Part 3 - Bodhisatta-kicca (duties of a Bodhisatta)

Mere desire to possess wealth and not working for it leads nowhere. Only when one works hard enough can one hope to gain the desired object. In the same way, the three types of future Buddhas, who wish to attain the above mentioned three respective types of Enlightenment, attain them only when they have fulfilled their Perfections (pāramī), sacrificed their life and limb in charity (cāga) and developed their virtues through practice (cariya) as means of achieving the Enlightenment which they so desire.

In a business enterprise, the extent of profit gained is determined by the capital invested and the effort put in. When the capital is large and the effort great, the profit is considerable;when the capital and effort are fair, the accruing profit is just fair; when the capital and effort are little, the profit gained is little. In the same way, there exist distinctions between Enlightenment attained by those who make investment in the form of fulfilment of Perfections, Sacrifice of life and limb in charity and Development of virtues–the practices which are conducive to arising of Enlightenment^[1] (Bodhi-paripāka). The profits gained in the form of Enlightenment differ inasmuch as there are differences in their investment of Perfections, Sacrifices and Virtues through Practice.

The differences may be explained as follows:

(1) Sammā-Sambodhisattas, future Buddhas, who even before the definite prophecy (made by a Buddha saying: “This person shall attain Buddhahood under a certain name in a certain world,”)^[2] accumulate merits and make the mental resolution to become a Buddha. As mentioned in the passage:

Aham pi pubbabuddhesu, buddhattaṃ abhipatthayim.
Manasā yeva hutvāna, dhammarajā asaṅkhiyā.

in the Buddhāpadāna of the Apadāna,^[3] a future Buddha aspires mentally to Buddhahood in the presence of innumerable Buddhas throughout incalculable aeons.

After thus making the mental resolution for attainment of Buddhahood and accumulating special merits for an inestimable period of time, when he becomes endowed with the eight factors^[4] (like Sumedha the Hermit), a Bodhisatta receives the definite prophecy from a living Buddha.

Here it should be noted that the act of resolution by an aspirant to become a Buddha (abhinīhāra)^[5] is made up of two phases; as aspiration to Enlightenment prior to his possession of the eight factors is mainly mental, his act of resolution made before Buddhas, one after another, is not complete, and he is not yet entitled to the designation of Bodhisatta.

But when he becomes endowed with eight factors like Sumedha and, on that very account, he now makes the resolution saying:

Iminā me adhikārena, katena purisuttame.
Sabbatññutaṃ pāpuṇitvā, tāremi janataṃ bahuṃ^[6].

As the fruit of this great meritorious deed done by me for the sake of this Omniscient Buddha^[7] (without regard even for my life,) may I, having myself attained Omniscient Buddhahood, be able to save multitudes of beings.

His act of resolution becomes complete then and there, and it enables him to be worthy of receiving the definite prophecy.

It should be noted that this complete act of resolution (abhinīhāra) is the great wholesome consciousness^[8] (intention or volition) that arises as a result of his reflection on the unimaginable attributes of a Buddha and His great compassion for the welfare of the entire world of beings. And this great wholesome consciousness has the unique power of motivating his fulfilment of Perfections, Sacrifice of life and limb in charity and development of virtues through Practice.

The moment that great wholesome consciousness arises in the future Buddha, he sets himself on the Path leading to Omniscience. Because he is definitely on his way to Buddhahood, he now wins the title, Bodhisatta. Owing to the great complete resolution which, as has been explained above, is the great wholesome consciousness, there becomes established in him the wholesome aspiration for full Omniscience and the unrivalled ability to fulfil Perfections, to sacrifice life and limb in charity and to develop virtues which form the requisites for attainment of Omniscience.

And also, because of the aforesaid great wholesome consciousness, he reflects on the Perfections to be accomplished and determines the order for doing so. He does it by means of the knowledge of investigation of Perfections, (Pāramī-pavicaya-ñāṇa), etc., which enables him to penetrate things without a teacher’s help. This knowledge is a precursor to attainment of Omniscience; it is followed by the actual fulfilment of Perfections one after another.

