[*There
are several sets of characteristics of worthy persons in the Buddhist religion.
Two of the sets are given here, The
two
characteristics are: noble individual, holy person; adept. The
four
characteristics are: "stream-enterer"; "once-returner"; non-returner"; the
Worthy One.]
1.THE SERMON ON THE TEN BLESSINGS
(sermon
in 19 stanzas)
Ten
different blessings (which Phra Indra bestows upon Queen Phutsadi)
Synopsis
When
the Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment, he preached the Dhamma
Chakkappawatanasut to all five disciples. Then he went to the city of
Ratchakhru, and stayed at Weluwanaram until the end of the winter season. He
then went to the city of Kabinlaphat with a great number of followers. Phra
Kaluthayi was their guide. He stayed in Nikhrotharam, the great temple, which
members of the Sakya royal family had caused to be decorated as an offering,
and the royal family attended him there. Because of their pride, the senior
relatives were ashamed that they should pay homage to a Supreme Teacher as old
as a grandson, so together they stayed in the rear of the crowd, and had their
young princes appear to pay homage in front of the Buddha. The Buddha decided
to torment the royal relatives to take their pride away from them, so he
meditated, and by magic floated up into the air over the heads of the
relatives. The King, his father, and all the relatives saw that it was
miraculous and raised their hands to pay homage, and at the same time described
the power of the Buddha when he was younger,
in this way:
the
first time
was when his nursemaid invited him to go to pay respect to the
hermit
Phra Kalathewin, and his feet appeared to float above the head of the
hermit,
the
second time
was the auspicious day before the ploughing ceremony, when his nursemaid
invited him to sleep in the the shade of a black plum tree. The tree's shadow
hid him like an umbrella, and the shadow did not try to follow the sun;
the
third time
was this time.
When
the Buddha sat on the Buddha throne, at that time the rain Bokkhoraphat fell
all over the meeting area. All of the royal relatives starting with Prince Siri
Sutthothana, the Buddha father, were greatly joyful in the merit of the Buddha.
When the time was suitable, all were ready to pay homage and return to the
royal residence.
When
the royal relatives left, the followers discussed the story of the rain
Bokkhoraphat
because
they had never seen it before. The Supreme Teacher knew this, so he told all
the followers that it had not happened only this once. The rain Bokkhoraphat
had even occurred in an earlier time. All the followers wished to know about
it, so they invited him to tell them. The Buddha told them the story "The Great
Wetsandon Jataka" as follows.
In
an earlier time the city of Siwirat had a king called Siwirat. He had a son
called Prince Sonchai. When he grew up, his father gave him the kingdom and
marriage with Princess Phusadi, daughter of King Matharat.
Princess
Phutsadi, in a past life, was called Suthamma. When she died she went to be
born in the heaven, Dawadung, as the queen of the God Indra. When she was about
to leave heaven [to be reborn on earth], she begged for ten types of blessings,
as follows
1 She
asked to be able to live in a palace of King Siwirat,
2 She
asked to have her eyes black like the eyes of a doe,
3 She
asked to have eyebrows green like the ruff of a peacock,
4 She
asked to have the name Phutsadi,
5 She
asked to have a son who would be honoured more than all kings,
and
to have him faithful in making merit,
6 She
asked not to have a womb which swelled like those of common
pregnant women,
7 She
asked not to have both breasts [nipples] darken when she was
pregnant, and not to have sagging breasts when she had given birth,
8 She
asked to have hair dark and shiny, like the colour of the wing of a
gold
beetle,
9 She
asked to have fine skin like pure gold,
10 She
asked to have the authority to set free condemned prisoners.
The
God Indra conferred the ten blessings which Princess Phutsadi requested.
The
[Pali] Word
"Kap"
[Kappa]
The
[Pali] word
"Kap"
means "the age of the world"; from the start to the end of the world. In this
context, it is explained by the analogy with Mount Sineru (Pali) [Mount Sumeru
in Sanskrit] which is wide, high and thick; each dimension is equal to 100 yot
[1700 Km]. If one were to assign 100 years as the time needed to have the
divine beings take away the thickness of a gauze from it, then the time until
Mount Sineru (which had a thickness, depth of 100 yot at the start) was smooth
as the face of a drum, is called "one
Kap"*.
[*Note:
one
"Kap"
[Kappa]
may be computed as 170,000,000,000 years, if a gauze is one millimetre thick.
