45a: The Life Stories of the Male Lay Disciples

1. Tapussa and Bhallika

Aspiration in the Past

The future Tapussa and Bhallika were reborn into a worthy family in the city of Haṁsavatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. When they were listening to a discourse by the Buddha, they saw two disciples being named as the foremost in being the first of the Buddha’s disciples who were established in the refuges. The two brothers aspired to that distinction and after making an extraordinary offering to the Buddha, they wished for that goal.

Other Past Existences

The two brothers lived a life full of meritorious deeds and, after passing away from that memorable existence, they were never reborn into the lower worlds (apāya) but, instead, in the Deva realm or the human world only.

The future Bhallika was reborn, 31 aeons ago in a period which was devoid of any Buddhas, as a man who offered all kinds of fruits to a Paccekabuddha named Sumana. For that good deed, he was reborn only in the good destinations.

During the time of Buddha Sikhī, he was reborn into a Brahmin family in the city of Arunavatī. He heard the news that two merchant brothers, Ujita and Ojita, had the opportunity of offering the first alms food to Buddha Sikhī who had appeared from the seventh seven-day abiding in the attainment in cessation and who was about to begin his eighth seven-day abiding in the attainment of cessation. He went to visit Buddha Sikhī together with his friend, the future Tapussa, and after paying homage to the Buddha, requested him to accept their alms food offering the next day. On the next day, they made an extraordinary offering to the Buddha and said: “Venerable sir, for this good deed, let both of us have the opportunity of making the first alms food to a Buddha in the future.”

The two friends were reborn in various existences, during which they performed meritorious deeds together, resulting in rebirth at the fortunate destinations. During the time of Buddha Kassapa, they were born into the family of a cattle merchant. For a long period of life, lasting many years, they offered milk rice to the Saṅgha. ^{These events are described in the commentary on the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā, Th 7).}

Discipleship in Their Last Existence

The two friends were reborn into the fortunate destinations for the infinite years which constituted the interim period between the two Buddhas. During the time of Buddha Gotama, before the Buddha attained Perfect Awakening, they were reborn as two sons to a travelling merchant who carried his goods, using a big caravan, from place to place. Their native town was called Asitañcana. ^{The commentary on the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā) refers to it as Pokkharavatī.} The elder brother was named Tapussa, and the younger, Bhallika.

They became householders and carried on the trading together, using a caravan of 500 bullock carts. At that time, Buddha Gotama had attained Perfect Awakening and had passed seven times the seven days of abiding in the attainment of cessation, and was about to enter into the eighth seven-day period of abiding in the attainment of cessation at the foot of a Rājāyatana tree. ^{Buchanania latifolia.}

The caravan of the two merchant brothers was then not far from that tree. At that [1420] moment, a Deva who had been the mother to the merchant brothers in the immediately previous existence, saw the dire need of the Buddha for sustenance, who, after having last taken Sujātā’s milk rice in 49 morsels over 49 days, must eat that day for his survival. She thought that her two sons should be able to provide the food just in time. So, using her psychic powers, she made the bullocks unable to move.

The two brothers inspected the bullocks, the carts, and all relevant conditions which made the carts immobile. They were at their wit’s ends to find the reason. Their Deva mother, seeing them disheartened, possessed a man in the caravan and said to them: “Dear sons, you are not harassed by any Bhūta or Peta or Nāga but it is me, a Deva of the terrestrial realm, who was your mother in your last existence, who is doing this. The Buddha, who is endowed with the Ten Powers, is staying at the foot of a Rājāyatana tree. Go and offer alms food to the Buddha which will be the first food he takes after becoming a Buddha.”

The two brothers were delighted by the Deva’s word. And thinking that if they were to cook alms food it would take too much time, they took some of their choicest preserved food, put them on a gold salver, and approaching the Buddha, said: “Venerable sir, may you, out of compassion, accept this food.” The Buddha reviewed the situation and considered what action the previous Buddhas did in such a case. The Four Great Kings then visited the Buddha and each offered an alms bowl, which was made of granite and having the colour of green gram. The Buddha considered the great benefit that would accrue to the four Devas, and so accepted all the four bowls, and placing them one atop the other, willed that the four bowls became one, and accordingly, the four granite bowls became a single alms bowl with four rims.

The two brothers then put their alms food into the Buddha’s alms bowl, and the Buddha ate the food. After the Buddha had finished eating, the brothers offered water for drinking and washing. Then they made obeisance to the Buddha and sat in a suitable place. The Buddha gave them a discourse, at the end of which, both brothers were established in the two refuges.

The Buddha then received the rice-cakes and balls of honey-food with that alms bowl and partook of them and then delivered a discourse of appreciation which was suitable to the merchant brothers. Then the two brothers took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma only, as the treasure of the Saṅgha had not come into existence at that time, and thereby they became devotees who had only to pronounce the two-sentence refuge (devācika-saraṇa) with reference to the Buddha and the Dhamma, saying: Ete mayaṁ bhante, Bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāma Dhammañ-ca, “we take refuge, sir, in the Fortunate One and the Dhamma.” These two were the first devotees in whom the two-sentence refuge formula was established.

After having been established in the two refuges, before departing, the two brothers requested from the Buddha: “Venerable sir, may the Fortunate One, out of compassion, bestow on us something which we may revere every day.” The Buddha passed his right hand over his head and gave them eight hairs as relics. The brothers put the hairs in a gold casket and took them home. Back at their town, they erected a shrine at the entrance of the town of Asitañcana where the eight relic-hairs from the living Buddha were enshrined. On the Observance Days (Uposatha), the shrine emitted a Buddha-radiance.

Foremost Title Achieved

On one occasion, when the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana monastery and acknowledging distinguished lay disciples accordingly to their merits, he declared:

Etad-aggaṁ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṁ upāsakānaṁ
paṭhamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchantānaṁ yad-idaṁ Tapussa-Bhallikā vāṇijā.

Monastics, among my lay disciples who have taken refuge earliest in the Buddha and the Dhamma, the merchant brothers, Tapussa and Bhallika, are the foremost.

The Attainment of Path-Knowledge

Tapussa and Bhallika were the earliest of the Buddha’s lay disciples who took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma. Later, the Buddha made his first discourse, the Dhamma Wheel (Dhamma-cakka), at the Deer Park near Bārāṇasī. After that, he went and resided in Rājagaha. The two brothers also arrived at Rājagaha on a trading journey. They visited the Buddha, made obeisance and sat in a suitable place. The Buddha gave a discourse to them, at the end of which, the elder brother Tapussa was established in Stream-entry knowledge and its fruition. The younger brother became a monastic and in due time became an Arahat and was endowed with the six supernormal powers. ^{The commentary on the Verses of the Elder Monks (Thera-gāthā, Th 7).} [1421]