As mentioned in the Nidāna-kathā of the Cariya-Piṭaka Commentary,^[9] after receiving the definite prophecy of Buddhahood, the future Buddha ceaselessly and uniquely strives to fulfil Perfections (pāramī), Sacrifices (cāga) and virtues through Practice (cariya)^[10] which are requisites for achieving the Path-Knowledge of Arahantship (arahatta-magga-ñāṇa) and Omniscience (sabbaññuta-ñāṇa) by four means of development, namely, (i) sabbasambhāra-bhāvanā, (ii) nirantara-bhāvanā, (iii) cirakāla-bhāvanā, and (iv) sakkaccabhāvanā.

Of these four, (i) sabbasambhāra-bhāvanā is complete development of the entire range of Perfections; (ii) nirantara-bhāvanā is development of Perfections throughout the minimum period of four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, or the medial period of eight asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, or the maximum period of sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, without a break of even a single existence; (iii) cirakāla-bhāvanā is development of Perfections for a long duration which is not an aeon less than the minimum period of four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons; and (iv) sakkacca-bhāvanā is development of Perfections with seriousness and thoroughness.^[11]

Moral Qualities of A Future Buddha

The future Buddha, who has received the definite prophecy, is strongly moved by great compassion for beings when he sees these helpless ones who have no refuge in this difficult journey of life, who are beset with a variety of intolerably acute sufferings such as those springing from birth, old age, sickness and death; of killings, imprisonment, of being maimed and disabled; of hardships associated with earning a living and the sufferings of being in woeful states. Being so moved by this great compassion, he forbears his own suffering from such outrageous oppressive atrocities as cutting off of the hand, the leg, the ear, etc., perpetrated against him by those totally blind and ignorant people, and his compassion for them is long and enduring.

He suffuses them with compassion in this manner: “How shall I treat these people who have wronged me? I am of truth, the person who is striving for Perfections with a view to liberating them from the woes of the cycle of births. Powerful indeed is delusion! Forceful indeed is craving! Sad it is that, being overwhelmed by craving and delusion, they have committed such great offences even against me, who is endeavouring to liberate them thus. Because they have perpetrated these outrages, serious troubles lie in wait for them.”

Shedding his compassion on them, he tries to find suitable ways and means to save them and reflects: “Being overwhelmed by craving and delusion, they have wrongly taken what is impermanent to be permanent, suffering to be happiness, non-self to be self and unpleasantness to be pleasantness. In what way shall I go to their rescue and get them out of suffering that arises owing to a cause?”

While contemplating thus, the Bodhisatta rightly discerns that forbearance (khantī) is the only means to set beings free from the bondage of existence. He does not show even the slightest anger to beings who have outraged him by cutting off his limbs, etc. He thought to himself: “As the result of demeritorious deeds done in my past existences, I deserve the suffering now. Since I, myself, have done wrong previously, this suffering I deserve. I am the one who has started the wrongdoing.” Thus, he takes the offence of others upon himself.

It further occurs to him thus: “Only with forbearance will I be able to save them. If I do wrong to the wrongdoer, I will become like him; I will not be different from him. How then can I liberate them from the woes of the cycle of births? Never can I^[12]. Therefore, resting on the strength of forbearance, which is the basis of all strengths, and taking their misdeeds upon myself, forbear I will; and with loving-kindness and compassion as guides, I shall fulfil the Perfections. Only by so doing will I attain Omniscient Buddhahood. Only by having attained Omniscient Buddhahood will I be able to save all beings from suffering that arises owing to a cause.” He thus sees the correct situation as it stands.

Having observed thus, the future Buddha fulfils his Perfections in a unique manner–the Perfections being ten ordinary ones, ten superior ones and ten most superior ones, thirty in all, known as Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhi-sambhāra). The fulfilment of Perfections takes place in the above-mentioned four ways of development.^[13]

Not living long in Celestial Abodes while fulfilling Perfections

Before he attains the complete fulfilment of Perfections, as in the existence of Vessantara^[14], while still fulfilling Perfections, Sacrificing life and limb in charity and developing practices in a unique manner, a future Buddha may be reborn frequently as a divine being of long life in consequence of his great meritorious deeds. But he chooses to cut short his long life in that divine world by means of intentional death (adhimuttimaraṇa^[15]) because it is difficult to fulfil Perfections in those celestial abodes. Accordingly, he is reborn in many a world of human beings where he can continue to fulfil Perfections.

