The Great Chronicle of Buddhas

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

This page describes Jivaka, the Physician 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 Life Stories of Male Lay Disciples. 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).

Biography (9): Jīvaka, the Physician

(a) His Past Aspiration

The future Jīvaka was reborn into a worthy family in the city of Haṃsāvatī, during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. While listening to a sermon by the Buddha, he saw a lay disciple being named as the foremost among those who had personal devotion to the Buddha. He aspired to that distinction in future time. After making an extraordinary offering, he expressed his wish before the Buddha who then prophesied its fulfilment.

(b) His Last Existence as Jīvaka

The future Jīvaka was reborn in the deva realm or the human realm for a hundred thousand world-cycles, before being reborn, under strange circumstances, in the city of Rājagaha, during the time of Buddha Gotama. He was conceived in the womb of a courtesan named Sālavatī, the conception being caused by Prince Abhaya.

It was the custom of courtesans to nurture only female children whereas male children were discarded discreetly.

Accordingly, Sālavatī, the courtesan, had her newly-born baby put on an old bamboo tray and thrown into rubbish heap by a trusted servant without being noticed by anyone. The child was observed even from a distance by Prince Abhaya who was on his way to attend on his father King Bimbisāra. He sent his attendants: “O men, what is that thing that is being surrounded by crows?” The men went to the rubbish heap and finding the baby, said: “My Lord, it is a newly-born baby boy!”

“Is he still alive?”

“Yes, my Lord, he is.”

Prince Abhaya had the child taken to his royal residence and taken care. As the Prince’s attendants replied to their master: “It is still alive” (‘Jivati’), the child was named Jīvaka. And since he was brought up by Prince Abhaya, he was also called ‘Jīvaka, the adopted son of the Prince (Abhaya)’.

Young Jīvaka, the adopted son of Prince Abhaya, was sent to Taxila for his education at the age of sixteen. He learned Medicine and gained mastery of the subject. He became the King’s physician. At one time, he cured King Caṇḍapajjota of a grave illness, for which he was honoured by that King with five hundred cartloads of rice, sixteen thousand ticals of silver, a pair of fine cloth made in the Province of Kāsi, and a thousand pieces of cloth to supplement it.

At that time, the Buddha was staying in the mountain monastery on the side of Gijjhakuta Hill, near Rājagaha. Jīvaka, the King’s Physician, cured the constipation of the Buddha by administering a mild laxative. Then it occurred to Jīvaka: “It were well if all the four requisites of the Bhagavā were my donations,” and accordingly, he invited the Buddha to stay in his Mango Grove as a monastery. After curing the Buddha’s illness, he offered the fine Kāsi cloth to the Buddha and the one thousand pieces of cloth that were supplementary to it were offered to the Sangha. (This brief account of Jīvaka is based on the Commentary on the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Book One, Etadagga Vagga. For a fuller account, the reader is urged to refer to Vinayo Mahāvagga, 8-Cīvarakkhandhaka.)

(c) Jīvaka is designated The Foremost Lay Disciple

On one occasion, during the Buddha’s residence at the Jetavana monastery when He conferred titles to distinguished lay disciples in accordance with their merit, He declared: “Bhikkhus, among My lay disciples who have personal devotion, Jīvaka, the adopted son of Prince Abhaya, is the foremost.”

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