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| Sunday, 26 May 2002 |
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Bodhisatta Setaketu's descent to earth by Aryadasa Ratnasinghe Four assankheyyas and a hundred thousand kalpas (i.e. innumerable span of geological time reckoned by aeons), there appeared in the world a fully-enlightened, omniscient and all-compassionate Buddha by the name Dipankara. At that time there lived a youngman named Sumedha, who had become the inheritor of vast wealth of his fore-fathers. He began to reflect on this great fortune, hoarded up from generation to generation, without making good use of it for the welfare of the world. So thinking, he gave away all his wealth as charity and, a week later, he renounced the world and moved into the Himalayas to practise asceticism, devoid of all mundane pleasures. In the process, he attained the abhinnas (the 6 higher powers of supernatural knowledge consisting 5 mundane lokiya powers attainable by the perfection of mental concentration samadhi and the supermundane lokuttara power attainable through insight vipassana, and, in addition, the 8 samapatti (the attainment of the 8 absorptions of the five material and immaterial spheres, including the attainment of Extinction nirodha samapatti. Thus he was able to ascend to the heavens of the gods. One day, the ascetic brahmin Sumedha, came down from the Himalayas to the city Amaravati, and he found that the people were busy decorating the streets and their homes. The ascetic Sumedha inquired from the people as to why they were doing so, and he was informed that Buddha Dipankara was expected in the city on that day. Now he thought that he should also show his reverence to the Buddha, by decorating a portion of the road. But, before he could do so, he saw the Buddha coming with a band of his disciples dressed in yellow robes. Ascetic Sumedha resolved to offer his body to the Buddha to cross that muddy part of the road, by laying his face downwards and stretching himself lengthwise for the Buddha to walk over his prostrated body. The Buddha approached the ascetic, stopped and beckoning to his disciples, said "This holy man, if he so desires, may pass on to Nibbana, by becoming an Arhat (Saint), but if he wishes to become a Buddha like me, I prophesy that under the name of Gotama, he would be born in the Sakya family, and save countless millions of humans from the sorrows of samsara (cycle of rebirths). The ascetic Sumedha now resolved to fulfil the ten paramitas (perfections), essential to become a Bodhisatta (Buddha aspirant) viz: dana (absolute charity), sila (moral perfection), nekkhamma (renunciation of sensual pleasures), panna (perfect wisdom), viriya (unceasing exertion), khanti (forgiving-patience), succa (truthfulness), adhittana (perfect determination), metta (loving-kindness) and upekkha (perfect equanimity). Charity Sumedha, in his last birth as King Vessantara, the perfection of charity (dana paramita) was reached, when he gave away his two children Jaliya and Krishnajina to a brahmin, and his consort Madri to god Indra alias Sakra, the king of gods (devanam-indo). After his death, he was born in the Thusitha heaven as Bodhisatta Setaketu, where he stayed until the time comes for him to descend to the earth, in fulfilment of the initiation to become a Buddha. Thusitha is the Heaven of Satisfaction, and the fourth of the six celestial abodes in the World of Desire. It is said that Bodhisattas are reborn there, before their last birth on earth, when they will attain Buddhahood. While dwelling in the Thusitha heaven, and when the time approached for the Bodhisatta to descend to the earth in human form, the gods spoke to him and solicited to take birth in India (the land of the Buddhas), for the salvation of mankind. Addressing him the gods said: "Kaloyam te Mahavira uppajja mathukucciyam, Sadevakam tharayantho bujjhassu amatam padam." (O Great Being! Time has come for thee to appear in the world and, hence, conceive in the womb of a mother). In the Pali canon and the commentaries, the designation Bodhisatta is given only to prince Siddhartha Gautama prior to his Enlightenment and to his former existences. The notion of Bodhisatta is, therefore, found in the Theravada (orthodox) writings where reference is found in the Jataka stories of the present Buddha Gautama. In the Mahayana (heterodox) tradition, the Bodhisatta ideal is rooted in the belief of future Buddhas who have long since existed as Bodhisattas. The present Buddha himself uses the term Bodhisatta in speaking of his previous births. In keeping with the wish of the divine assembly, the Bodhisatta Setakutu, looked into the five great signs (panca-vilokana), before descending to the earth. They were the time, the continent, the country, the mother and the family. He then found that the time was appropriate, that the best continent was Jambudipa (India), that the best country was the Middle Country, that the best family was the Sakyas descended from the Solar King Ikshvaku and that the best woman was queen Mahamaya of immaculate conduct. Celestial The conception was marked by a prognosticated dream. It was that the four celestial guardians of the universe, came near the bed on which the queen lay asleep, lifted it up with her, and carried it away towards the Himalayas, and placed it by the Anotatta lake. She then rose to her feet, walked towards the lake, performed her ablutions, bathed in the cool waters of the lake and, thereafter, rested on the bed. At that time, a young and beautiful young elephant, white in colour, and carrying a white lotus flower in its trunk, approached her from the northern direction and entered her womb from the right side of her body. When she woke up, she was much alarmed than puzzled over the dream and, in the following morning, told about it to the king. Now, the king pondering over it, immediately summoned erudite brahmins learned in interpreting dreams, to ascertain what it was about. These soothsayers unanimously told the king, "O King! Don't worry. The queen has conceived a son. If he were to keep to lay life, he would definitely become a Chakravarti (Universal Monarch). If he were to renounce the world, he would, doubtless, become a Buddha. He was born under the constellation Cancer (Kataka lagna) and the asterism 'Visa' (Alpha libroe). Retinue Ten thousand worlds rejoiced when the Bodhisatta Setaketu left the Thusitha heaven to be conceived in the immaculate womb of queen Mahamaya. Ten months later, when the time came for delivery, the queen, in keeping with the custom, went to her father's kingdom of Devadaha, accompanied by her retinue. As they approached the royal garden Lumbini (now Rummindei) and walking under the shady grove, pain of delivery came upon the queen. As she stood under a 'sal' (Roshea robusta), the future Buddha was born. Then came four gods of the Suddhavasa heaven of immaculate minds (the Pure Abodes of 5 heavens, belonging to the fine Material World (rupa loka), the pure abodes being Aviha, Atappa, Sudassa, Sudassi and Akanittha. They received the child and placed him before his mother and said "Rejoice O Queen! A mighty son has been born to you." The child then uttered the words "I am the Chief, the Eldest in all the world." |
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