Perfections compared with An Ocean

However enormous an ocean may be, it is finite in its extent, being limited by its bed at the bottom, its surface at the top and encircled by cakkavāḷa mountains on all sides. On the other hand, the ocean of Perfection in alms-giving (dāna-pāramī) fulfilled and accumulated by the future Buddha is infinite in its extent; its dimensions are limitless. With regard to this particular Perfection of alms-giving, one cannot define its limits by the extent of external properties given away, the amount of flesh or blood given away or by the number of eyes or heads sacrificed. Likewise, one cannot speak of limits of other Perfections such as that of morality (sīla-pāramī). Thus, in this comparison of the ocean with the ocean of Perfections, it should be noted that the former is limited in capacity, however vast it may be, whereas, the latter is of infinite magnitude.

Future Buddhas do not feel even Intense Pain

At noon, during the hot season, a man may go into a deep lake and take a bath, submerging himself; and while he is so doing, he does not take note of the intense heat that descends from the sky. In the same way, the future Buddha who suffused himself with great compassion, while seeking the welfare of beings, goes down into the ocean of Perfections and submerges himself there. Since he is suffused with great compassion, he does not feel even intense pains, which are caused by cutting off his limbs, etc., by evil cruel persons, as sufferings.

Long Duration needed for Fulfilment of Perfections

A future Buddha has to fulfil Perfections for at least four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons from the time of his receiving the prophecy to the last existence when he achieves the completion of his fulfilment of Perfections (as in the existence of Vessantara). According to the Saṃyutta Nikāya, an aeon is a period of time during which, if the bones of being were piled up, the size of that pile would become as high as a mountain. Therefore, the number of births taken by the future Buddha, during the long period of four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, would be greater than the number of drops of water in a great ocean. Among these existences, there is none who has not witnessed his fulfilment of Perfections and none who has passed in vain.

The accounts of fulfilment of Perfections by the future Buddha, as mentioned in the 550 Jātaka stories and in the stories of Cariya-Piṭaka, are just a few examples out of the total experiences which he had during the long period of four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons. It is like a bowl of sea-water taken out of a great ocean in order to sample its salty taste. The Buddha told these stories as illustrations, as occasions arose and under appropriate circumstances. The number of stories He had told and the number of stories He had not, may be compared to the water in a bowl and the water in a great ocean respectively.

The Perfection of alms-giving fulfilled by the Buddha is sung in praise in the Jinālaṅkāra as follows:

So sāgare jaladhikaṃ rudiram adāsi,
Bhumiṃ parājiya samaṃsam adāsi dānaṃ.
Meruppamāṇam adhikañ ca samoḷisīaṃ,
Khe tārakādhikataraṃ nayanaṃ adāsi.^[16]

Aiming at Infinite Wisdom, and full of faith and fervour, that Bodhisatta had given in charity, his ruby-red blood in quantities much more than drops of water in the four oceans; aiming at Infinite Wisdom and full of faith and fervour, he had given in charity, his naturally soft and tender flesh in quantities which would exceed the great earth that is 240,000 yojanas in extent; aiming at Infinite Wisdom and full of faith and fervour, his heads, with glittering crowns studded with nine gems, he had given in charity, would pile up higher than Mount Meru; aiming at Infinite Wisdom and full of faith and fervour, he had given in charity, his wondrous smiling eyes, dark as corundum or of a beetle’s wing, more numerous than the stars and planets in the space of the universe.^[17]

(2) Future Private Buddhas, called Pacceka-Bodhisattas, have to fulfil their Perfections for two asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons. They cannot become Private Buddhas if their duration of fulfilment of Perfections is less than that number of aeons. Because, as has been said in the chapter dealing with previous Bodhisattas, Enlightenment of a Private Buddha (Pacceka-Bodhi) cannot become mature before they have completed the full course of Perfections.

(3) Future Disciples, called Sāvaka-Bodhisattas, are: (a) Future Chief Disciples (Agga-Sāvaka), a pair of Disciples like the Venerable Sāriputta^[18] and the Venerable Moggallāna^[19], (b) Future Great Disciples (Mahā-Sāvaka), like the eighty Great Disciples^[20] in the lifetime of Buddha Gotama and (c) Future Ordinary Disciples^[21] (Pakati-Sāvaka) are all arahants other than those mentioned above. Thus there are three categories of future Disciples.