Current scientific thinking puts the age of the universe at around
17,000,000,000 years to date, compared with the 6001 years of creationist
computation. If the western science calculation is correct, the world and the
universe have currently completed one tenth of the span allowed in the
cosmology of the Buddha. This is very reassuring.]
The
word "
Kap"
has six word forms, these are
1 Sarakap there
is one Buddha born
2 Manthakap there
are two Buddhas born
3 Worakap there
are three Buddhas born
4 Saramanthakap there
are four Buddhas born
5 Phattharakap there
are five Buddhas born
6 Sunyakap is
an empty period. There are no Buddhas born into the
world at all.
It
is said that a long time before Princess Phutsadi received the ten blessings
from the God Indra, her life story reached back the very long way of 90
kap
.
Her life did not start as the queen of Indra; that is, in an earlier life she
made and accumulated great merit in the time when the Lord Buddha called
Wipatsi was already born into the then world. At the start she prayed "I wish
to be able to be the mother of the Buddha" . Like us, she made and accumulated
merit, and so created a desire to be able to achieve it.
The
Reason Why Divine Beings Die
In
the Aphithamdika it is said that there are six reasons why divine beings die
[and are reborn on earth], these are
1 Ayukkhaya the
end of age
2 Kammakkhaya the
end of karma
3 Uphayakkhaya the
end of both age and karma
4 Athimuttimorana still
not reached the time of death, but pray for it
5 Manopathosika are
very angry
6 Ahara praise
and enjoy material things too much until they
forget to eat divine food.
Portents
That Divine Beings Will Die
1 The
flowers which decorate the heavenly mansions wilt
2 Their
clothing colour becomes faded
3 Sweat
abnormally from armpits
4 The
skin is of a type of colour which is not healthy
5 Their
soul is irritated and bored by the place where they reside.
Central
Points of the Sermon
To
succeed in your wish by making merit , you must pray in your soul to achieve
your life aim. Wishes which will succeed must be heartfelt. Those people must
follow the precepts perfectly, do good deeds, be conscientious, increase their
goodness, and the they never regress in their life.
2.
THE SERMON ON HIMAPHAN
(Sermon
in 134 stanzas)
The
forest is covered in snow (the weather in the Himalaya mountains is cold)
Synopsis
Her
Highness Princess Phutsadi, queen of the God Indra, came down from heaven to be
born as the daughter of King Matharat. When she grew to the age of 16 years,
she was married to the King of the city of Sonchai. After a time, she conceived
and when exactly a
tosamat
(ten months) had elapsed, she went to visit the city and gave birth to the
King's son at Trok Phokha. So his family gave him the name of Wetsandon. At the
moment of his birth, he immediately begged money from his mother to give as
alms. On this same day a female Chatthan elephant brought a baby elephant to
the Royal elephant house, and then returned alone to the forest . That baby
elephant was a pure white albino and the people gave it the name "Patchainakhen".
When
Prince Wetsandon grew to the age of 16 years, the King, his father, gave him
the throne, and a marriage to the Princess Matsi, the daughter of the Matula
royal family. During Prince Wetsandon's reign in the city of Siphi, he built a
total of six rest houses as places to distribute alms to all poor people. In
time, Princess Matsi gave birth to a son called Chali and a daughter called
Kanha.
At
that time the city of Kalingkharat suffered a drought, and the rain did not
fall as it should in the season, making all the territory dry and arid. Even
though the King of Kalingkharat carefully kept the precepts over seven holy
days, the rain still did not fall. The people [of the territory] knew [about
the elephant] and asked him to go and beg for the gift of the elephant
Patchainakhen from Prince Wetsandon. The elephant was a most auspicious animal,
because wherever it was driven, it would bring rain to the entire country. King
Kalingkharat agreed with the opinion of the people, so he appointed eight
Brahmins to go to beg for it. Prince Wetsandon gave it to them. But the
townspeople of Siphi did not concur, arguing that Patchainakhen was a symbol
of the state and should be retained for the city. The people grew very angry
with Wetsandon, so they begged the King of the city of Sonchai to exile him
from the city. A royal officer told Prince Wetsandon of the peoples' demand,
and the officer advised him to go and reside in Mount Wongkot . He [Prince
Wetsandon] begged for another two days to carry out the great gift Sattasadok
(the gift of sets of 700 things) before being exiled.
Then
he instructed Princess Matsi to make merit regularly, to care for their
children, to stay in the city and serve his father and mother; and he gave her
permission to marry another member of a ruling family. But Princess Matsi would
not agree, she asked to take the children as well as herself and follow him.
