The Great Chronicle of Buddhas

by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw | 1990 | 1,044,401 words

This page describes Radha Mahathera 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 forty-one Arahat-Mahatheras and their Respective Etadagga titles. 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).

(a) Aspiration expressed in The Past

(In describing the past aspiration of the Venerable Rādha, we draw from the Commentary on the Theragāthā as it is more informative than the Commentary on the Aṅguttara.)

The future Rādha was born into a worthy family in the city of Haṃsāvatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. When he came of age, he visited the Buddha’s monastery and, after making obeisance to the Buddha, sat in a suitable place. While sitting there, he witnessed the Buddha honour a bhikkhu as the foremost in the field of illuminating the Doctrine to his audience. As such, he had a great desire to be honoured with the same recognition by some future Buddhas. He made exceptional offerings to the Buddha and, thereafter, he aspired to that honour. The Buddha predicted that his aspiration would be fulfilled.

Life as A Clansman in Buddha Vipassī’s Time

The future Rādha, after aspiring to the senior discipleship at the time of Buddha Padumuttara, and after many more existences of meritorious deeds, he was reborn as a worthy man again during the time of Buddha Vipassī. When he came of age, he met Buddha Vipassī who was going on the alms-round. He had an intense devotion to the Buddha and offered Him a mango of a very delicious type.

(b) Ascetic Life adopted in His Final Existence

Future Rādha was reborn in the deva-world because of that meritorious deed. After the deva existence, he was reborn only in the deva-world and the human world, where he engaged himself in further deeds of merit. During the time of Buddha Gotama, he was reborn as a brahmin youth by the name of Rādha, in the city of Rājagaha. He married and when he became old, he did not enjoy the usual care by his wife. Wishing to become a bhikkhu, he went to the monastery but his requests for admission into the Order were refused by all the bhikkhus because they were not interested in having an aged pupil who would not be able to serve them personally.

Radha the brahmin, already decrepit due to old age, looked even more aged because of his frustrations in being refused repeatedly to be admitted into the Order. He was a sorrowful sight as he was being reduced to a mere skeleton, completely worn out, pale like a withered leaf with veins running over his whole body, like netting. One day, he went to the Buddha and after an exchange of courteous greetings, sat in a suitable place. The Buddha saw that the old brahmin had sufficient merit to gain Path-Knowledge. And to start a dialogue, the Buddha asked: “Brahmin, are you being taken good care of by your wife and children?” The old brahmin replied: “O Gotama, I am far from being taken care of by my wife and children. In fact, they have been treating me as a total stranger because I am too old to be of any use to them.” “Brahmin, in that case, had you not better take up bhikkhuhood?”

Venerable Sāriputta’s Sense of Gratitude

“O Gotama, who would let me get admitted as a bhikkhu? There is no bhikkhu who is willing to be my preceptor due to my old age.” The Buddha then asked the bhikkhus why the old brahmin looked so haggard and wasted. The bhikkhus answered that he looked so desperate and forlorn because he could not find a preceptor. “Bhikkhus, is there any bhikkhu who, is in some way, obligated to this brahmin?”

Thereupon, the Venerable Sāriputta said: “Venerable Sir, I remember a good turn done to me by this brahmin.” “What was that?” asked the Buddha. “Venerable Sir, when I went on the alms-round in Rājagaha, he had offered me a spoonful of cooked rice. I remember that good turn done to me.” “Very good, Sāriputta, very good. Virtuous persons do not forget a good turn done to them, and they feel obliged to repay the debt of gratitude. In that case, Sāriputta, see that the brahmin is novitiated and then admitted into the Order.”

“Venerable Sir, by which mode of admission may I admit him?” The Buddha gave a discourse concerning the question of the Venerable Sāriputta and declared thus: “Bhikkhus, from now on, the mode of admitting a person into full bhikkhuhood by getting him established in the Three Refuges is to he discontinued. Henceforth, a novice should be admitted by a congregation, after a formal proposal for three times and, if there be no objection, then the novice shall be admitted.” This was the first instance of the new mode of admission called ñatti catuttha procedure.

