Biography (16): Soṇa Koḷivisa Mahāthera

(a) Aspiration made in The Past

The virtuous man, who was to become Soṇa Koḷivisa Mahāthera, during the lifetime of Buddha Padumuttara, was reborn in the family of merchants in a remote past and was named Sirivaḍḍha. When Sirivaḍḍha came of age, as in the manner of former aspirant Mahātheras, he went to the monastery and listened to the Buddha’s Teaching, standing at the end of the audience. Seeing the Buddha declaring a monk, who was the foremost (etadagga) among those putting strenuous effort (āraddha-vīriya), he was inspired, saying to himself: “I too should become one like this monk in future!” When the teaching was over, he invited the Buddha and performed a mahā-dāna for a week. Thereafter, he made known to the Buddha his aspiration. Foreseeing the fulfilment of Sirivaḍḍha’s wish, the Buddha prophesied as before and then left for the monastery.

Life as A Clansman of Bārāṇasī

Due to his meritorious deeds, Sirivaḍḍha was reborn only either in the realm of devas or that of humans. When a hundred thousand aeons had elapsed, i.e. when Buddha Kassapa had attained Parinibbāna in this Bhadda aeon and before our Buddha appeared, Sirivaḍḍha was reborn as a clansman in a virtuous family. One day, while the clansman was enjoying a water-sport with his friends in the river Gaṅgā, a Paccekabuddha appeared.

The Paccekabuddha, wearing old robe, thinking: “I shall spend the vassa with Bārāṇasī as food-resort, after building a dwelling on the bank of the Gaṅgā,” went to collect sticks and cane stalks that were brought by the river-currents. Thereupon, Sirivaḍḍha with his friends went to the Paccekabuddha, paid homage to Him and while standing asked: “What are you doing, Venerable Sir?” “Dear young man,” replied the Paccekabuddha, “as the vassa is drawing near, a dwelling is required for a monk.”

Sirivaḍḍha then said: “Venerable Sir, please wait a day, today, by all means. Tomorrow we shall build a dwelling and offer it to you.” Saying to Himself: “I should grant my favour to this virtuous clansman,” which was the main purpose of His visit, the Paccekabuddha accepted his offer. Knowing the Paccekabuddha’s acceptance, Sirivaḍḍha returned home. The next day, he prepared all kinds of offering and waited, while standing, for the coming of the Paccekabuddha. The latter thinking where He should collect food, came to know of Sirivaḍḍha’s idea and went to the gate of his house.

On seeing the Paccekabuddha’s coming, Sirivaḍḍha was very pleased and took the almsbowl and offered food in it. He supplicated, saying: “Please come to the gate of my house [for food] for the three months of this vassa.” Getting the promise and when the Paccekabuddha had left, he completed, with his friends, the construction of the dwelling with a walk-way, day-and-night resorts for the Paccekabuddha and offered them to Him.

What was peculiar about Sirivaḍḍha was this: When the Paccekabuddha entered the dwelling, Sirivaḍḍha, with the idea not to let the former’s feet touched by the mud on the ground, smeared on the ground wet cow dung and then spread over it his red cloak, which he had put on and which was valued at a hundred thousand coins. On seeing the colour of the red cloak and that of the Paccekabuddha’s body were one and the same, he was very pleased, so he said: “Just as my cloak has become more beautiful since You stepped on it, even so may the colour of my hands and feet be red and beautiful like the colour of Hibiscus flowers! May the touch of my body be like the cotton wool that has been dressed a hundred times!”

Sirivaḍḍha served the Paccekabuddha for the three months of the vassa. When the Paccekabuddha held the pavarana ceremony at the end of the vassa, he offered Him a three-piece robe. Equipped completely with bowl and robe, the Paccekabuddha returned to the Gandhamādāna mountain.

(b) Ascetic Life adopted in His Final Existence

Without being reborn in the four woeful states, Sirivaḍḍha was reborn in the realms of devas or humans, and was finally conceived in the house of the merchant Usabha, in the city of Kāḷacampā, during the lifetime of our Buddha. Since the time of his conception, thousands of gifts had come to the merchant’s house. On the day of his birth too, the whole of Kāḷacampā City was overwhelmed by gifts and offerings too. On his naming day, the two parents said: “Our son has brought his own name. His complexion is like something bathed in the liquid of red gold,” and called him Soṇa Boy or Soṇa, the merchant’s son. (The name given was just Soṇa.) But as he belonged to the clan of Koḷivisa, he was better known as Soṇa Koḷivisa.) Then sixty nurses were appointed for him who was brought up blissfully like a celestial being.