She described in detail the beauty and happiness [of life] in the Himaphan
forest, and is the path that her husband will follow.
Royal
Birth - Ability to Speak
The
story of the birth of a Bodhisattva, and of immediately being able to speak
with his mother, has three occurrences
1 when
reincarnated as Prince Mahosot (in the
Um
Mangkha Jataka
)
2 when
reincarnated as Prince Wetsandon the great Bodhisattva
(in
the
Wetsandon
Jataka
)
3 as
the Lord Buddha in the last life.
The
18 Subjects which
Prince
Wetsandon Studied
1 Suti General
knowledge
2 Sammati Knowledge
of regulations and traditions
3 Sangkhaya Subject
of arithmetic
4 Yokha Subject
of mechanical devices
5 Niti Knowledge
of other matters
6 Wisesaka Knowledge
of ways of prophecy
7 Khanthappha Dancing
and music
8 Khanika Subject
of physical exercise
9 Thanupphetha Archery
10 Purana Subject
of archaeology
11 Tikitcha Subject
of medicine
12 Atihasa Subject
of history
13 Choti Treatise
on stars
14 Maya Manual
of military strategy
15 Chanthati Subject
of poetry
16 Ketu Subject
of speech
17 Manta Treatise
on magic rituals
18 Sattha Subject
of grammar (from treatise on
Lokkanit)
The
Subject
"Traithep"
[Traiphet]
Which Wetsandon Studied
"Traiphet"
[Traiphet] or "Traiwet" translates as 3 types of knowledge. It is the name of a
sacred book about traditional animist doctrines of the Brahmins, they are
1 Ruthakhawet "chan"*
to pray to, and praise various lords
2 Yachurawet prose
to recite while worshipping gods
3 Samawet chan
to use in chanting in the ginseng-offering ceremony
[from
the
Narai
Sippang
of King Rama VI]
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 good
people are born to bring peace to the world
2 if
there is no sacrifice, then the world will probably have an era of destruction
3 doing
good usually has obstacles "no evil, no
barami*
- the more evil, the stronger the
barami"
The barrier-problem is the source of success
4 the
objective of sacrifice is to live in tranquillity, even in suffering.
*Barami
(Parami) - the ten perfections; stages of spiritual perfection reached by a
Bodhisattva on his way to Buddhahood, or by those who are determined to become
Pacchekabuddhas or Arahant disciples of a Buddha.
3.
THE SERMON ON THE GIFTS
(sermon
in 209 stanzas)
The
Sacrifice of the Great Gifts (Sattasadok)
Synopsis
When
Queen Phusadi learnt that Prince Wetsandon was to be exiled, she went to visit
him and then went to visit the King of the city of Sonchai to beg for his
forgiveness; the King did not answer her. So she went to the dwelling of
Wetsandon and complained bitterly of the hardships that Wetsandon would suffer.
Next
day, Prince Wetsandon made the sacrifice of the great gift named "Sattasadok".
Then he led his wife Matsi and his children
to
say goodbye to the King of the city of Sonchai. The King felt great pity for
them and he told Princess Matsi that she did not have to go and so bring
hardships upon herself, but Matsi would not yield in any way. King Sonchai did
not know what to do, so he begged both his grandsons to stay, but Matsi
refused. Then they went to say farewell to Prince Wetsandon's mother at her
palace
.
Next
day, Prince Wetsandon called for his precious possessions to be packed onto a
carriage. He went out of the city to scatter the precious objects in front of
those passers by. He then sent the soldiers back while he went on alone. There
were four Brahmins who ran after him to beg the horses from the Prince. The
Prince made them the gift. A deity then turned himself into a golden deer
to
support the carriage. Still there was another Brahmin who came to beg for the
carriage, so the Prince gave it to him. As for the golden deer, it disappeared.
Prince Wetsandon picked up Chali in his arms and Matsi picked up Kanha in her
arms and they all walked along.
"The
great gift" (sattasadok) are the special offerings which he sacrificed in that
time. There were 7 types, each of 700 things, they were
1 Elephants
to the number 700,
2 Horses
to the number 700,
3 Carriages
to the number 700,
4 Women
to the number 700,
5 Milch
cows to the number 700,
6 Male
slaves to the number 700,
7 Female
slaves to the number 700. (totalling 4,900 things altogether).
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 Mother's
love - wives' worries, mother's tears - wife's thoughtfulness.