(Points to note: The Buddha attained Perfect Self-Enlightenment on the full-moon day in Vesākha, 103 of the Great Era. He passed his first vassa in the Deer Park. At the end of that vassa, He sent the first sixty of His bhikkhu-disciples, all arahats, to the four corners of the land to propagate the Doctrine. He admitted into the Order new bhikkhus, first as novices, and then as full bhikkhus, sponsored by these sixty arahats, by getting them established in the Three Refuges. The Buddha Himself adopted the same mode. Later, considering the great distances the new entrants had to travel to the Buddha’s monastery, admissions by this mode were allowed by the Buddha, at places of their joining the Order.

(On the full-moon day in Phussa of the same year, the Buddha went to reside at Rājagaha. A fortnight later, the two Chief Disciples together with their pupils became bhikkhus. On the seventh day of their bhikkhuhood, the Venerable Mahā Moggallāna became an arahat. On the fifteenth day (in Māgha), the Venerable Sāriputta became an arahat. The Brahmin Rādha’s admission into the Order took place during the month falling between the full moon day in Māgha and the full moon day in Phagguna.

The Venerable Sāriputta had known that when the Buddha lived in the Deer Park at Migadāya forest, admission as novices and as full bhikkhus was done by getting the incumbent established in the Three Refuges. And yet why did he ask about the mode of admission in this case?

The answer is: the Venerable Sāriputta, as a constant companion to the Buddha, knew the Buddha’s wishes, as was the usual competency of those companions. As a matter of fact, he was the most competent among those close companions. He had hindsight that the Buddha was thinking of instituting a stricter mode of admission than the simple mode of getting the incumbent established in the Three Refuges. Since the Buddha’s residence at Rājagaha, the number of arahats had also grown to more than twenty thousand. The remarkable acuteness of the Venerable Sāriputta’s understanding of the Buddha’s mind was revealed on one occasion too. It was in connection with Rāhula, the Buddha’s son. In 103 of the Great Era, at the close of the year, the Buddha travelled to His native place, the city of Kapilavatthu. The journey took two months. On the seventh day, after arrival in that city, His son, Rāhula, (aged seven) demanded his inheritance. The Buddha gave him (the most worthy) inheritance by saying to the Venerable Sāriputta to admit Rāhula as a novice. On that occasion, the Venerable Sāriputta, knowing well that novitiation was done by making the incumbent established in the Three Refuges, asked the Buddha: “Venerable Sir, by what mode shall I admit Prince Rāhula as a novice?”

The earlier practice adopted at the Deer Park was to give admission to novices as well as to full bhikkhus by getting them established in the Three Refuges. But in the later case of Rādha, the admission into bhikkhuhood was done by a congregation of the Sangha making formal proposal for admission by the Preceptor thrice and then if the Sangha agreed (by remaining silent) admission was effected. But, in the case of novitiation, the Venerable Sāriputta fathomed the Buddha’s intention that novitiation should be done either by getting the incumbent established in the Three Refuges or by formal congregation. Otherwise, the Sangha might be under the impression that novitiation would be valid only by congregation. Therefore, to get the express consent from the Buddha to perform novitiation by getting Rāhula established in the Three Refuges, the Venerable Sāriputta put that question to the Buddha.)

——Commentaryon the-Vinaya Mahāvagga——

Rādha’s Ascetic Life and Attainment of Arahatship

The Venerable Sāriputta, respectfully complying with the orders of the Buddha, acted as preceptor in the formal congregation which admitted Brahmin Rādha into the Order. He knew that the Buddha had a high regard for the Brahmin and so after the admission, he looked after the personal welfare of the aged bhikkhu.

He took Venerable Rādha to a forest abode. A bhikkhu, who is junior in bhikkhu standing, has little privileges in the matter of the four requisites. The Venerable Sāriputta, who was a senior bhikkhu, enjoyed priority in receiving these requisites but he shared them with Venerable Radha, while he himself lived on the daily alms-food. Thus, being shared monastic dwelling and food by his Preceptor, the Venerable Sāriputta, Venerable Rādha recovered physically into a healthy state. Then taking instructions in the practice of the Noble Path from his Preceptor, he worked with diligence and soon attained arahatship.

Alīnacitta Jātaka:

Then the Venerable Sāriputta took Venerable Rādha to pay homage to the Buddha.

