Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Extraterrestrials: The Great Assembly (sutra)

Ven. Piyadassi Thera (trans.) Mahasamaya Sutra (DN 20), The Book of Protection; edited by Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Crystal Quintero, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly

Most devas live in space, in the sky (akasha), some on Earth as "fairies" (David Sereda).

The great diversity of "devas" (fairies) as envisioned and represented by fairies by Sir Joseph Noel Paton "The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania" (wiki/Google Art Project)

A Cantina where a cross section of odd space aliens assemble as they fly about (Star Wars).

The Great Assembly

Devas love big gatherings!

Thus have I heard: On one occasion the [Buddha] was living in the Great Wood (Maha-Vana) near the city of Kapilavastu [Bamiyan, Afghanistan] in the province of [the Buddha's family] the Sakyans [Scythians] together with a great retinue of monastics, all of them fully enlightened beings (arhats), a great multitude.

SUMMARY: The Great Assembly Discourse that takes place in the Great Wood a virgin forest near reached from the edge of Kapilavastu (in what is now Afghanistan, where the Buddha grew up) to the Himālaya (a portion of the range called the Hindu Kush) on one side and to the sea on the other (MA.i.298, 449). In this wood was preached the Great Assembly Sutra and the Madhupindika Sutta.

Devas (fairies, godlings, angelic spirits) from 10,000 world-systems frequently assembled for the purpose of seeing the Blessed One and the monastic community (ordained Sangha).

Then to four devas from the Pure Abodes (Suddhavasa) of the Brahma World, this thought occurred: "The Blessed One is living in the Great Wood near the city of Kapilavastu [the Buddha's hometown] in the province of the Sakyans with a great retinue of monastics, all of them fully enlightened beings, a great multitude.

This is an extraordinary back story because it is said that the Pure Abodes are worlds for "nonreturners," reborn in five unique worlds in space or another dimension of some kind. Technically "returning" means rebirth, which is to say one no longer takes rebirth in any lower world. But it is generally believed that while no one but nonreturners and arhats reside in those rarefied worlds, no one leaves. But here these fortunate devas beings elect to leave to visit a buddha and an assembly of fully enlightened disciples (arhats).

Deva goddess (devi), nymph, dryad (Emilie Johnson)

Devas are frequently assembling there for the purpose of seeing the Blessed One and the ordained community. It is well if we were also to repair to the place where the Blessed One is and each of us recite a stanza in his presence."

Then those devas, as quickly as a strong person might stretch out an arm or bend an outstretched arm, vanished from the Pure Abodes and appeared before the Blessed One. They saluted him and stood respectfully to one side. Standing in his presence one of the devas recited this stanza:

1. "There is a great assembly in the forest.

A host of devas [army of angels] has assembled.

We have come to this Dharma-assembly

To see the invincible Sangha [Note 1] ."

Then another deva recited this stanza in the presence of the Blessed One:

2. "The monastics in this (assembly [2])

Have collected their thoughts

and made their minds upright.

The wise guard their senses

just as a charioteer holds the reins."

More deva than human: Amber Heard

Then another deva recited this stanza in the presence of the Blessed One:

3. "Having cut off the stake,

Having dug up the cross-bar (of lust, hate, and delusion),

Freed of craving, they go their way,

Pure, stainless, with vision clear;

And well tamed, these young arhats

Move about like elephants" [3].

Then another deva recited this stanza in the presence of the Blessed One:

4. "They who go for guidance to the Buddha

Shall not go to harmful states of existence

But will drop the human body

And swell the ranks of the devas."

The Buddha names the "others"

The Buddha addresses the assembled arhat nuns and monks.

The Blessed One then addressed the assembled monastics:

"Often, disciples, devas from the ten world-systems foregather to see the Tathagata (the Wayfarer, the Buddha) and the monastic community. Devas have assembled before the consummate (arhat), supreme buddhas of the past. Devas will appear before the consummate, supreme buddhas of the future as they assemble now before me.

"I will tell you, disciples, the names of the host of devas; I will reveal the names of the host of devas. Listen, pay attention, and I will speak." "Yes, venerable sir," replied the assembled disciples by way of assent. Then the Blessed One said [4]:

The Buddha and arhat disicples assembled.

5-6. "In measured speech [5] I will give utterance. The terrestrial (earth-dwelling) devas remain in their realm. And those bent on meditation frequently visit rocky clefts. Well composed they (the arhats) live like solitary lions overcoming the fear that causes hair to stand on end, with immaculate minds, pure, serene, and freed of defilements [of which there are various lists]."

