The Life of the Buddha: The Last Retreat.
From Vesali the Master went to the neighbouring village of Beluva, where he spent the last Retreat. There a severe sickness came upon him. But the Exalted One, considering that his time was not yet come, and that it was not right that he should pass away without taking leave of the Order, "by a great effort of the will bent that sickness down again, and kept his hold on life till the time he fixed upon should come; and the sickness abated upon him." Now when he had quite recovered, he came out from his lodging, and sat down upon a seat, and there Ananda came to him and saluted him and said: "I have beheld, Lord, how the Exalted One was in health, and I have beheld how the Exalted One had to suffer. And though at the sight of the sickness of the Exalted One my body became weak as a creeper, and the horizon became dim to me, and my faculties were no longer clear, yet notwithstanding I took some little comfort from the thought that the Exalted One would not pass away until at least he had left instructions as touching the Order."
"What then, Ananda," said the Buddha, "does the Order expect that of me? I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine; for in respect of the truths, Ananda, He-who-has-thus-attained has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back. Surely, Ananda, should there be anyone who harbours the thought, 'It is I who will lead the brotherhood,' or 'the Order is dependent upon men,' it is he who should lay down instructions in any matter concerning the Order. Now He-who-has-thus-attained, Ananda, thinks not that it is he who should lead the brotherhood, or that the Order is dependent upon him. Why then should he leave instructions in my matter concerning the Order? I too, O Ananda, am now grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I have reached my sum of days, I am turning eighty years of age; and just as a worn-out cart, Ananda, can be kept going only with the help of thongs, so, methinks, the body of Him-who-has-thus-attained can only be kept going by bandaging it up. It is only, Ananda, when the Tathagata, by ceasing to attend to any outward thing, becomes plunged by the cessation of any separate sensation in that concentration of heart which is concerned with no material object it is only then that the body of Him-who-has-thus-attained is at ease.
"Therefore, O Ananda, be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves ... And whosoever, Ananda, either now or after I am dead, shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast as their refuge to the Truth, shall look not for refuge to anyone beside themselves it is they, Ananda, among my Bhikkhus who shall reach the very topmost Height! but they must be anxious to learn."
Upon another occasion the Master walked with Ananda to the Capala shrine; and he began to speak of his coming death. And when Ananda was grieved, and would have besought him to remain on earth, he said:
"But now, Ananda, have I not formerly declared to you that it is in the very nature of all things, near and dear unto us, that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them? How, then, Ananda, can this be possible whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved? No such condition can exist! And, Ananda, that which has been relinquished, cast away, renounced, rejected, and abandoned by the Tathagata the remaining sum of life surrendered by him verily with regard to that, the word has gone forth from the Tathagata, saying: "'The passing away of Him-who-has-thus-attained shall take place before long. At the end of three months from this time the Tathagata will die!' That the Tahtagata for the sake of living should repent him again of that saying this can no wise be!"
Thereafter the Buddha set out with Ananda to go to the Kutagara Hall in the Great Forest. And being arrived there, the Brethren were assembled, and the Buddha exhorted the, and made public announcement of his coming death. "Behold, now, O Brethren, I exhort you, saying: 'All component things must grow old. Work out your salvation with diligence. The final extinction of the Tathagata will take place before long. At the end of three months from this time the Tathagata will die!"
From Vesali the Master went to the neighbouring village of Beluva, where he spent the last Retreat. There a severe sickness came upon him. But the Exalted One, considering that his time was not yet come, and that it was not right that he should pass away without taking leave of the Order, "by a great effort of the will bent that sickness down again, and kept his hold on life till the time he fixed upon should come; and the sickness abated upon him." Now when he had quite recovered, he came out from his lodging, and sat down upon a seat, and there Ananda came to him and saluted him and said: "I have beheld, Lord, how the Exalted One was in health, and I have beheld how the Exalted One had to suffer. And though at the sight of the sickness of the Exalted One my body became weak as a creeper, and the horizon became dim to me, and my faculties were no longer clear, yet notwithstanding I took some little comfort from the thought that the Exalted One would not pass away until at least he had left instructions as touching the Order."
"What then, Ananda," said the Buddha, "does the Order expect that of me? I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine; for in respect of the truths, Ananda, He-who-has-thus-attained has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back. Surely, Ananda, should there be anyone who harbours the thought, 'It is I who will lead the brotherhood,' or 'the Order is dependent upon men,' it is he who should lay down instructions in any matter concerning the Order. Now He-who-has-thus-attained, Ananda, thinks not that it is he who should lead the brotherhood, or that the Order is dependent upon him. Why then should he leave instructions in my matter concerning the Order? I too, O Ananda, am now grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I have reached my sum of days, I am turning eighty years of age; and just as a worn-out cart, Ananda, can be kept going only with the help of thongs, so, methinks, the body of Him-who-has-thus-attained can only be kept going by bandaging it up. It is only, Ananda, when the Tathagata, by ceasing to attend to any outward thing, becomes plunged by the cessation of any separate sensation in that concentration of heart which is concerned with no material object it is only then that the body of Him-who-has-thus-attained is at ease.
"Therefore, O Ananda, be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves ... And whosoever, Ananda, either now or after I am dead, shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast as their refuge to the Truth, shall look not for refuge to anyone beside themselves it is they, Ananda, among my Bhikkhus who shall reach the very topmost Height! but they must be anxious to learn."
Upon another occasion the Master walked with Ananda to the Capala shrine; and he began to speak of his coming death. And when Ananda was grieved, and would have besought him to remain on earth, he said:
"But now, Ananda, have I not formerly declared to you that it is in the very nature of all things, near and dear unto us, that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them? How, then, Ananda, can this be possible whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved? No such condition can exist! And, Ananda, that which has been relinquished, cast away, renounced, rejected, and abandoned by the Tathagata the remaining sum of life surrendered by him verily with regard to that, the word has gone forth from the Tathagata, saying: "'The passing away of Him-who-has-thus-attained shall take place before long. At the end of three months from this time the Tathagata will die!' That the Tahtagata for the sake of living should repent him again of that saying this can no wise be!"
Thereafter the Buddha set out with Ananda to go to the Kutagara Hall in the Great Forest. And being arrived there, the Brethren were assembled, and the Buddha exhorted the, and made public announcement of his coming death. "Behold, now, O Brethren, I exhort you, saying: 'All component things must grow old. Work out your salvation with diligence. The final extinction of the Tathagata will take place before long. At the end of three months from this time the Tathagata will die!"
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place time topic people language
India - Ancient - Religion/philosophy - Indians/Buddhists - English
India - Ancient - Religion/philosophy - Indians/Buddhists - English
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