Mar Ngok Summer Teachings 2022 Day 9
The Karmapa opened by saying he had been unable to teach for a few days because of feeling tired and possibly catching a cold, so he had taken some time to rest. Although he called it rest, he still had a lot of work he needed to do. Then he welcomed everyone to the ninth day of the Mar Ngok Summer teachings. He gave a brief review of the last few sessions when he spoke about Mahākāśyapa and Ānanda, along with other background information, so today he would begin the accounts of the First Council.
The First Council
As he had mentioned earlier, the Karmapa said there were many accounts of how the First Council was established. If he talked about too many of them, it would be confusing, so he decided to concentrate primarily on two: the first is the account found in the “Four-Part Vinaya” of the Dharmaguptaka tradition and the second from the “Great Commentary on the Hundred Thousand” attributed to Nagārjuna.
This teaching would concentrate on the “Four-Part Vinaya” of the Dharmaguptaka tradition along with embellishments from other traditions. He began with a summary of the order.
The First Account From the “Four-Part Vinaya”
The order in the “Four-Part Vinaya” (Dharmaguptaka tradition):
- The Mallas’ preparations for the cremation of the Buddha’s remains
- Mahākāśyapa learning of the Buddha’s parinirvana
- Mahākāśyapa going to Kuśingara to see the Buddha for the last time
- The decision to hold the council
- The bhikshu from Vṛiji teaching Ananda dharma to make him feel world-weariness
- Ananda achieving the result
- Keeping all the minor precepts without distinction
- Ananda’s seven faults
- Upāli’s compilation of the Vinaya
- Ananda’s compilation of the basket of sutras
- Regarding the Noble Pūrṇa
The Karmapa said this was the primary account he would concentrate on. He would also discuss the account from the “Five-Part Vinaya” of the Mahīśāsika tradition as an embellishment.
The order in the Mahiśāsaka “Five-Part Vinaya”:
- Mahākāśyapa learning of the Buddha’s parinirvana
- The decision to hold the council
- The bhikshu from Vṛiji teaching Ananda the dharma
- Ananda achieving the result
- The five hundred arhats arriving in Rājagṛiha and making preparations for the council
- Mahākāśyapa asking Upāli about the vinaya
- Mahākāśyapa asking Ananda about the basket of the sutras
- Regarding relaxing minor precepts
- Ananda’s six faults
- The need to keep all minor precepts without distinction of which to keep or not
- Regarding Pūrṇa
- Ananda taming the seven bhikshus
These are similar but a little different from the “Four-Part Vinaya”.
Next the Karmapa presented the account from the “Khandhaka” of the Theravada tradition that had two parts, a larger and a minor section. This summary was from the minor section:
- Mahākāśyapa learning of the Buddha’s parinirvana
- Decision of the bhikṣhus to include Ananda
- Five hundred bhikṣhus traveling to Rājagṛiha for the council
- Ananda achieving the result
- Upāli compiling the vinaya
- Ananda compiling the basket of sutras
- Discussion of minor precepts
- Ananda’s five faults
- Discussion of Pūrṇa
- Ananda taming the seven bhikshus
- The servant girl offering Ananda a dharma robe in the palace
At the end of the Theravada “Khandhaka,” there are verses that summarize the events of the First Council.
The Karmapa stated that today he would focus primarily on the “Four-Part Vinaya” and take the “Five-Part Vinaya” and the “Khandhaka” as embellishments. He added that on Monday he would speak about the order of the First Council in the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition and the Tibetan tradition.
The Karmapa then looked at the first point from the “Four-Part Vinaya”
1.“Four-Part Vinaya”: The Mallas’ Preparation for the Cremation
After the Buddha passed into nirvana in a grove of sāla trees in Kuśinagara, the Mallas of Kuśinagara first bathed his body and then wrapped it in a shroud made of new, clean cloth. They then wrapped the body in an additional 500 cloths. The Karmapa noted that in the Indian texts when reading ‘500’, it did not mean necessarily that the Buddha was wrapped in 500 cloths but in hundreds of cloths, but not literally 500. The Mallas put the remains inside an iron casket anointed with scented water. After that had been sealed, they made another casket inside which they put the iron casket, and they stacked many sweet-smelling logs around and underneath the wooden casket.