7. Knowing that there were in the forest, near the city of Kapilavastu (Pali Kapilavatthu), a great multitude of disciples, delighted in the word of the Buddha, the Master thereupon addressed them:

8. "Disciples, hosts of devas have assembled. Do know them well." And they (the disciples) hearing the word (the dispensation or sasanam) of the Buddha, strove ardently (to know-and-see them).

9. There arose in them knowledge of [psychically] perceiving the non-humans. Some saw 100, some 1,000 non-humans (devas and brahmas), and others 70,000 non-humans.

10. Some saw one 100,000 non-humans; others saw countless numbers, every quarter being filled with them.

Does the Galactic Federation have Nazi-like "Stormtroopers" to fight good rebels?

11. Thereupon the [All] Seeing One (the Buddha) knowing all things through super-knowledge [superhuman faculty developed to the highest degree], addressed the disciples [as they] delighted in the word of the Buddha:

12. "Disciples, host of devas have assembled. I will announce them to you in words and in due order. Know them.

13. "Seven-thousand terrestrial yakkhas [6] of Kapilavastu possessed of supernormal powers (iddhi), radiant, comely, and followed by a retinue of attendants [7], have come rejoicing to the forest to see [8] the assembly of (arhat) disciples.

A celestial yakha (yaksha, "ogre" or "demon"), Alavaka, is tamed by the Buddha.

14. "Six-thousand yakkhas from the Himalayan mountains, diverse in hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and followed by a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to this forest to see the assembly of disciples.

15. "Three thousand yakkhas from Sata's Mountain (Satagira), diverse in hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and followed by a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

16. "Thus 16,000 yakkhas, diverse in hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and followed by a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

17. "Five-hundred yakkhas from Vessamitta's Mountain, diverse in hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and followed by a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

18. "Kumbhira of Rajagala town, having his dwelling on Vepulla's Mountain, with more than a 100,000 yakkhas in his train, has come to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

The "angels" all around

Earth has a diversity of beings in form and thinking unlike most conformist worlds (Stories).

Angelic deva (Sophie Anderson)

19-20. "Dhatarattha, King of the East, overseer of the Eastern Quarter [of Space is a regent answering to Sakka, King of the Gods/Devas, with each of these Four Great Kings overseeing a class of celestial beings], and Chief of the Gandhabbas [attendant-angels, heavenly musicians, lowly celestials, beautiful spirits], followed by a retinue of attendants, and with his many mighty offspring-of-gods (devaputtas, lit. "sons of gods," i.e., living beings now reborn among devas), Inda their names, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue, has come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

The Four Great Kings: Dhatarattha, Virulha, Virupakkha, Kuvera

"Ballsy" pot-bellied beings

21-22. "Virulha, King of the South, overseer of the Southern Quarter [of Space], and Chief of the Kumbhandas [duendes, leprechauns, pot-bellied munchkin beings, gnomes, trolls, dwarfs], followed by a retinue of attendants, and with his many mighty offspring [those reborn as devas in his realm of devas], Inda their names, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, has come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

Real life literal kumbanda, "goblin," or duende caught red handed in Africa after stirring up trouble for locals (thewatchtowers.com via sott.net).

23-24. "Virupakkha, King of the West, overseer of the Western Quarter, and Chief of the Nagas [great creatures, in some cases reptilians, dragons, serpents], followed by a retinue of attendants, and with his many mighty offspring, Inda their names, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, has come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

25-26. "Kuvera, King of the North, overseer of the Northern Quarter, and Chief of the Yakkhas [space ogres, Chewbacca-style, Almas, Big Foot, Sasquatch, demons, rakshasas, a broad class of nature spirits], followed by a retinue of attendants, and with his many mighty offspring, Inda their names, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, has come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

Southeast Asia bas relief: Sakka King of the Devas stirs the milky galaxy, vies with titans

27-28. "Dhatarattha over the East, to the South Virulhaka, Westward Virupakkha, Kuvera over the North -- these Four Great Kings stood illuminating the four quarters of the forest in the vicinity of Kapilavastu.

29. "With them came their crafty, deceitful, cunning slaves (servants): enticing Kutendu, Vetendu, Vitucca, and Vituda.

The deva hosts, aliens and UFOs represented in Catholicism as a "Legion of Mary"

30. "And (also the slaves/servants) Candana, Kamasettha, Kinnughandu, and Nighandu. There also came Panada and Opamanna and Matali, the Charioteer of the Devas [or at least of Sakka, King of the Devas].