Food prepared for Soṇa

The following was the way the food for Soṇa was prepared:

First, the field, extending to 60 royal pai, was ploughed and sāli paddy was grown by (1) cow-milk, (2) scented water and (3) ordinary water.

Into the drain in the field, cow milk and scented water were poured from a large number of jars. When the stalks had absorbed the milk, in order to protect them against the danger of being eaten by birds and insects, and in order to make the crops tender, posts were erected in the field, leaving space between one pole and another. On the poles, on the paly, were rafters, which were covered by mats. Screens were then erected for shelter and guards were places at the corners.

When the crops ripened, granaries were renovated by smearing them with four kinds of unguent (namely, saffron, cloves, rhododendron and kakkū or kamyin powder). The air was made laden with fragrance by applying precious unguent above the previous kind. Then only did farm workers went down to the farms and collected the crops carefully, tying with strings and drying them. A layer of unguent was spread on the floor of the granaries; the dried bundles of stems were spread on the layer of unguents. In this way, the layers of unguent and the layers of crops were made alternately until the granaries became full. The doors were then closed and the crops kept for three years.

On completion of three years, the doors of the granaries were opened. The whole city of Campā was then diffused by the fragrance.

When the sāli paddy was pounded, drunkards rushed to buy the paddy husks and bran. The broken rice was, however, taken by the servants and workers. Only whole grains were collected for Sona.

The way of cooking rice was as follows: whole grains were put in the washing-basket made of gold threads. After filtering a hundred times, the rice was immersed in the boiling water and (without letting it remains long) it was taken out. (As the rice was cooked as soon as it was taken out from the water) the cooked rice resembled jasmine flowers.

The rice was then put in a gold bowl which was then put on the silver cup which was full of boiled sweet rice-milk, free of water and boiled thoroughly (so that the cooked rice remained hot). The food was then placed before Sona.

Soṇa Koḷivisa had the sāli food moderately. He washed his mouth and hands and feet with scented water. He was then given quids of betel of all kinds and other things to make his mouth smell sweet.

Wherever he went, fine and exquisite carpets were spread out. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet were red like the colour of Hibiscus. His touch was very soft like that of the cotton wool that has been dressed a hundred times. The soles were covered with soft hair having the colour of the lotus threads in a spiral shape and existing in a ruby earplug. Whenever he was angry with somebody, he would threaten, saying: “You think about it carefully! Or I shall put down my feet on the ground.” On coming of age, three palaces were built for him (as in the case of Yasa the merchant’s son), each for a particular season. He was also caused (by the parents) to enjoy the entertainment of female dancers. Taking pleasure in great luxury, the wealthy son was living a deva-like life blissfully.

At that time, our Buddha had attained Enlightenment and taught the Dhammacakka Sutta and was staying with Rājagaha as His resort for alms-food. Meanwhile, the righteous King Bimbisāra summoned Soṇa and sent him, in the company of eighty thousand villageheadmen, to the Buddha. Having listened to the Buddha’s sermon, and developing immense faith, Sona asked the Buddha for ordination.

The Buddha then asked him as to whether he had obtained his parent’s permission. When the answer was negative, the Buddha advised him saying: “Dear son Soṇa, Buddhas do not ordain those who are not permitted by their parents.” “Very well, Exalted Buddha,” said Soṇa and in obedience he went back to his parents and obtained their permission before he approached the Buddha again. Under the instruction of the Buddha, he was ordained by a bhikkhu. (This is a brief account. A detailed account may be read in the translation of the Cammakkhandhaka of the Vinaya Mahāvagga.)

While living in Rājagaha, after gaining monkhood, his relatives and friends adoringly made offerings in his honour. They spoke a lot in praise of his handsome personality. So it occurred to Soṇa: “Many people came to me. If they keep on coming to me, how could I engage in tranquillity and insight meditation? I would not be able to do so any longer. What if I, after hearing the meditation sermon from the Buddha, go to the cemetery at Sītavana (Sīta grove) and put effort to practise asceticism! People would not go there for they abhor the cemetery. Then will my ascetic performance reach its apex, which is arahatship.” Accordingly, after hearing the meditation discourse from the Buddha, he went to Sitavana where he was inspired to begin his ascetic engagement.

Strenuous Engagement

“My body is so tender,” thought Venerable Sona, “As a matter of fact, I am not in a position to attain the bliss of the Path and the Fruition easily. Therefore, I should apply energy by tiring myself.” So thinking, he did his meditation by indulging only in the two postures of standing and walking (and rejecting entirely the other two postures of lying down and sitting). Then boils appeared at the edges of his very soft foot-soles and the whole terraced walk became deep red as the boils burst. When he was unable to walk, he practised by crawling on his elbows and knees which also were cut and the entire walk became doubly red. In spite of his such strenuous effort, he could not see any sign of positive result of his meditation.

