Biography (37): Nanda Mahāthera

(a) Aspiration expressed in The Past

The future Nanda was reborn into a worthy family in the city of Haṃsāvatī during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. When he came of age, he had the occasion to listen to a discourse by the Buddha. As he was listening the discourse, he witnessed the Buddha named a certain bhikkhu as foremost in guarding his sense-faculties. He aspired to that distinction in the Teaching of some future Buddhas. After making extraordinary offerings to the Buddha, he expressed his aspiration. The Buddha predicted that the aspiration would be fulfilled.

(b) Ascetic Life adopted in His Final Existence

The future Nanda was reborn as the son of Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, the foster-mother of the Buddha, in the city of Kapitavatthu. (He was born two or three days after the Buddhato-be, Prince Siddhattha, was born by Queen Māyā, who was the elder sister of Mahāpajāpati Gotamī. An account of Prince Nanda becoming a bhikkhu has been given in Chapter 29.)

On the third day of his first visit to Kapliavatthu, the Buddha admitted Prince Nanda into the Order of Bhikkhus, (the details which have been given in Chapter 20.)

Although Prince Nanda had taken up bhikkhuhood, the (pitiable) words of his Princess Janapadakalyāṇī were always ringing in his ears: “O My Lord, came back to me soon!” Quite often he imagined his erstwhile beloved wife were standing by his side. Finding no comfort in the Teaching, he tried to run away from the Nigrodhārāma monastery. But he had not gone beyond a thicket when he thought the Buddha was standing in his way, and he was obliged to go back to the monastery with a mind crumpled like a burnt feather.

The Buddha knew the distress of Bhikkhu Nanda, his utter negligence and his ennui in bhikkhuhood. To give immediate relief to his boredom and despair, the Buddha said to him: "Come, Nanda, let as pay a visit to the celestial world.” “Venerable Sir, the celestial world is accessible to powerful beings only. How would I be able to visit there?” asked Bhikkhu Nanda. “Nanda, just make your wish to go there and you will get there and see celestial things.” (The above account is taken from the Commentary on the Aṅguttara, Book One. The following account about Venerable Nanda will be based on the Udāna and the Commentary thereon.)

The Buddha’s objective was to allay the pangs of attachment in Nanda’s mind by strategy. Then, as if taking Nanda by the arm, the Buddha, by means of his supernormal powers took Bhikkhu Nanda to the Tāvatiṃsa Deva realm. On the way, the Buddha let him noticed a decrepit old female monkey sitting (desolately) on the stump of a burnt tree in a burnt paddy field, with her nose, ears and tail burnt away.

(In this matter, the Buddha took Nanda personally to the Tāvatiṃsa realm to let him experience stark contrast between the nature of human existence and deva existence, how lowly in birth the former is when compared with the latter. Just by letting him see the Tāvatiṃsa Deva realm, the Buddha could have opened up the vista of the deva realm while remaining at the Jetavana monastery, or else. He could have sent Nanda alone by the Buddha-power to the Tāvatiṃsa realm. The magnificence of the deva-world was purposely impressed on Nanda so as to make him take up, as an object of his goal, the task of the Threefold Training of a bhikkhu which he would consider enjoyable and worthwhile.)

At the Tāvatiṃsa realm, the Buddha showed celestial maidens who had crimson feet like the colour of the feet of the pigeon, who were entertaining Sakka, King of Devas. Then followed a dialogue between the Buddha and Bhikkhu Nanda:

Buddha: Nanda, do you see those five hundred celestial maidens whose feet are crimson like the colour of the pigeon’s feet?

Nanda: I do, Venerable Sir!

Buddha: Now, answer my question honestly. What do you think of this: Who is more beautiful? These damsels or your (one-time wife) Sakyan Princess Janapadakalyāṇī? Who is more attractive?

Nanda: Venerable Sir, as compared to these celestial maidens, Janapadakalyāṇī would seem to me just like the decrepit old female monkey (we saw on our way). She is not as feminine. She cannot stand beside these girls who are much too superior to her, who are much more lovely, much more attractive.

Buddha: Nanda, take up your bhikkhu practice well. Make yourself happy in the Teaching. I assure you that if you do so, you will have these five hundred celestial maidens.

Nanda: Venerable Sir, if the Bhagavā assures me of getting these lovely girls with crimson feet, I will make myself happy in the Teaching and stay with the Bhagava.

After that dialogue at the Tāvatiṃsa realm, the Buddha brought along Bhikkhu Nanda instantly to the Jetavana monastery as if taking him by the arm.

(The Buddha’s strategy needs to be understood here. As a good physician would administer some purgative to purge the toxic waste inside his patient, before administering milder medicine, whereby to vomit the remaining harmful matter that causes the disease, so also Nanda’s sensual attachment for his ex-wife had first to be purged by means of his desire for celestial maidens. After that, the Buddha would direct Nanda’s efforts to the practice of the Ariya Path whereby he could get rid of the remaining defilements.

Again, the reason for setting up some sexual object (of celestial maidens) for Nanda, whom the Buddha wishes to get him established in the Noble Practice marked by celibacy, needs to be understood. The Buddha is giving a temporary visual object of a much greater attractiveness so that Nanda could readily forget his erstwhile wife. By giving his assurance to Nanda to get that objective, the Buddha sets the mind of the youthful bhikkhu at ease. Incidentally, the course of the Buddha’s sermon, which usually progresses from attainment of celestial glory on the part of a donor towards magga-phala, should also be understood likewise.)

