The Great Chronicle of Buddhas
by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw | 1990 | 1,044,401 words
This page describes The Week of the Gaze (Animisa Sattaha) contained within the book called the Great Chronicle of Buddhas (maha-buddha-vamsa), a large compilation of stories revolving around the Buddhas and Buddhist disciples. This page is part of the series known as the Buddha’s stay at the Seven Places. This great chronicle of Buddhas was compiled by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw who had a thorough understanding of the thousands and thousands of Buddhist teachings (suttas).
Part 2 - The Week of the Gaze (Animisa Sattāha)
(The seven days during which the Buddha was gazing steadfastly at the Mahābodhi tree and the Aparājita Throne without closing His eyes are known as Animisa sattāha.)
After attainment of Buddhahood and enjoyment of the bliss of arahantship (without changing His cross-legged position throughout the whole sitting), the Buddha remained on the Aparājita Throne for seven days. In the mental continuum of some ordinary devas and Brahmās (other than those ariya devas and Brahmās who knew the attributes of the Buddha, partially because they had the experience of attaining the Path and Fruition in the time of former Buddhas) there arose doubts as they wondered: “The Buddha has not yet got up from the Throne even up till now. Apart from the attributes He has already had, are there still other attributes that would enable Him to attain Buddhahood?”
Then on the eighth day (the eighth waning moon), the Buddha got up from His enjoyment of the arahantship. Knowing about the doubts of the devas and Brahmās, He rose up to the sky and performed the Twin Miracle of water and fire in order to eradicate their doubts. (The Twin Miracles displayed here at the Mahābodhi tree, at the congregation of His relatives in the city of Kapilavatthu and at the gathering formed because of the heretic Pathikaputta in the city of Vesālī, were the same as that performed near the mango tree of Kandamba. The detailed description of the last will be described later.)
Having removed the doubts entertained by the devas and Brahmās by performing the Twin Miracle of water and fire, the Buddha descended from the sky and stood erect like a golden-post on the spot to the easterly north (north-east) of the Aparājita Throne, pondering: “I have indeed attained Omniscience on this Throne of Aparājita.” He spent seven days without closing His eyes but gazing at the Throne and the Mahābodhi tree where He had attained ‘arahatta-magga-ñāṇa and sabbaññutā-ñāṇa’ as a result of the Perfections fulfilled by Him throughout the period of four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons. That spot is known as Animisa Cetīya.