31. "Citta and Sena, the gandhabbas, Nala (Kara), Janesabha (Janavasabha) and Pañcasikha, the devas, Timbaru, the gandhabba, and Suriyavaccasa (the daughter of Timbaru) also came.

32. "Along with these (gandhabba) kings, other gandhabba kings too, have come rejoicing with each other to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

33. "Then came the (divine) nagas of the (Lake Nabhasa), those of the naga realm Visali together with the nagas named Tacchaka. There also came nagas of Kambala and Assatara and Payaga accompanied by their relatives.

I'm modeled after the 14th Dalai Lama. - And we're modeled after Nazi Stormtroopers and all-white US police departments who train to deal with civilians in the US Imperial Military.

34. "Nagas from Yamuna, and those of the race of Dhatarattha came with their retinue of attendants, and Eravana, the great naga too, came to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

Ancient avians hunt for serpents by the sea.

35. "Those avians (garudas, suparnas, harpies, hybrid human-birds) who carry away nagas (serpents) by force, endowed with divine power, and twice born [9], with clear eyes (keen of sight), have flown into the middle of the forest from the sky -- Citra and Supanna are their names.

36. "At that time the naga king (with other nagas) were free from fear. The Buddha vouchsafed his protection to the dragons (nagas) from the harpies (suppana). Entreating one another with gentle words, the nagas and suppanas sought guidance from the Buddha.

This world is so amazing with so many kinds of beings and visitors that no one believes our history, labeling it "mythology" and dismissing it as nonsense (Evs in Nz/flickr.com).

Asuras or titans once lived in Sakka's world.

37. "The asuras (titans, fallen devas cast out of space onto Earth) dwelling in the ocean were defeated by Vajirahattha (Sakka, King of the Devas). They are relatives [in laws] of Vasavassa (Sakka) [10] possessed of supernormal power and are followed by a retinue of attendants.

38. "The terrible Kalakanjas, the Danaveghasas, Vepacitti, Sucitti, and Paharada -- all asuras have also come with Namuci (the Vasavatti Mara, the 'Evil One,' a kind of Cupid).

The titans (asuras) still live where this sutra took place, shown here as the founder of Zoroastrianism and Central Asian giants with a tiny ~6 foot Westerner for comparison (Zartosht/wiki; see more real life examples from Steve Quayle).

39. "Hundreds of the offspring of Bali, all of them named after Veroca (their uncle Rahu), with an armed host of warriors, approached Rahu (Asurendra, a lord of asuras), and said: 'Lord, it is time to go to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.'

40. "The devas Apo and Pathavi, Tejo, and Vayo [11] have also come to the forest and the devas Varuna, Varuna, and Soma with Yasa.

41-42. "There also came the devas Metta-kayika and Karunakayika [12] followed by their attendants. These ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

43. "The devas Venhu, Sahali, Asama, the two Yama(ka), and those who attend on the Moon god (deva) came preceded by him.

Catholic Sakka: St. Michael, Archangel

44. "Those devas attending on the Sun god (deva) too, came preceded by him. Those devas attending the planets came preceded by them. The devas of the rain clouds [who can control the weather] also came.

45. "Also came Sakka, the Chief of Devas, who is also called Vasava and Purindada. Also those ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

47. "Then too, came the deva Sahabhu, shining like a brilliant flame, the devas Aritthaka, Roja, and Ummapupphanibha.

48-49. "There came also the devas Varuna Sahadhamma, Accuta and Anojaka, Suleyya, Rucira, and Vasavanesi. All those ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

Yoga came from Vedas, which came from space

50. "The devas Samana, Mahasamana, Manusa, Manusuttama, Khiddapadusika, and Manopadusika all have come.

51. "Then came the devas Hari, those of Lohita, Paraga, and Maha-Paraga with their retinue of attendants.

52. "All those ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

53. "There also came the devas Sukha, Karumha, Aruna with Veghanasa. The deva Odatagayha, Pamokkha, and Vicakkhana also came.

Yakkhas are titans, giants (flickr)

54. "Sadamatta, Haragaja, mighty Missaka and Pajjuna, who causes rain to pour in every direction, came thundering.

55. "All these ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

56. "The devas Khemiya, Tusita, Yama, the mighty Katthaka, Lambhitaka, Lamasettha, Joti, and Asava also came.

