by Sayagyi U Chit Tin
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Leaving behind passion, hatred, and delusion, Sutta-nipata, v. 74 [3]
This gatha (verse) was uttered by Arahats, including the Buddha,
on four separate occasions. It was first uttered by the Solitary Buddha
Matanga and was only heard by him. Then, following the tradition of
previous Paccekasambuddhas (perfectly awakened solitary Buddhas), he
spoke the verse again at the Nandamulaka mountain slope in the
Himalayas. Later, during the lifetime of Buddha Gotama, when Venerable
Ananda requested him, the Lord himself gave this verse. Finally, at the
First Council (Sangayana), which was held three months after the Great
Demise (Mahaparinibbana) of the Buddha, five hundred Arahats were
present as Sangitikarakas (recensionists of the Buddha’s Teachings), and
Ashin Ananda spoke this verse in answer to a question posed by the
Pucchaka (questioner) and convener of the Council, Ashin Maha-Kassapa.
It has been recited many times since then, notably at all the Councils
up through the Sixth Buddhist Council (or Synod) in Myanmar. At those
Councils, the verse was spoken in the presence of the Sangitikarakas.
Pacceka Buddha Matanga first spoke this verse as a solemn utterance
(udana) when he was filled with great joy (piti) after attaining the
knowledge of solitary awakening (pacceka-bodhi-nana). His piti was
so great that this verse occurred to him spontaneously.
There is an ancient tradition in India of people turning their backs
on life as a householder and taking up the life of an ascetic, carrying
an alms bowl for their food and retiring to the forest, especially to
the Himalayas in northern India. There, they follow their creed and
adopt ascetic practices. This can happen whether the Teachings of a
Buddha are available or not. If this is done during a period outside a
Buddha-sasana, ascetics who possess the right perfections (parami) can
attain the highest knowledge (nana), the Path and Fruition State of
Arahatship (arahatta-magga, arahatta-phala). They accomplish this
through understanding the Four Noble Truths, just as Fully Awakened Ones
(or Teaching Buddhas, Sammasambuddhas) do. They are called Solitary
Buddhas or Non-Teaching Buddhas (pacceka-buddhas). The difference
between the two types of Buddhas is that Sammasambuddhas have
developed their paramis over a longer period of time.
Everyone who is to reach Arahatship must develop the paramis for
a certain time. The shortest time required is for a disciple of a
Teaching Buddha who attains Arahatship but no more. "Great" disciples
(maha-savakas) and the two leading disciples (agga-savakas) of a
Teaching Buddha must work longer. Pacceka Buddhas work longer still.
For Teaching Buddhas, there are four levels of developing the
paramis. Our teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, gave a table of these
periods in his booklet
The Real Values of True Buddhist
Meditation:[4]
Pacceka Buddha Matanga[5] was the last Pacceka Buddha to appear
before the Teaching Buddha Gotama. The residents of Rajagaha who offered
him alms food each day could not have known all the details of the
attainments he had accomplished. They only saw peace and serenity in his
face. That was sufficient for them to want to pay respects to him and
offer him the best food they had before they ate themselves.
Pacceka Buddha Matanga resided in a cave in the Pandava foothill
near Rajagaha. From there, he went on his alms rounds to Rajagaha and
the surrounding villages, one after the other. His boundless compassion
and boudlness metta led him to make alms rounds regularly through
the residential areas of Rajagaha for the benefit and gain of many.
Pacceka Buddha Matanga, like all Solitary Buddhas and Teaching Buddhas,
had realized the Four Noble Truths on his own, without a teacher to show
him the way. Pacceka Buddhas, however, do not develop the perfections
for a long enough period to be able to teach others the Path to
Awakening, so he was not able to lead others to the truth he had
realized.
Pacceka Buddhas enjoy the attainment of the Fruition State (phala-sammapatti)
at times and at other times they enter the attainment of
cessation or suppression (nirodha). Even though they are in the world,
there will be no knowledge in the human world of the Paths and Fruition
States. This is because they will only live when there is no Buddha-sasana.
One day, Pacceka Buddha Matanga came out of the cessation state
(nirodha) and on regaining the use of his senses he heard Deva voices
saying, "Sir, sir, a future Buddha has been born in the world." These
Devas had come to the human world to worship, venerate, and honour the
Bodhisatta.
Pacceka Buddha Matanga had the ability to see into the future
(anagatamsa-nana). If he had used this ability before going into the
cessation state, he would have realized that twenty-nine years later to
the day, the future Teaching Buddha, now born as the Bodhisatta
Siddhattha, would come to the very spot where he was. Like him,
Siddhattha would go on alms round in the city of Rajagaha and would
return to that very place to eat the morning alms food given by the same
residents of Rajagaha and the surrounding villages who gave to him.