2 The
punishment of being a widow, that is, being condemned, being despised, perhaps
reaching the end of life by building a fire and jumping into it to commit
suicide.
3 For
the benefit and happiness of everybody, one person should agree to sacrifice
their own comfort and happiness.
4 If
one is prosperous, all admire him; if he fails, he is held in contempt. Life
has many delights and bitterness and it is impossible to make the people in all
the world contented.
4
THE SERMON ON THE WANDERING
(Sermon
in 57 stanzas)
Together
they wander the forest
Synopsis
Prince
Wetsandon and Princess Matsi, together with their children set out to journey
to Wongkot Mountain. As they went from the city of Siphi they crossed many
territories, namely Sugar Palm Mountain, the river Khotimara, Anchan mountain
and Matula city in the territory of Chetarat respectively. The total distance
was 30 yot [510Km] away, but the deity helped them by shortening the path and
they arrived at Matula city in a single day. They entered a rest-house
(pavilion) near the gates of Matula to stay for the night. The next day, news
of them reached King Chetarat, so he hurried to see them to look into the matter.
Prince
Wetsandon told the King the truth so he would understand his situation, and
begged him for assistance so that he could find his way to Wongkot Mountain.
King Chetarat said that he would go and approach the King of the city of
Sonchai to beg the King for forgiveness to allow him [Wetsandon] to go back to
the city. Prince Wetsandon said that his father did not have any freedom in
the matter, and he was not able to disobey the request of the people, because
the people of Siphi were very resentful about the matter [his gift].
The
King asked him to ascend the throne and govern the territory of Matula in his
place, but Prince Wetsandon declined, saying that it was against his wishes,
and would be a sign that he was starting to become exalted, and to rebel
against the King of the city of Sonchai. It would be a reason to have the city
of Siphi and the city of Chetarat break off relations, and he asked to be told
the way to get to Wongkot Mountain. The King of Chetarat invited him to come
and stay in the city first, Prince Wetsandon again declined, but only stayed in
the rest-house another night. The next day the King accompanied the four
members of royalty to the end of the territory of Chetarat. He showed them the
way they should go and appointed a hunter called Chetabut as their guard to
protect them from danger, and not to have anyone bother them.
Prince
Wetsandon, together with Princess Matsi and their son and daughter reached
Khanthamat Mountain, so they rested there. The next day they reached Wibun
Mountain and they followed the banks of the Ketumadi. They halted in the shade
of trees on the edge of the bank. A hunter brought meat to offer to them, so he
[Wetsandon] took off a piece of jewellery and gave it to him. Then they went to
stop at a big banyan tree near Suwan Mountain, ate some fruit, and then went to
Nalika Mountain.
At
that time, Wetsukam, a male deity, received a divine command from Indra to go
and magically build two rest houses, and at the same time to create all the
objects which hermits have as possessions, he then wrote a scroll giving
permission to anybody who wanted to be a hermit, to take the hermitage and the
objetcs and use them as their own. Then he made all the wild animals, and all
the birds which were not sweet sounding, flee and go to live elsewhere. Then he
urged the forest spirits to look after the four royal personages.
When
Wetsandon reached the rest house, he entered it by himself and removed all his
ornaments and dressed as a hermit, he then went outside to receive Princess
Matsi. Princess Matsi then went into another rest house and removed her
ornaments, and then dressed as a female hermit together with her son and
daughter. Princess Matsi volunteered to go and gather fruit. Prince Wetsandon
agreed, but he asked her to promise not to visit him in the night when the two
children were absent, and Princess Matsi agreed. The four members of royalty
were ordained and lived as hermits on Wongkot Mountain for seven months, with
everyone fulfilling their daily duties. By the power of the merit of Prince
Wetsandon, he made all the herds of animals who lived within one yot around
Wongkot Mountain dwell together in goodwill and compassion
The
Period of Performing Good Deeds at Wongkot Mountain
Prince
Wetsandon, Princess Matsi, Chali and Kanha journeyed to Wongkot Mountain and
were ordained as hermits, covering themselves with tiger skins, and pledged
that they would live separately. They carefully and strictly followed the
behaviour of hermits, and enjoyed peace and calm for seven months in the royal
residence which Phra Indra had caused to be built.
What
Precepts Did Wetsandon Hold?
Essentially,
all hermits hold to the same five precepts. The special difference for
Wetsandon, ordained as a hermit, was not to have sexual relations. He followed
these precepts for seven months.