57-58. "There also came the devas Nimmanarati, and Paranimmita (Vasavatthi). All these ten groups of devas of diverse hue, possessed of supernormal power, radiant, comely, and with a retinue of attendants, have come rejoicing to the forest to see the assembly of disciples.

Mary as "Queen of Heaven" like Avalokitesvara, Kwan Yin, and European Pagan idols before

59. "These 60 (six of ten groups, indicated in the order of Apo deva, etc.) devas of diverse hue, according to their name and class, have come with others (similar in name and class).

60. (These devas came saying:) "'Let us see (the Sangha, the fully enlightened disciples), who have outlived birth, who have removed the stakes (of lust, hate, and delusion), who have crossed the four currents or streams (of sense-pleasures, becoming, wrong views, and ignorance) [13], free from taints (asavas). (Let us also see the Buddha) who has crossed the streams, who is called naga (in the sense of one who does not harm) [14], and shines like the unclouded moon.'

61. "The brahmas Subrahma and Paramatta, came (with other brahmas) who are possessed of supernormal power, and offspring (disciples of the Buddha). The brahmas Sanankumara and Tissa also came to the forest (to see the assembly of disciples).

Christians say no to Star Wars and the Force

62-63. "There is born a Great Brahma (a Maha Brahma for every brahma world) excelling other brahmas, mighty in power, with a formidable stature, and of great glory. Among them, ten chief brahmas, lords over their retinues have come, and in the midst of them with all his attendants came brahma Harita.

64. "When all of the devas headed by Inda (Sakka) and all of the brahmas headed by Haritta had come, there came the army of Mara. Lo! The folly of Mara, the Murky One (Kanha) [15].

Mara is more Cupid than Satan, greedy not angry

65. "'Come on, seize them, bind them, let them all be bound by lust, surrounded on every side, suffer not anybody to escape' (thus did Vasavatti Mara give order).

66-67. "Mara, striking the Earth with his palm and thereby producing a dreadful sound as when a storm cloud thunders and causes lightning during rainy season, sent his black army into the midst of the devas. Nevertheless, unable to bring the devas under his sway, he filled with anger. He recoiled.

68. "Then the All Seeing One (the Buddha), knowing perfectly well what had transpired, addressed his disciples who take delight in the word of the Buddha.

69. "Disciples, the army of Mara have come (and gone). Know them (beware of them).' And they (non-enlightened) hearing the word of the Buddha, strove (to gain enlightenment and liberation) from their defilements. (From the passion-free arhats) the army of Mara has departed; even so much as a hair in them (arhats) was not affected.

70. "All of those disciples are victors in the war of passions; they are freed from fear, glorious, and renowned among humankind. They live rejoicing with noble (arya) disciples." (Praising thus Mara departed).

NOTES

1. Aparajita, because they are arahants, the Consummate Ones, who have overcome all defilements.
2. Tatra in the text means "there," but the preceding stanza has imam "this (assembly)," and the devas are already in the presence of the Blessed One; so the rendering "in this."
3. The word naga admits of dual meaning. It can mean a very large creature, such as an elephant or python, or it can mean an arhat (a fully enlightened being). An elephant is physically steadfast, whereas an arhat can be referred to as one who is mentally steadfast. Faultless: does no intentional harm. Na hi agum karoti so vide Theragatha, No. 692, cf. Sutta-Nipata, Stanza 522.
4. In most of the protective chant (paritta) books the numbering of stanzas is not consecutive. But I have adopted a consecutive method.
5. Akkhara pada niyamitam vacanam (Commentary)
6. Yakkha here used in the sense of devas.
7. Parivara sampanna (Commentary).
8. Bhikkhu das anatthaya agata, (Commentary). This meaning is clear from the words dakkhitaya ("to see") Stanza No.1, dakkhema ("shall see") No. 60.
9. Twice-born is a reference to birds since they first come out as an egg, which when hatched is born again as a complete bird.
10. Vajirahattha and Vasavassa are other names for Sakka, the Chief of Devas.
11. The devas born in brahma-world by practicing the kasina, disk devices used for concentration, namely: the water (apo) disk (kasina), the earth (pathavi) disk, the fire (tejo) disk, and the air (vayo) disk.
12. The devas who have developed mental absorption (jhana) by practicing loving-kindness and compassion (metta and karuna, two of the Four Sublime States (Brahma-viharas).
13. Four floods or inundations: kama-ogha, bhava-ogha, ditthi-ogha, avijja-ogha (flood of sensuality, flood of becoming, flood of views, flood of ignorance).
14. See Note 3.
15. Kanha is another a name for Mara.