Although the Buddha knew how Venerable Rādha was doing, He asked the Venerable Sāriputta: “Sāriputta, I had given Bhikkhu Rādha to your care. How is Rādha doing? Is he happy in bhikkhuhood?” The Venerable Sāriputta replied: “Venerable Sir, if one were to point to a bhikkhu who finds full satisfaction in the Teaching, one has only to point to a bhikkhu of Rādha’s type.”

Then there became common among bhikkhus with words of praise concerning the Venerable Sāriputta, they were saying: “Friends, Sāriputta has a strong sense of gratitude and is also apt to repay the debt of gratitude he owes to others.” When the Buddha heard these words, he said to the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, it is not such great a wonder that Sāriputta, in his last existence, should remember his debt of gratitude and repay it. Even in his long past, when he was a mere animal, he had this sense of gratitude.” The bhikkhus then requested the Buddha to relate to them the past story concerning the Venerable Sāriputta.

The Buddha related to them the Alīnacitta Jātaka (Duka Nipāta).

[Alīnacitta Jātaka]

(The Alīnacitta Jātaka was originally related by the Buddha in connection with a certain bhikkhu who was faltering in the observance of the Noble Practice. At another time, in connection with the sense of gratitude shown by the Venerable Sāriputta in the case of the Venerable Rādha, this episode was partially related——up to the noble tusker giving up its white elephant calf to its benefactors.)

[...]

The Buddha related the Jātaka story in connection with the Venerable Sāriputta’s sense of gratitude, how in the past existence he repaid his debt of gratitude. As regards the Venerable Rādha, the Buddha had made 46 discourses in four vaggas in connection with him. Refer to 2-Rādha Saṃyutta, Khandha Vagga Saṃyutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya.

Further, when the Venerable Sāriputta took Venerable Rādha before the Buddha after Rādha’s attainment of arahatship, both of them kneeling before the Buddha, the Buddha asked Sāriputta: “Sāriputta, does your close pupil Rādha take kindly to your admonition?” The Venerable Sāriputta replied: “Venerable Sir, Bhikkhu Rādha is very amenable to admonition. Whenever a fault of his is pointed out, he does not show the slightest resentment.” “Sāriputta, how many amenable pupils like Rādha would you be prepared to accept?” “Venerable Sir, if I am to receive pupils as amenable as Bhikkhu Rādha, I would accept as many as they might come to me.”

Then, after relating the past story of Venerable Sāriputta, as described in the Alīnacitta Jātaka, how, even as an animal, the Venerable Sāriputta had shown his sense of gratitude, which was the subject-matter of fellow-bhikkhus' remarks, the Buddha extolled the virtues of the Venerable Rādha thus: “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu should be amenable to admonition like Bhikkhu Rādha. When the teacher points out a fault of the pupil, the latter should not show resentment but should take it as if rich treasures were revealed to him.”

In this connection, the Buddha uttered this verse:

Nidhīnaṃ va pavattāraṃ,
yam passe vajjadassinaṃ.
Niggayhavādiṃ medhāviṃ,
tādisaṃ paṇḍitaṃ bhaje.
Tādisaṃ bhajamānassa,
seyyo hoti na pāpiyo
.

(Bhikkhus,) if you should meet with a man of wisdom who points out faults and reproves you, you should associate with such a wise person as someone who reveals to you hidden treasures. It will be to the advantage, and not the disadvantage, of one who seeks the company of such a wise man.

——Dhammapada, v. 76——

By the end of the discourse, many hearers attained Path-Knowledge at various levels.

(c) Etadagga Title achieved

On one occasion, when the Buddha named foremost bhikkhus, He declared:

Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ patibhāneyyakānaṃ yadidaṃ Rādho.”

Bhikkhus, among My bhikkhu-disciples who inspire Me to amplify My discourses, Bhikkhu Rādha is the foremost (etadagga).”

(The Venerable Rādha’s perspicacity and deep conviction in the Doctrine was a source of inspiration to the Buddha to amplify His discourses. (This fact may be gathered from Rādha Saṃyutta, particularly the six last suttas in the First Vagga, and the whole of the Fourth Vagga). The term patibhāneyyaka has been defined as: Patibhānaṃ janentīti patibhāneyyakā,——those disciples who cause to arouse the Buddha’s facility in discoursing.)

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