Of these three categories, (a) Future Chief Disciples have to fulfil their Perfections for one asaṅkhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons; (b) Future Great Disciples, for a hundred thousand aeons; and as for (c) Future Ordinary Disciples, duration of their fulfilment of Perfections is not directly given in the Texts. However, it is said in the Commentary and

Sub-Commentary on the Pubbenivāsa-kathā (in the Mahāpadāna Sutta^[22]) that Great Disciples can remember their past lives of one hundred thousand aeons ago and Ordinary Disciples, of less than that figure. Since fulfilment of Perfections takes place in every existence of theirs, it may be inferred that future Ordinary Disciples have to fulfil Perfections not more than a hundred thousand aeons. The duration of their fulfilment of Perfections is thus indefinite: it may be one hundred aeons or one thousand aeons, etc. According to some, it may be just one or two existences as illustrated by the story of a frog^[23].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Conducive to arising of Enlightenment: Bodhiparipācaka: literally, “That which makes Enlightenment ripen.”

[2]:

Like Buddha Dīpaṅkara who prophesied the attainment of Buddhahood by Sumedha.

[3]:

Buddha-Vagga Vol.4. Part.1.

[4]:

Ref: Hard to become even a future Buddha.

[5]:

An act of resolution to become a Buddha: Abhiñihāra: the literal meaning of the word given by the author is directing one’s mind towards attainment of Buddhahood.

[6]:

Verse 57, Sumedha-kathā, Buddhavaṃsa.

[7]:

Verse 57, Sumedha-kathā, Buddhavaṃsa.

[8]:

This Abhidhamma term in Pali is Mahākusala-citt'uppāda.

[9]:

“Catasso hi bodhisambhāresu bhāvanā, sabbasambhāra-bhāvanā, nirantara-bhāvnā, cirakālabhāvanā, sakkacca-bhāvanā cā ti.”

[10]:

Perfections, sacrifices and conduct: Pārami- cāga-cariya: Pāramīs are ten in number. Cāga here refers to Mahāpariccāga, great offerings or abandonings of extraordinary nature, which are five kinds of relinquishing of wealth, of children, of wife, of limbs and of life. For details of pāramī and cāga, see the Anudīpanī. Cariya literally means 'conduct, behaviour, or practice' cultivated for the welfare of both oneself and others. Cariya is of three categories namely, (1) lokatthacariya, practice for the benefit of all beings. (2) ñātattha-cariya, practice for the benefit of one’s own kith and kin, and (3) Buddhattha-cariya, practice and efforts to achieve Enlightenment.

[11]:

With seriousness and thoroughness; sakkacca: usually taken to be respect or reverence, is rendered here as seriouness and thoroughness. Ref: the Anudīpanī for full interpretation of sakkacca under sakkacca-dāna in types of dāna in group of twos.

[12]:

The author mentions that the above exposition of the moral qualities a future Buddha is drawn from Bodhisambhāra-vannanā of the Jinalaṅkāra Tika.

[13]:

See Long duration needed for fulfilment of Prefections.

[14]:

Future Buddha Gotama as King of Jetuttara, the last rebirth in the human world bcfore the Bodhisatta appeared again as Prince Siddhattha.

[15]:

Ref: adhimutti-marana in the Anudīpanī.

[16]:

Verse 31 under VI. Bodhisambhārā-dīpanī-gāthā.

[17]:

This is the translation of the Burmese version of the Pali verse. Moved by the awe-inspiring sacrifices of the Bodhisatta, the illustrious author has rendered it in a most ornate language with appropriate elaborations. Incidentally it is a good example of Pāli-Myanma nissaya translation.

[18]:

His name prior to his enlightenment was Upatissa.

[19]:

His name prior to his enlightenment was Kolita.

[20]:

The enumeration of the eighty Great Disciples begins with the Mahāthera Kondaññā and ends with the Mahāthera Piṅgiya.

[21]:

Disciples other than the Chief Disciples and Great Disciples of the Master are Ordinary Disciples. Vis Tīkā. II, 45.

[22]:

The fourteenth Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya. It deals elaborately with the life of Buddha Vipassī, the first of the seven Buddhas preceding Buddha Gotama. Because it contains the largest number of bhanavāras or sections, it came to be known as “King of Suttas” in the commentaries.

[23]:

It so happened that the frog was reborn as a deva after hearing the voice of the Buddha who was delivering a sermon. As a deva, he visited the Buddha and became a 'stream-winner' as a consequence of hearing the Dhamma from the Buddha. For details, refer the story of Manduka in the Vimāna-vatthtu.