At that time, the leader of the Mallas tried to light the pyre with a candle, but it would not catch, so the fire went out. The Malla princes also tried to light the pyre again, but the fire also went out.
Ananda said to the Mallas, “There’s no point in trying to do this. You do not need to try so hard. The gods keep putting out your fire.”
They asked Ananda, “Venerable one, why have the gods put out our fire?”
Ananda replied, “Mahakāśyapa and five hundred bhikshus are currently traveling from Pāvā to Kuśinagara. When the Buddha passed into parinirvana, Mahākāśyapa was not near, he was traveling between the two and hoped he could see the Buddha’s remains before they were cremated. Because of that wish, the gods know what Kāśyapa is thinking and keep putting out your fire.”
When they heard that, they said, “Venerable Ananda, if that is so, then we will wait a while, just as the gods wish.” They didn’t cremate the remains but waited for Mahākāśyapa.
2. “Four-Part Vinaya”: Mahākāśyapa Learns of the Parinirvana of the Buddha
Mahākāśyapa was traveling with his large sangha from Pāvā to Kuśinagara (the kingdom of Malla, one of the sixteen great kingdoms in ancient India, had two main cities, Kuśinagara and Pāvā—which is present day Pawapuri in Nalanda district). On his way, he met some students of the Jain teacher, Jñātiputra. They were holding māndārava flowers from the time of the Buddha’s parinirvana. Mahākāśyapa saw them from afar and asked them, “Where are you coming from?”
“We are coming from Kuśinagara,” they replied.
“Do you know of our Teacher?” Mahākāśyapa asked.
“We do,” they replied.
“Is he still alive in this world?” Mahākāśyapa asked.
“He is not,” they replied. “It has been about seven days since he passed into parinirvana. We are carrying these flowers from that place.”
When Mahākāśyapa heard this, he was unhappy. But he was an arhat, so he didn’t get extremely upset like ordinary people.
Among those bhikshus in the sangha who were not free of desire, when they heard of the Buddha passing into parinirvana, many fell senseless on the ground, like stalks of grass being cut down. They wailed, “The Tathāgata has passed away too soon! The eyes of the world have been blinded! Our teachings will disappear!”
Other bhikshus writhed on the ground, rolling like logs on the ground. In a state of complete despair, they wailed, “Why has the Tathāgata passed into nirvana so soon?”
There were many bhikshus among the 500, one named Upananda, who was one of a group of bhikshus called the ‘gang of six’, who behaved badly. He said, “Elders, there’s no need to do that. Do not weep and wail. We, who became monks when older, are now free. When the Buddha was alive, there was no end to him saying, ‘This is okay, this is not. You should do this. Don’t do that.’ Now that he has passed away, we’re free. Now we can do whatever we like, we’re happy. We can do what we want and not do what we do not want. If we want to keep the rules or not keep them. We should enjoy ourselves now. There’s no need to cry.”
Mahākāśyapa was very displeased to hear such talk and became very unhappy, saying to the bhikshus, “Quickly get your robes and alms bowl. We need to go to see the Buddha’s face for a last time before his remains are cremated.” The moment he said this, the bhikshus gathered their robes and alms bowls and left.
3. “Four-Part Vinaya”: Mahākāśyapa Sees the Buddha for the Last Time
When Mahākāśyapa and the five hundred bhikshus arrived in Kuśinagara, they crossed the Hiraṇyavatī river outside the city and went to the Makuṭabandhana—this was either a stupa or a monastery. There they met Ananda. Immediately Mahākāśyapa asked, “Ananda, if the Buddha’s remains have not been cremated, we would like to see the Buddha’s remains.”