——Commentary on the Udāna——

From the time he got back to the Jetavana monastery, Bhikkhu Nanda arduously pursued bhikkhu practice, with the object of getting celestial maidens. Meanwhile, the Buddha had given instructions to the bhikkhus to go about Bhikkhu Nanda’s meditation place and say: “A certain bhikkhu is said to be striving hard in bhikkhu practice to get celestial maidens under the assurance of the Bhagavā.” The bhikkhus said: “Very well, Venerable Sir.” And they went about within earshot of Bhikkhu Nanda, saying: “The Venerable Nanda is said to be striving hard in bhikkhu practice to get celestial maidens. The Bhagavā is said to have given him the assurance that five hundred celestial maidens with crimson feet like the colour of the pigeon’s feet will be his prize.”

“O what a mercenary bhikkhu the Venerable Nanda is!”

“O what a dignified trader the Venerable Nanda is!”

When Venerable Nanda heard those stinging epithets, ‘mercenary’ and ‘dignified trader’ being applied to his name, he was greatly agitated, “Ah, how wrong I have been! How unbecoming a bhikkhu! Due to my lack of control of my sense-faculties, I have become the laughing stock of my companion bhikkhus. I must guard my sense faculties well.” From that moment, Venerable Nanda trained himself to be mindful with clear comprehension in all things that he looked at, whether looking east or west, south or north, upwards or downwards, across or at any intermediate point of the compass, not to allow any thought of greed, hatred, or other demeritoriousness arise in him due to whatever he saw. By restraining himself with respect to his sense-faculties to a most exacting degree, his pursuit of bhikkhu practice culminated in arahatship not long afterwards.

Then at about midnight, a Brahmā went to the Buddha and gave the good news that Venerable Nanda had attained arahatship. The Buddha directed his mind to Venerable Nanda and confirmed that what the Brahmā said was true.

Buddha’s Freedom from Binding Obligation

The thought that he was practising the Noble Path with the object of getting celestial maidens, brought to his rude awakening by his companion bhikkhus, made the Venerable Nanda remorseful and the emotional awakening corrected his attitude, made him ever more ardent in the right practice culminating in arahatship. Then he remembered how he had made the Buddha a guarantor to get him the celestial maidens. He thought it necessary to relieve Him of that undertaking. In the next morning he went to the Buddha, made obeisance, and sitting in a suitable place, said: “Venerable Sir, the Bhagavā had undertaken to see that I get celestial maidens with crimson feet like the colour of the feet of the pigeon. Venerable Sir, I do not want the Bhagavā to be bound any more on that account.”

The Buddha said: “Nanda, I know, by My own mind, in reading your mind, that you are now established in arahatta-phala. Moreover, a Brahmā also brought this news to Me. Nanda, from the moment of your freedom from the moral intoxicants (āsavas) (i.e., from your attainment of Arahatship) I have been released of that bond. (This is the natural thing. You need not free me from it.)”

The Buddha saw the unshakable nature of an arahat, in the face of the vicissitudes of life rendered possible through extinction of moral intoxicants, and feeling very delighted with the present status of Venerable Nanda, uttered this joyous stanza:

Yassa nittiṇṇo paṅko,
maddito kāmakaṇṭako.
Mohakkhayaṃ anuppatto
sukhadukkhesu na redhatī sa bhikkhu.

The arahat has crossed over the mire of rebirth (by means of the Ariya Path which serves as a bridge). He has completely destroyed (with the Ariya Path as the weapon) the darts of sensuality (that torment devas and humans alike). He has reached (by progressing along the four stages of the Path-Knowledge) the end of bewilderment (i.e. attained Nibbāna). That enlightened bhikkhu, (unlike a worldling) does not flutter when faced with pain or pleasure (i.e. the vicissitudes of life).

(c) Etadagga Title achieved

In another occasion, when the Buddha was in congregation with the bhikkhus at the Jetavana monastery, He declared:

“Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ indriyesu guttadvārānaṃ yadidaṃ Nando.”

“Bhikkhus, among the bhikkhu-disciples who guard their sense-faculties well, Bhikkhu Nanda is the foremost (etadagga).”

(Other bhikkhu-disciples also guarded their sense-faculties well. The Venerable Nanda excelled all others in that whenever he looked in any of the ten directions to look at something, he did so only after making sure that he had the four kinds of clear comprehension, namely, (i) pondering wisely the pros and cons of an action beforehand (satthaka sampajāñña); (ii) pondering wisely whether an action, even though beneficial, would be proper for oneself to do (sappāyas);(iii) pondering wisely not to incur fault in one’s going about various places (gocaras);(iv) pondering wisely to avoid any action influenced by bewilderment (asammohas). He applied the rigorous self-discipline because he felt repentant about his lack of such control which lay at the root of his unhappiness in bhikkhuhood. Moreover, he had an innate sense of shame to do evil and dread to do evil. And above all, there was also his past aspiration to attain this distinction which he expressed (before Buddha Padumuttara) a hundred thousand world-cycles previously, which was fulfilled.)