fortunate One give him a discourse?” – “Today, on my alms round.” – “But, venerable sir, then the discourse must have been rather insignificant. How could such a brief discourse make him Awaken?” – “Monastics, how can you judge the effect of my discourse whether long or short? A thousand verses of unprofitable words are not worth a single verse that is replete with benefit to the hearer.” And the Buddha on that occasion uttered the following verse (Dhp 101):
Sahassam-api ce gāthā, anattha-pada-saṁhitā;
ekaṁ gāthā padaṁ seyyo, yaṁ sutvā upasammati.
Monastics, better than 1,000 verses that are not conducive to knowledge is a single verse such as: “Mindfulness is the way to Deathlessness,” by hearing which the hearer is calmed.
By the end of the discourse many beings gained the various levels of path-knowledge, such as Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-phala).
Foremost Title Achieved
On one occasion, when the Buddha was amidst the congregation, he declared:
Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ
khippābhiññānaṁ yad-idaṁ Bāhiyo Dārucīriyo.
Monastics, among my monastic disciples who gain path-knowledge quickly, Bāhiya Dārucīriya who is now no more was the foremost (etad-agga).