“We have not yet cremated the Buddha’s remains,” Ananda said, “But seeing them is a bit difficult, because the Buddha’s remains have not been left out in the open. They have been bathed and wrapped in a new cotton shroud. Outside of that, they wrapped an additional five hundred shrouds. After being wrapped, it was placed in a coffin made of metal, anointed with scented water, and then placed inside a wooden coffin. Beneath that, many tree branches of different scents have been spread out. All the preparations for the cremation today are ready. So, it is very difficult to see the Buddha’s face now.”
When Mahākāśyapa neared the pyre for the cremation, the cremation box opened on its own, and one of the Buddha’s feet fell out. Mahākāśyapa saw that the Buddha’s foot had been soiled and immediately said to Ananda, “The Buddha was so beautiful and had a stainless complexion the color of gold. Who soiled his feet in such a way?”
Ananda replied, “When the Buddha passed away there were many women who came to see the Buddha’s remains—they weren’t very careful. They were crying when they prostrated to the Buddha, so their hands were wet, and they were also wearing kohl on their eyes, so their hands became dirty, and they dirtied his foot when they touched it.
Mahākāśyapa was not happy, but prostrated to the Buddha’s foot. After that, all the bhikshus, bhikshunis, male and female lay practitioners, gods and humans and everyone prostrated to the Buddha’s feet. After that, the Buddhas foot was no longer visible, it disappeared into the cremation box.
Mahākāśyapa let out a long sigh, said a few verses, and circumambulated the pyre seven times. Now that Mahākāśyapa had seen the Buddha for the last time, the pyre self-ignited.
4. “Four-Part Vinaya”: The Decision to Hold the Council
After the cremation, Mahākāśyapa took the opportunity to report to the sangha what he had heard Upananda say. In this context, he suggested that the sangha should all gather and hold a discussion on the vinaya: “Otherwise, the non-Buddhists will say all sorts of things and embarrass us. They will say, ‘The mendicant Gautama’s vinaya discipline is dissipating like smoke. When the Buddha was alive, they trained in the vinaya together. Now that the Buddha has gone, there isn’t anyone who is training properly in the vinaya.’ For that reason, we need to invite many bhikshus and hold a meeting to discuss the vinaya or this won’t work.”
499 of the best bhikshus were invited. They were all arhats and had the prajña of having heard many sutras. One bhikshu expressed the opinion, “Ananda must be included among us.” But Mahākāśyapa objected, “It would not be right to allow Ananda in with us,” he said, “Ananda still has thoughts of desire, hatred, delusion, and fear. If he is unable to put an end to them, he may not participate in the council with us. He’s not an arhat.”
The bhikshu who had previously expressed his opinion said, “What you’re saying is true, but Ananda was the Buddha’s attendant. He was always with the Buddha, and he heard many teachings of the true Dharma from the Buddha. Whenever he had a question about the Dharma and Vinaya, he would immediately ask the Buddha. So, he still knows everything about the Dharma, so we must include him in the council, or it won’t work.” They all invited Ananda, no matter what Mahākāśyapa said.
Then the bhikshus discussed, “Where would it be best to hold the council??” In the end, everyone agreed that “Rājagṛiha was the most appropriate place to hold the council, because there would be no problems with food and lodging.
At that time, Mahākāśyapa said, “Venerable sirs, I have invited all these bhikshus. If everyone is in accord, let us depart for Rājagṛiha today to hold the council.” So they all departed immediately for Vaiśālī, the first stop on the way from Kuśinagara to Rājagṛiha.
An Embellishment from the “Five-Part Vinaya of the Mahīśāsaka Tradition
After the Buddha’s parinirvana, Mahākāśyapa was on the shores of the Markaṭahrada lake (the Monkey lake) in Vaiśālī, where some houses had been built, with five hundred bhikshus. Only Ananda was not there.
At that time, Mahākāśyapa said to the bhikshus, “A few days ago when I was on the way to Kuśinagara from Pāva, I heard that the Buddha had passed into nirvana. When I heard that, my mind was disturbed, and I was unhappy. At that time, among the bhikshus, bhikshunis, and male and female lay practitioners hearing of the Buddha’s passing, some were unable to walk, some fell on the ground, and some writhed on the ground. They wept and wailed saying, ‘The world is empty. The eye of the world has been blinded.’ They lamented in sorrow.
