The Great Chronicle of Buddhas
by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw | 1990 | 1,044,401 words
This page describes Introduction (Buddha’s Fifth Vassa at Vesali) 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 Fifth Vassa at Vesali. 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 1 - Introduction (Buddha’s Fifth Vassa at Vesali)
Having accomplished an incumbent duty of a Buddha by teaching Mahāsamaya Sutta, Sammāparibbājaniya Sutta, etc., to the five hundred arahats of Sakyan descent and establishing seven hundred thousand crores of devas and Brahmās in arahatta-phala, and countless number of them in the three lower Paths, as stated above, the Buddha took up residence at Kutagara monastery, which had terraced roofing and crowning pinnacle, in the country of Vesali to observe the fifth vassa.
Two Forests with The Name of Mahāvana
(There were two forests bearing the name of Mahāvana: one near Kapilavatthu and the other near Vesali. Of these two, the one (where the Buddha taught the Mahāsamaya Sutta) near Kapilavatthu extended from the edge of Kapilavatthu to the Himalayas on one side and to the ocean on the other side. The one near the city of Vesali was a great forest with its marked boundary on all sides.)
King Suddhodāna attained Arahatship
When the Buddha was observing the fifth vassa in the Mahāvana forest near Vesali, King Suddhodāna entered Nibbāna after attaining arahatship under the white umbrella in his golden palace.
Notes:
An account of King Suddhodāna’s attainment of arahatship under the white umbrella in his golden palace and entering Parinibbāna has been dealt with in detail in the treatise entitled ‘Tathāgata Udāna Dipani.’ In view of this, it is only briefly mentioned here as treated in the Anguttara Commentary.