Toh 208 — The Great Rumble

F.109.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying with a large saṅgha of monks in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. At dawn, the venerable Ānanda donned his lower and upper robes, took up his alms bowl, and went to Śrāvastī on his alms round. F.109.b As he was making his alms round through Śrāvastī, the venerable Ānanda noticed a palace with its interior and exterior swept and polished, its doors bolted shut, and its windows shuttered. Seeing this, he thought to himself, “What if someone were to build a palace like this one and offer it to the saṅgha of monks throughout the four directions, while someone else were to either create a statue of the Thus-Gone One the size of a thumb, or take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa and place it within a stūpa with a dome the size of an amalaki fruit, insert a central pole the size of a needle, and affix to it a canopy the size of a jujube leaf?^[1] Between these two, whose merit would increase the most?”

Returning from his alms round in Śrāvastī, the venerable Ānanda ate his food. As he was abstaining from any subsequent food, he put away his alms bowl and robes, and washed his feet. He then went before the Blessed One, bowed his head at his feet, and sat to one side.

Seated to one side, the venerable Ānanda addressed the Blessed One: “Master, at dawn I donned my lower and upper robes, took up my alms bowl, and went to Śrāvastī on my alms round. As I went through Śrāvastī, Master, I noticed a palace with its interior and exterior swept and polished, its doors bolted shut, and its windows shuttered. Seeing this, I thought to myself, ‘What if someone were to build a palace like this one and offer it to the saṅgha of monks throughout the four directions, while someone else were to either create a statue of the Thus-Gone One the size of a thumb, or take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa and place it within a stūpa with a dome the size of an amalaki fruit, insert a central pole the size of a needle, and affix to it a canopy the size of a jujube leaf? F.110.a Between these two, whose merit would increase the most?’ This is the issue I present to the Blessed One.”

“Excellent, Ānanda. Excellent indeed,” responded the Blessed One to the venerable Ānanda. “Ānanda, you have asked, ‘What if someone were to build a palace like that one and offer it to the saṅgha of monks throughout the four directions, while someone else were to either create a statue of the Thus-Gone One the size of a thumb, or take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa and place it within a stūpa with a dome the size of an amalaki fruit, insert a central pole the size of a needle, and affix to it a canopy the size of a jujube leaf? Between these two, whose merit would increase the most?’ Your question is excellent and well articulated, and your inquiry virtuous. This being so, Ānanda, listen well and keep in mind what I am about to teach.

“Ānanda, what if someone were to build a palace like that one and offer it to the saṅgha of monks throughout the four directions, while someone else were to either create a statue of the Thus-Gone One the size of a thumb, or take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa and place it within a stūpa with a dome the size of an amalaki fruit, insert a central pole the size of a needle, and affix to it a canopy the size of a jujube leaf? Ānanda, the merit of the former would not even come close to a hundredth of the merit of the latter. It would not even come close to a thousandth, a hundred-thousandth, any number or fraction, or anything comparable or relative to that. Why? Because the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfected buddhas possess these immeasurable qualities: they possess immeasurable discipline, immeasurable samādhi, immeasurable insight, immeasurable liberation, F.110.b and the immeasurable wisdom and vision of liberation.

“Ānanda, what if all of Jambudvīpa, measuring seven thousand leagues in length and breadth, were filled with stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas, just like rice paddies, sesame fields, bamboo groves, reed groves, or sugar cane groves? And what if someone offered them as many robes, alms, sets of bedding, curative medicines, and other supplies as they desired for as long as they lived and then, when they all had passed into parinirvāṇa, created stūpas and venerated them with canopies, cymbals, banners, perfumes, incense, garlands, powders, and ointments? What if someone else were to either create a statue of the Thus-Gone One the size of a thumb, or take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa and place it within a stūpa with a dome the size of an amalaki fruit, insert a central pole the size of a needle, and affix to it a canopy the size of a jujube leaf? Ānanda, the merit of the former would not even come close to a hundredth of the merit of the latter. It would not even come close to a thousandth, or a hundred-thousandth, any number or fraction, or anything comparable or relative to that. Why? Because the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfected buddhas possess these immeasurable qualities: they possess immeasurable discipline, immeasurable samādhi, immeasurable insight, immeasurable liberation, and the immeasurable wisdom and vision of liberation.

“Ānanda, the same may be said of the eastern continent of Videha, measuring eight thousand leagues in length and breadth,” including everything stated above, from “were filled with stream enterers…” up to “…wisdom and vision of liberation.^[2]F.111.a

“Ānanda, the same may be said of the western continent of Godānīya, measuring nine thousand leagues in length and breadth,” including everything stated above, from “were filled with stream-enterers…”

“Ānanda, the same may be said of the northern continent of Kuru, measuring ten thousand leagues in length and breadth,” including everything stated above, from “were filled with stream-enterers…”

“Ānanda, Śakra’s Palace of Victory is supported by eighty-four thousand pillars, each of which is made of exquisite blue beryl. Ānanda, the Palace of Victory is covered in gold dust, sprinkled with sandalwood water, decorated with golden lattice, and encircled with golden chimes. Ānanda, what if someone were to fill the trichiliocosm only with palaces like the Palace of Victory and offer it to the saṅgha of monks throughout the four directions, while someone else were to take a relic the size of a mustard seed after a thus-gone one’s parinirvāṇa…” and so forth as above.

“Ānanda, after Ajātaśatru, son of Vaidehī and king of Magadha, murders his father who is a stream enterer,^[3] and has engaged in the virtuous acts praised by the buddhas to fervently respect, venerate, serve, worship, honor, and supplicate the eight portions of the relics^[4] as a way of worshiping the relics of the Thus-Gone One, he will be reborn once in the hells, where those actions, those roots of virtue, and those past wholesome deeds will free him and prevent him from regressing to lower rebirth for the next twenty eons. He will then shave his head and beard, don the saffron robes, and go forth from his home into homelessness. He will manifest the state of a pratyekabuddha and become known as Vijayasena the pratyekabuddha. Why? Because the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfected buddhas possess these immeasurable qualities: F.111.b they possess immeasurable discipline, immeasurable samādhi, immeasurable insight, immeasurable liberation, and the immeasurable wisdom and vision of liberation.

“You should understand, Ānanda, it is because the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfected buddhas possess these immeasurable qualities that the result of worshiping them is also immeasurable.”

As this Dharma discourse was being taught, the vast earth began to quake in six ways: the east rose as the west sank, the west rose as the east sank, the south rose as the north sank, the north rose as the south sank, the center rose as the borders sank, and the borders rose as the center sank.

The venerable Ānanda then asked the Blessed One, “What is the name of this Dharma discourse, Blessed One? How should I remember it?”

The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, remember this Dharma discourse as The Drum of Amṛta. You may also remember it as The Great Rumble.”

The venerable Ānanda then praised and rejoiced in what the Blessed One had taught. He bowed at the Blessed One’s feet and circumambulated him three times before leaving the Blessed One’s presence.