“Then I met Upananda on the way, and he said to everyone, ‘Don’t grieve. The Buddha was always making rules for us on what we should do and should not do, what was appropriate to train in and what was not. Now the Buddha’s no longer with us, so we no longer have to [go through any hardship] and we can do what we like. So why are sitting here crying and lamenting?
“When I heard that,” Kāśyapa continued, “My worries grew even greater. Though the Buddha has passed into nirvana, there are still bhikshus and bhikshunis together. If we all gather and are diligent, and hold a council, that’s what we need to do. If not, those few students like Upananda will weaken and undermine the teachings, and this should not happen.”
The bhikshus understood that what Mahākāśyapa said made sense, and they thought it was a good idea. The bhikshus then suggested that Ananda should be included because “Ananda always attended the Buddha. His mind is sharp, and he heard many teachings. He remembered everything and is like a treasury of the Dharma, so he should be included among us bhikshus who will hold the council.”
Mahākāśyapa was against this and said “Ananda is still training on the path and still has desire, hatred, ignorance, and fear in his mind. He must not be allowed in the council.”
So, His Holiness concluded, there are some differences between these accounts.
5. “Four-Part Vinaya”: The Bhikshu from Vṛiji Teaches Ananda
The Karmapa continued, “Here, we’re focusing primarily on the account in the ‘Four-Part Vinaya’… so, at the time they made that decision, where was Ananda?”
Ananda was traveling, living off alms. He had arrived at a remote place, and thought, “Just as a new-born calf needs to drink milk and follows a herd of five hundred cows, likewise I am still training in the path. I should follow the five hundred bhikshus.”
Meanwhile, the 499 elder bhikshus, were on the way to Vaiśālī, and Ananda himself was in Vaiśālī. The bhikshus, bhikshunis, male and female lay practitioners, the king, the ministers, and the non-Buddhist mendicants all heard that a large group of arhats were coming, so they all gathered outside, greeted each other, they were happy to to meet.
A bhikshu from the kingdom of Vṛiji was in Vaiśālī, who had the clairvoyant powers of the divine eye and telepathy, thought to himself, “Ananda is currently in Vaiśālī. Many people are gathering to see what is happening and are greeting each other. I should look to see whether Ananda is free of desire or not.”
He sat down and entered samādhi. He looked and saw with his clairvoyant powers that Ananda still had some desire and was not yet an arhat. He thought he must help Ananda and should do something to inspire world-weariness in Ananda. He said this verse to Ananda:
Staying in solitude by a tree,
Exert your mind toward nirvana.
Practice dhyāna and be careful.
What need is there to say a lot?
The basic point was to go to a remote place and practice dhyāna meditation—there was no point in saying a lot, Ananda needed to achieve the state of an arhat.
After the intermission, the Karmapa continued, “That was the account from the Dharmaguptaka, “Four-Part Vinaya.” The way it’s explained in the Five-Part Vinaya of the Mahīśāsaka tradition is a little different.”
From the “Five-Part Vinaya”
At that time, Ananda was in Vaiśālī teaching the dharma day and night to the fourfold community, and, just as when the Buddha was alive, many people had come to him to ask for dharma teachings.
At that time, there was a bhikshu from Vṛiji practicing dhyāna meditation nearby. The commotion and bustle unsettled his mind, and he was unable to practice samādhi meditation. He thought, “Is Ananda still on the path of learning? Has he done the task or has he not? Since he is in such busy surroundings, I will look, and if he has not yet done the task, I’ll get him to.” He entered samadhi and looked with his clairvoyance and saw that Ananda had actually not done the task and was not yet an arhat. “I should do something to make him feel world-weary and generate realization.” He went to Ananda and said the same verse as before,
Staying in solitude by a tree,
Exert your mind toward nirvana.
Practice dhyāna and be careful.
What need is there to say a lot?
