What the Buddha did during an epidemic

Ven. Piyadassi Thera (trans.), Ratana Sutta: "Jewel Discourse" (Sn 2.1, PTS Sn 222-238; Khp 6) edited by Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly, March 2020, Coronavirus Age

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Translator's introduction: According to the commentary the reason for this sutra (safeguard discourse), in brief, is an epidemic.

The ancient city of Vesali (Bihar, India) was once afflicted by a famine, causing death, especially of the impoverished. The presence of decaying corpses attracted many unclean spirits that began to haunt the city. This was followed by an epidemic.

Plagued by these three fearsome things -- famine, spirits (non-human beings), and disease -- the citizens sought the help of the Buddha, who was then staying in Rajagaha (Rajgir, India).

Followed by a large number of monastics, including Venerable Ananda, his attendant disciple [possibly his son, according to some traditions, born before Rahula, the son of a harem girl named Mrigi], the Buddha visited Vesali. With the arrival of the teacher, there came a torrential rain, which washed away the putrefying corpses.

• Ānanda asked the Buddha to visit Vesālī. There the Buddha taught the Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutra) as a paitta, which he then recited, thereby ridding the city of disease, drought, and unclean spirits. (Was Ananda the Buddha's son as some traditions say?)

There really are "unclean spirits" who harm.

The atmosphere was purified, the city was physically clean, and the Buddha delivered the following Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutta) to Ven. Ananda, and gave him instructions on how to tour the city with the Licchavi citizens reciting (chanting) the discourse as a mark of protection to the people of Vesali.

Ven. Ananda followed the instructions and sprinkled blessed water from the Buddha's alms bowl. As a result the unclean spirits were exorcised, and the epidemic subsided.

Thereafter, Ven. Ananda returned with the citizens of Vesali to the public hall, where the Buddha and a number of disciples had assembled awaiting their arrival. The Buddha then recited the Jewel Discourse to the gathering:

Ratana Sutra: The "Jewel Discourse"

Dispelling fear hand gesture

1. "Whatever (non-human) beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, may they all have peace of mind, and may they listen attentively to these words:

2. "O, beings, listen closely. May you all radiate loving-kindness to human beings who day and night bring offerings to you (share merit). Therefore, protect them diligently.

3. "Whatever treasure there be, whether here or in the world beyond, whatever precious jewel there be in heavenly worlds, there is none comparable to the Tathagata (the Wayfarer, the Thus Come One, the One Arrived at Suchness, the Perfect One). This precious jewel [1] is the Buddha [2]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

4. "That Cessation, that Letting Go, that Deathlessness (Nirvana) supreme, the calm and collected Scythian (Shakyian) Sage directly realized. There is none comparable to this (Nirvana) Dharma. This precious jewel is the Dharma [3]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

Fearless be (abhaya mudra)

5. "The Supreme Buddha extolled a path of purification (the Noble Eightfold Path) calling it the path that unfailingly brings concentration. There is nothing comparable to this concentration. This precious jewel is the Dharma. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

6. "The eight persons extolled by virtuous people constitute four pairs. They are the disciples of the Buddha and are worthy of offerings (arhats). Gifts given to them yield rich results. This precious jewel is the Sangha [4]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

7. "With a steadfast mind and applying themselves well in the dispensation of the Buddha Gautama, free from (defilements), they have attained that which should be attained (arhatship, full enlightenment) encountering the Deathless. They enjoy the peace of Nirvana freely obtained [5]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

8. "As a post deep planted in the earth stands unshaken by the winds from the four quarters so, too, I declare is the virtuous person who comprehends with wisdom the Ennobling (Enlightening) Truths. This precious jewel is the (Noble) Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

9. "Those who realized the Noble Truths well taught by the one profound in wisdom (the Buddha), even though they may be exceedingly heedless, they will not take an eighth rebirth (in the sensual sphere) [6]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

10. "With the gaining of insight one abandons three states of mind -- namely self-illusion, skeptical doubt, and belief in meaningless rites and rituals, should there be any. One is also fully freed from the four states of woe and is therefore incapable of committing the six major wrongdoings [7]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

11. "Any harmful action (karma) one may still do by deed, word, or thought, one is incapable of concealing it, for it has been proclaimed that such concealing is impossible for one who has seen the Path (of Nirvana) [8]. This precious jewel is the [Noble] Sangha. By this (asseveration of), truth may there be happiness.

12. "As the woodland groves in the early heat of the summer month are crowned with blossoming flowers, even so is the sublime Dharma leading to the (calm) of Nirvana that is taught (by the Buddha) for the highest good. This precious jewel is the Buddha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

13. "The Peerless One, the Excellent One, the Knower (of Nirvana), the Revealer (of Nirvana), the Bringer (of the Noble Path), taught the excellent Dharma. This precious jewel is the Buddha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

14. "Their past (karma) is spent, new (karma) no more arises, mind is free from future becoming. The seed (of rebirth-consciousness) has dissolved, they have no more craving for continued rebirth. Those wise one go out (of Samsara, the Wheel of Rebirth and Suffering) as the flame of this lamp (goes out). This precious jewel is the [Noble] Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

The Buddha washing a sick monk himself.

15. "Whatever (non-human) beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial (of earth or sky), come let us salute the Buddha, the Tathagata (the Perfect One, the Wayfarer), honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness [9].