As a result, he conceived the following idea:

“If somebody else were to put strenuous effort, he too would do like me but not more than what I have done. Despite my effort, I was unable to make to the Path and the Fruition. Perhaps I am not a true ugghaṭitaññū, vipañcitaññū or neyya. Perhaps, I am only a padaparama individual. As such, what is the use of monkhood. There’s probably none. I shall revert to laymen’s society. I shall enjoy worldly pleasures and (while doing so) shall do good works.”

Buddha’s Admonition: The Parable of A Harp

Knowing of the Venerable’s thought, the Buddha went in the evening in the company of bhikkhus to Sona’s dwelling, and on seeing the walkway in red asked: “Monks whose walkway is this that is red like a slaughter house?” (though He knew about it but He did so with an intention to deliver a sermon). The bhikkhus replied: “Exalted Buddha, the soles of the Venerable Soṇa, who had put so much effort by walking in his practice of meditation, have been injured. The walkway now deep red like a slaughter house belongs to that bhikkhu, Soṇa.” The Buddha proceeded to Venerable Soṇa’s meditation place and sat down on the seat readily prepared.

Venerable Soṇa came and made obeisance to the Buddha and took his seat at a suitable place. When the Buddha asked him whether it was true that he had conceived the idea of returning to lay-life, Venerable Soṇa admitted that it was true. Thereafter, the Buddha gave a sermon, the parable of a harp (vīnovāda), the harp’s strings should be set neither too loose nor too tight.

Buddha: Dear son, how do you think of the question that I am now going to ask? You may answer as you like. You are clever, are you not, in playing a harp formerly while a lay man.

Soṇa: Yes, Exalted Buddha.

(Herein, when the Venerable Soṇa was young, his parents thought: “If Sona, would learn any other form of art, he would be weary. But harping is something that can be learnt while sitting comfortably at a place.” So they made him learn the art of harping and he became an accomplished harpist.

(The Buddha knew that “other forms of meditation cannot benefit this monk Soṇa. While a layman, he was accomplished in harping. He will quickly gain spiritual knowledge, if I teach him with reference to that art.” Accordingly, after asking Venerable Soṇa, as has been stated above, the Buddha began His sermon.)

Buddha: Dear son Soṇa, how do you think of the question I am now going to ask? Suppose your harp-strings are too tight, will your harp make a pleasant sound? Will it last long?

Soṇa: Exalted Buddha, that is impossible. It will neither make a pleasant sound nor will it last long.

Buddha: Dear son Soṇa, how do you think of the question I am now going to ask? Suppose the strings are too loose, will your harp make a pleasant sound? Will it last long?

Soṇa: It is impossible, Exalted Buddha. It will neither make a pleasant sound nor will it last long.

Buddha: Dear son Soṇa, how do you think of the question I am now going to ask. Suppose the strings are neither too tight nor too loose but set in perfect balance, will your harp make a pleasant sound? Will it last long?

Soṇa: It is possible, Exalted Buddha, that the harp will make a pleasant sound and it will last long.

Buddha: In the same way, dear son Soṇa, if the effort put forth is too much, it causes restlessness (uddhacca). (Excess energy brings about restlessness.) If the effort put forth is too little, it causes indolence (kosajja). (Inadequate energy brings about indolence.) Therefore, dear son Soṇa, set up energy (vīriya) and concentration (samādhi) in equal amount. (Try to keep the balance of your energy and concentration.) Know that your faculties such as faith (saddhā) must also be in equal degree. (Make the five faculties, such as, faith (saddhā), energy (vīriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā), are of equal proportion.) When they are well balanced, try to have signs of tranquillity, etc.)

Soṇa: Very well, Exalted Buddha.

Having admonished the Venerable Soṇa by setting the art of harp-playing as an example and having taught him the meditation practice involving the perfect balance of energy and concentration, the Buddha returned to the monastery on the Gijjhakūṭa hill.

(c) Etadagga Title achieved

Considering in retrospect, the way of the Venerable Soṇa Koḷivisa’s meditation practice, the fact manifests itself that while others' energy had to be increased (as it was so deficient), his was to be decreased (as it was too much).

Therefore, at a later time, the Buddha praised him and declared him the foremost (etadagga) in having strenuous energy (āraddha-vīriya):

“Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ āraddha-vīriyānam yadidaṃ Soṇa Koḷivso.”

“Monks, among my disciples who possessed of strenuous energy, Soṇa of Koḷivisa clan is the best.”