6.“Four-Part Vinaya”: Ananda Achieves the Result
When Ananda heard the dharma that inspired world-weariness from the bhikshu from Vṛiji, did it actually help Ananda achieve realization or not? It did, for he looked for a solitary place to stay and being alone, careful, and undistracted, he roused diligence and meditated. He had not previously had the opportunity to do such practice because he was always around the Buddha, attending to him.
One day he was staying in a place with no roof, or buildings, he was staying outside probably sitting under a tree. He made a hammock between some branches of the tree and spent half the night practicing meditation, and the rest of the night pacing back and forth. He spent the entire night diligently practicing. In the morning, when dawn was near, Ananda’s body became exhausted. He thought, “Today I’m really tired. I’m exhausted now… I need to lie down for a bit.”
Just as he thought to lie down, the instant before his head touched the pillow, he had an experience he had never had before. At that very moment, Ananda finally reached the undefiled state and became an arhat. He then said this verse (roughly translated):
I’ve heard many Dharma teachings
And always honored the Buddha.
Now I have severed birth and death.
Gautama, today I am glad to sleep!
The Karmapa then commented, “The basic meaning is that in his lifetime Ananda had heard many Dharma teachings, he had always had great opportunities to serve and honor the Buddha. Now he had severed the cycle of birth and death, and done his task of becoming an arhat, so he could be glad about that.”
From the “Five-Part Vinaya”
This account was basically similar to the “Four-Part Vinaya” except the differences here were that the bhikshus said to Ananda, “You’d better finish the task soon. Kāśyapa’s going to hold the Vinaya Council very soon, and there’s no plan to include you.”
Additionally, Ananda had heard the verse spoken by the bhikshu from Vṛiji that would inspire world-weariness, so when he understood that he was not to be included into Kāśyapa’s council, he spent the entire night diligently practicing dharma. He alternated his practice: dhyana with pacing in walking meditation, he tried to achieve the result, but was disappointed not to achieve his wish. Then when it was the middle of the night and dawn was about to appear, Ananda was exhausted and lay down to rest. Before his head touched the pillow, he suddenly realized the undefiled state and achieved arhatship.
When the bhikshus learned that Ananda had achieved the result of arhatship they immediately went to see Mahākāśyapa. “Ananda reached nirvana yesterday,” they said, “so we should include him in the council on the vinaya.”
Now that Ananda had achieved arhatship, Mahakāśyapa then thought, “If that is so, then where would be the best place to go? Where can we go where we will have lodgings, beds, and everything else that we need so that we can hold the council to compile the vinaya well?” He thought that Rājagṛiha had all the facilities they needed and shared his opinion to the sangha, “Let us go with the five hundred bhikshus to Rājagṛiha for the rains retreat. If there are any more than that, it is not okay.”
After that, they all expressed their opinions and decided to go to Rājagṛiha.
The Karmapa displayed images of Kuśinagara and Rājagriha along with a map of the route from Kuśinagara to Rājagṛiha. On Google maps, it would take about fifty-nine hours to walk there, and they would have to pass through Vaiśālī.
7. “Four-Part Vinaya”: Keeping all the minor precepts without distinction
When the bhikshus left Vaiśālī and were on the way to Rājagṛiha, they wondered, “What preparations do we need to make? Should we look for lodgings and beds first, or first discuss the vinaya?” They decided to prepare lodgings and beds first, then hold the council.
From the “Five-Part Vinaya”
Once the five hundred arhats had arrived in Rājagṛiha, it was at the beginning of the rainy season. They arrived in the first month of the rainy season, so they used that first month to repair the buildings, prepare bedding, and so forth. In the second month of the rainy season, they sat in meditation and practiced samadhi. In the third month of the rainy season, they would all gather in one place to hold the council. Before they held the council, Mahākāśyapa said, “Please listen, venerable ones. If the sangha is ready and willing, beginning today we will invite Upāli to discuss the bhikshu and bhikshuni vinaya.”
From the Theravāda “Khandhaka”
After the elder bhikshus had traveled to Rājagṛiha, some of them said, “Friends, in the past, the Buddha praised making repairs and fixing things. When we arrive at that place, let us spend the first month after we have arrived there repairing and fixing the lodgings in Rājagṛiha. Then when it comes to the second month, let us begin the council to compile the Dharma and Vinaya.” So, they did that.