The day that the Bodhisatta Siddhattha was born there were thirtytwo
marvels in the world. Summer was over and the rains would soon come.
With the thirty-two marvels, trees bore flowers out of season, etc., and
the Himalayas were very beautiful. Pacceka Buddha Matanga did not see
all this because he had entered the cessation state for seven days; all
his senses were surpressed and sealed, and his body would be rigid until
the predetermined period was over.
When he heard the voices of the Devas, Pacceka Buddha Matanga
reflected, "A Bodhisatta has been born. He will be the future Buddha.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu." He saw that the worlds of the Devas, Brahmas,
and humans were filled with joy. Then he used his supernormal mental
powers (abhinna) to see when his own life would come to an end. He found
that he would attain Parinibbana that same day. So he went through the
air to the mountain named Mahapapata, a mountain in the Himalayas where
all Pacceka Buddhas attain Parinibbana.
The Burmese commentator describes the scene as follows: Pacceka
Buddha Matanga realized that he was the last of the Pacceka Buddhas
before the Sammasambuddha Gotama appeared in the world. He saw that he
would no longer be in the world when the future Buddha came, so he
directed his thoughts towards the destruction of his own life. Then he
left the cave where he had resided for many years with the support of
the residents of Rajagaha. He had no attachment to his supporters or to
his cave. Going through the air, he passed over Rajagaha, which is
surrounded by five mountains; he went over all of Magadha, headed for
the north into the Himalayas. He went past seven mountain ranges to the
Gandhamadana mountain range where the Nandamulaka (or Nandamu) mountain
slope is found. On that slope there are three caves: the golden cave
(Suvanna-guha), the ruby (or jewel) cave (Mani-guha), and the silver
cave (Rajata-guha). Pacceka Buddha Matanga chose the ruby cave in the
middle where the Manjusaka Deva tree grows at the entrance. There, he
descended from the air, keeping in mind, "All conditioned states are
transient, impermanent, anicca, anicca, anicca ...," as he saw the
withered flowers of the Manjusaka tree that had fallen all around it
like a huge carpet.
Pacceka Buddha Matanga remembered that this was the place where in
the past all the Pacceka Buddhas living in the world assembled on fullmoon
days and new-moon days. At such times, they enjoyed the attainment
of the Fruition State (phala-sammapatti) or of cessation
(nirodha-sammapatti) together. When a new Pacceka Buddha came, he would take the
last of the prepared seats because the Pacceka Buddhas were seated
according to seniority. When the predetermined period of going into
states was up, the eldest of the Pacceka Buddhas would ask the newly
arrived Pacceka Buddha to explain how he attained solitary knowledge
(pacceka-nana) and he would explain how he did so and would repeat the
solemn utterance (udana) he made on attaining full awakening.
When Pacceka Buddha Matanga appeared in the world, there were no
other Pacceka Buddhas, but he kept the tradition by coming to this place
and speaking his verse alone. This was the second time that he spoke
that verse. When he came back after learning about the birth of the
future Teaching Buddha, he had come for the last time. It was time for
him to follow in the footsteps of the previous Pacceka Buddhas. Although
the actual footsteps had disappeared due to the wind, rain, and snow,
they were still clear to him in his mind, and he followed the footsteps
and approached a large, flat rock. He took the string of bones mixed
with fragments of worn pieces of yellow robe of the Pacceka Buddha who
had entered complete extinction before him and threw them into the nearby
precipice.[6] Then he lay down on the flat rock.
As a Pacceka Buddha, Matanga had eliminated all craving. He had no
craving for continued existence (bhava). He had no craving for anything.
Whatever he did was in accordance with what should be done. There was no
reaction in him as he always possessed functional consciousness
(kiriya-citta), states of consciousness that do not give future results.
There would be no more birth for him. When the light of a candle is
extinguished, it disappears with no trace. We cannot say it has gone
here or there. The same is true when the Pacceka Buddhas pass away into
the sphere of Nibbana without a residue of substratum. They pass away
after entering the concentration of the fire element (tejo-dhatu-samadhi).
In this way, their bodies are consumed by fire.
Sayagyi U Chit Tin
Published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, IMC-UK, Splatts House, Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 0PE, England,
Copyright © 2000 Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, all rights reserved.
Ragan ca dosan ca pahaya moham
Sandalayitvana[1] samyojanani
Asantasam jivitasamkhayamhi
Eko care khaggavisanakappo.
having torn the fetters apart,
not trembling at (the time of) the complete
destruction of life,[2]
one should wander solitary as a rhinoceros
horn.
Tel: +44 1380 850 238, Fax: +44 1380 850 833.
Registered Charity No 280134.
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