16. "Whatever beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, come let us salute the perfect Dharma, honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness.

17. "Whatever beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, come let us salute the perfect [Noble] Sangha, honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness."

NOTES

1. Ratana means precious "jewel." Here the term is applied to the three jewels or gems, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

2. Literally, in the Buddha is this precious jewel.

3. Literally, in the Dharma is this precious jewel.

4. Literally, in the Sangha is this precious jewel.

5. Obtained without payment: avyayena (KhpA).

6. The reason why it is stated that there will be no eighth existence for a person who has attained the first stage of enlightenment (stream-entry) is that such a being can be reborn at most only seven times in the sense sphere (kama loka).

7. Abhithanani: i. matricide, ii. patricide, iii. the murder of an arhat (enlightened one, consummate one), iv. the shedding of a buddha's blood, v. causing a schism in the Sangha, vi. pernicious false views/beliefs (niyata micca ditthi) that lead to woeful rebirths.

8. One is a stream-enterer (sotapanna), one who has attained the first stage of awakening.

9. The last three stanzas were recited by Sakka, the King of the Devas (in two celestial world immediately above the human plane) (KhpA).

Citation: "Ratana Sutta: The Jewel Discourse" (Sn 2.1), translated from Pali by Ven. Piyadassi Thera based on Access to Insight (BCBS edition), Nov. 30, 2013. Access to Insight (accesstoinsight.org) is owned and managed by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

Enlightened Prostitution: Ambapali

WQ and bmsm.org.my: The Life of the Buddha, Part II, Lesson 18

Ambapali the courtesan offering (dana) in her mango garden and listening to the Dharma

The courtesan who became enlightened
VESALI, India — People of all castes, exalted and untouchable, female and male, educated and illiterate, powerful and powerless — all sought out the Teaching of the Buddha. He gladly received them. To the Buddha there was no caste by birth. One's status was determined by action (karma), that is, what one did in this life.

When the Buddha and his disciples stopped at Vesali, a rich woman named Ambapali offered them the use of her mango garden just outside the city, giving them a place to rest in the cool shade of her grove.

Ambapali was as beautiful as the golden sun rising out of the ocean but lacked the virtue of the third precept, abstaining from sexual misconduct (kamesu micchacara). She had not intended to see him, but her servant called out:

"Lady, the nobles and other folk went by foot to the mango grove yesterday! When I asked them why, they answered that it was because of the man resting there. There is none like him! He was the son of a king who gave up his status and kingdom to go in search of the Truth!"

Always eager for the new and interesting, Ambapali leaped to her feet, got on one of her coaches, and rushed towards the garden, all the while casting proud glances about her. Arriving at the gate, she alighted from the coach and walked through the palm and mango trees. It was very quiet. Even the leaves did not stir. Beneath the deep shade of trees, the Buddha was seated with folded hands and feet. And behind his head an aura glowed like the midnight moon.

Ambapali stood transfixed, forgetting herself, her beauty, absorbed by the arresting sight of the Buddha. She wept, and her heart melted, flowing away in a river of tears. Tentatively, respectfully, she approached the Buddha and fell before his feet, setting her face on the earth.

The Buddha asked her to rise and take a seat. And he spoke the Dharma to her. She listened to these momentous words with parched ears. She drank the Dhrama the way the hot sand absorbs the rain. Having received the Dharma and bowing at the great seer's feet, she invited the Buddha and his disciples to a meal (dana) on the following day. The Buddha accepted her invitation.

As the nobles (khattiya) of Vesali were arriving, they met Ambapali on the road. She told them that the Buddha had already accepted her invitation for a meal the following day. Jealous, they snapped their fingers and cried out to her: "Sell us the honor of his company for gold!"

Ambapali, glowing with joy, replied: "Sirs, even if you were to give me Vesali and all of its territories, yet I would not give up the honor of providing this meal."

Rejoicing in Others' Good Fortune

Rather than being happy for her and thereby sharing her merit (pattanumodana kusala), in anger, the nobles snapped their fingers and approached the Buddha. They requested the honor of offering dana. But he informed them that he had already accepted Ambapali's invitation.

The following day, Ambapali set sweet milk-rice and cakes before the Buddha and his followers. She herself attended upon them in great humility. After the Buddha had eaten, Ambapali sat respectfully to one side. With folded palms (anjali) she said, "O, Holy One, I present this garden to the Sangha. Accept it if it is fitting."

The Buddha accepted her great gift, seeing the purity of heart that offered it. He then gladdened Ambapali with the Dharma. Her mind calm and brightened, her heart grown great with generosity, this was the turning point in Ambapali's life: She understood the profound Dharma and became a virtuous person.

She later entered the Order of Nuns (Bhikkhuni Sangha), and with the heart of wisdom strengthened in her, she became one of the arhats. Just as a lotus springs from muck and mud and blossoms above the water, Ambapali managed to achieve the height of spiritual development despite her past.

The Buddha and his disciples moved on to the small village of Beluva, where he decided to spend the final rains retreat (vassa).

• Who was Ambapali? (women-philosophers.com)
• The Story of Ambapali (sacred-texts.com)
• Ambapali in the Psalms of the Sisters (Therigatha 13.1)