Returning to the “Four-Part Vinaya”
The Karmapa continued, “Mahākāśyapa had invited many great bhikshus. Among them, the greatest was Daśabala Kāśyapa, the second one was called Popona — in Chinese.” The Karmapa explained that Popona might be Pūrṇa, but, there again, it was not even certain whether he came to the council. However, taking the ‘Four-Part’ as the basis, in the Chinese translation, the second most senior was noble Popona, possibly Pūrṇa, the third was Mahākāśyapa, and the fourth bhikshu was, Mahā Cunda.
At that time, Kāśyapa took the responsibility of presiding over the sangha, he was the discipline master, the organizer. He announced to the bhikshus, “Venerable ones of the sangha, please listen to me. If the sangha is ready and willing, from today, the sangha will gather and compile the vinaya.”
At that point, Ananda rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, and said to Kāśyapa, “I actually heard the Buddha say this, and now remember it. I heard the Buddha say, ‘In the future, it will be permissible for the bhikshus to abolish some minor precepts.’”
“Ananda,” said Kāśyapa, “Did you ask the Buddha to identify which minor precepts those were? What is the difference between a major or minor precept?”
“At that time,” Ananda replied, “I did not understand and forgot to ask the Buddha about that topic.” Then, some of the bhikshus gathered there shared what those minor precepts were:
- Some said all the precepts except for the four defeats were minor
- Some said that all the precepts except for the four defeats and thirteen remainders were minor.
- Some said all the precepts except for the four defeats, thirteen remainders, and two indeterminate were minor.
- Some said all the precepts except for the four defeats, thirteen remainders, two indeterminate, and thirty forfeitures were minor.
- Some said all the precepts except for those from the four defeats down to the ninety downfalls were major, the rest were minor.
The Theravadan tradition is basically the same.
In any case, Mahākāśyapa said to the bhikshus:
Elders, please listen to me. Everyone has now explained his own different opinion, but the main point is that we have not been able to clearly identify which precepts are minor. My own opinion is that from today on, if there is a rule that the Buddha did not previously make, we should also not make it a new rule now. If there is a rule the Buddha previously made, we should not abolish it. We should respect and train in the vinaya rules the Buddha laid down.
Everyone agreed to that.
From the Theravada “Khandhaka”
This is basically the same, except that Kāśyapa said to the bhikshus:
“Great elders, please listen to me. The laypeople know that we bhikshus have many precepts, and they say, ‘These are worthy for the sons of the Shakyan to do, and these are not. If we give up on the minor precepts, some people will say, ‘The rules for the students of the mendicant Gautama will disappear before long, like smoke. In the past when their Teacher was alive, they trained in vinaya discipline. Now that the Teacher is no longer with us, they no longer train in vinaya discipline.’ So, if the bhikshus are all in consensus, this is what we should do. We should not make new rules that the Buddha did not, and we should not abolish the rules that the Buddha made. Instead, we should keep and respect those rules. Venerable ones, if you agree with my idea, please sit silently. If you have another opinion, please tell it.”
The bhikshus all sat silently and concurred with his opinion.
The Karmapa next said he would speak generally about Ananda’s Seven Faults, and then more specifically next time.
But he did say that in general, the order of the faults of Ananda that are presented in the “Four-Part Vinaya,” the “Five-Part” Vinaya, the Chinese tradition, the Theravadan tradition and the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition are all different. According to the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition, it was Mahākāśyapa who inspired Ananda to have world-weariness to achieve arhatship by deliberately kicking him out. It was then that Ananda practiced diligently and achieved arhatship. There is a big difference between the accounts in the “Four-Part Vinaya” and the Mulasarvastivada tradition.
8. “Four-Part Vinaya”: Ananda’s Seven Faults
1. According to the “Four-Part Vinaya”, Kāśyapa listed seven faults, and the first was “Your instigation of allowing women to go forth in the Buddhist dharma was a fault, so today you should confess it with regret.” The Karmapa commented that, as he had said previously, some bhikshunis had given Kāśyapa a hard time, but he was unable to say anything against Ananda while the Buddha was alive.
Ananda said, “Great venerable one, I acted knowingly. At that time, Mahāprajāpatī had been very kind to the Buddha and raised him after his previous mother had passed away. She had the hope and I supported her in that. Mahākāśyapa, I do not feel this is a fault. But because you think it is an offense, I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
2. Again Kāśyapa spoke. “The Buddha spoke to you three times of needing you to be his attendant, but you still did not accept. This was a fault, so today you should confess it with regret.”
“I did not do that intentionally,” said Ananda. “An opportunity to attend to the Buddha is extremely difficult to get. I felt like I was unable. This is why I said I was unable. I do not feel this is a fault. But because you say it is an offense, I confess it with regret now.” The Karmapa commented once again, “Whether they’re right or not, I don’t need to explain them. You can think for yourselves about whether they are really offences.”
3. Again Kāśyapa spoke. “When you were sewing the Buddha’s outer robe, you intentionally stepped on the Buddha’s robe. This was a fault, it was being disrespectful, so today you should confess it with regret.”
The Karmapa made an aside, “He’s really looking for these faults!” Then continued,
“Venerable Mahākāśyapa,” said Ananda, “I did not do this out of pride. I did not intentionally step on the robe. I do not feel this is a fault. But because you say it is an offense, I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
4. Again Kāśyapa spoke. “The Buddha said to you three times about passing away. Three times! But you did not request him to live for an aeon. If the Buddha were to have lived an aeon, he would have brought many beings benefit and happiness, and all gods and humans would have gained happiness. This was a fault, so today you should confess it with regret.”
“Venerable Mahākāśyapa,” said Ananda, “I did not do that intentionally. At that time, I was possessed by Mara and forgot, so was not able to ask the Buddha to pass into nirvana. I did not do it intentionally. I do not feel this is a fault. But because you say it is an offense, I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
5. Kāśyapa spoke. “When the Buddha was alive, one time he told you he needed water and you did not give him any. This was a fault, so today you should confess it with regret.”
“I did not do this intentionally. At that time, five hundred carts that had passed by and made the water filthy. I thought that since the water was turgid, if I gave it to the Buddha, he would get sick and so I did not give him any.”
Kāśyapa said, “You should have offered water to him anyway. The Buddha has the power to transform turgid water into clean.”
Ananda said, “I do not feel this is a fault. But because you say it is an offense, I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
6. Again Kāśyapa spoke. “When the Buddha said you can relax the minor precepts in the future, you did not ask the Buddha what the minor precepts are. So no one knows what they are. This was your fault, so today you should confess it with regret.”
“I did not do this intentionally,” said Ananda. “At that time, I forgot, and I did not understand to ask the Buddha which precepts were minor. I do not feel this is a fault. But because I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
The Karmapa commented, “I’m not sure but I think this happened near the time when Buddha was about to pass away, so Ananda was grieving.”
7. Again Kāśyapa spoke—this one was mentioned before. “Because you did not prevent them, women soiled the Buddha’s foot. This was a fault, so today you should confess it with regret.”
“I did not do this intentionally,” said Ananda. “The women were not careful and prostrated to the Buddha when crying and weeping. This got on their hands that were wet with tears, and they soiled the Buddha’s feet with them. I do not feel this is a fault. But because you say it is my offense, I have confidence in you, I confess it with regret now.”
If we take the “Four-Part Vinaya” as the basis, Mahākāśyapa had accused Ananda of committing these seven faults, where everyone could hear them. Most people, if they were accused in this way would say, “Now that the Buddha has passed away, you are immediately attacking me, but I will not make a confession,” but Ananda was a very good person and didn’t say this but said he would make a confession.
The Karmapa summarized, “In terms of the offenses of Ananda, there are different accounts of this in the Kangyur, some go up to nine offenses, and the lowest are five offenses, but I will speak about this later.” Then the Karmapa concluded the teaching by thanking everyone.