1 refrain
from taking life
2 refrain
from stealing
3 refrain
from lying
4 refrain
from drinking intoxicating liquids
5 refrain
from sleeping with women
The
precepts of Prince Wetsandon differ from the five usual precepts, because
people following those five traditional precepts can still sleep with their
wives.
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 In
a time of destitution - a time of poverty, a time of sickness, a time of loss,
a time of leaving, it is the time that we should receive the attention of a
group of friends.
2 A
benefit of having friends is ... they will not abandon a friend in a time of
suffering, will help support a friend who is weak and tired, will help pull
along a friend at a time of decline, will help support a friend at a time of
rising.
3 Goodwill
of good people - if you realise that the contentment of most people is usually
created by the sacrifice of self, so youshould joyfully and cheerfully choose
to reject chance and luck.
5.
THE SERMON ON CHUCHOK
(Sermon
in 79 stanzas)
The
section on old Chuchok (the swindler of the story is a professional beggar)
Synopsis
There
was a destitute Brahmin who had no family. His name was Chuchok, and he was
born into the family Phowathikachat. He lived in the district of Thunawit
village attached to the city of Kalingkharat. He went about begging donations
and was able to collect and save 100 "kasap". Then he took them to entrust to a
friend who was also a Brahmin, and went off for a very long time begging
donations all over the country; so he could not return home.
As for the Brahmin who was looking after the money, he grew poorer, so he took
Chuchok's money which he had entrusted to him, and spent it all. When Chuchok
remembered, he returned to claim his money. The Brahmin couple did not have any
money to repay him so they offered their daughter, Amittada, to be Chuchok's
wife, and so Chuchok took her to his home. The girl Amittada cared for Chuchok
her husband in a proper manner, until she made many Brahmin men in the district
dissatisfied with their own wives, because their behaviour [as wives] was not
as good as that of Amittada. All the Brahmin women were cursed because of
Amittada, so together they went to curse her, when she had gone down to the
water stage to scoop up water, to drive her away. When the Brahmin women
encountered Amittada, they crowded around Amittada, cursing, mocking and
jeering, making her feel ashamed and heartbroken, so she went home and told
Chuchok that from now on she was not going to work; she told him the story, and
Chuchok said he would have to do the work himself, but Amittada would not
accept that. She said that her family had never used a husband as a slave, and
she begged Chuchok to go and find a slave to come and help, otherwise she would
not live with him.
At
this moment, the deity who had assisted Prince Wetsandon to earlier make the
sacrifice of the great gifts (Sattasadok), thought that he would help Wetsandon
to make an additional sacrifice (Piyabut) to add to his worthiness (barami), so
he inspired Amittada with the knowledge of the story of Wetsandon and of the
sacrifice, and he caused the girl to suggest to Chuchok that he go to beg for
Chali and Kanha . Chuchok did not want to go, but were he not to go, he feared
she would run away, so against his will he agreed to her request. She got
together supplies of dried food. Chuchok had the house put in order and gave
advice to her; he then walked clockwise around his wife three times. He dressed
himself in white as a hermit and went out towards the city of Siwirat. He went
about making enquiries from the townspeople about the story of Prince
Wetsandon; the townspeople grew angry with him and chased Chuchok into the
forest. The deity inspired Chuchok to get lost in the forest, and he reached
the territory watched over by Chetabut. Chuchok fled from Chetabut's dogs and
climbed into a tree, but then thought about the generosity of Prince Wetsandon
which was comparable with the earth, water, a Bodhi tree or a banyan tree;
great things which people could rely on. When Chetabut met Chuchok, he resolved
that he would shoot and kill him, but instead, he asked his story first and
Chuchok lied to Chetabut thus. "I am a royal courier of the King of the city of
Sonchai, I am going in order to invite Prince Wetsandon to return to the royal
city". Chetabut believed him, so he invited him to eat some food.
The Story of Chuchok
Chuchok
was born on a Saturday, in the fifth month, in the year of the Tiger, before
the year 1 of the Buddhist era, several thousand years ago, in a Brahmin
village called Thunawit in the district of Kalingkharat. His mother was called
Chanthi, a female Brahmin, his father was called Tolaka, a Brahmin. His
appearance was of the ugly type called "inauspicious in 18 ways". At the time
of his birth there were evil omens. These were
1 his
mother had evil dreams before giving birth, for example, she was bitten by a
snake and died, and so on;
2 he
had the 18 inauspicious male characteristics on his body
3 he
had the habit of liking to tell lies, earn food by joking, to deceive and to be
sarcastic
4 he
was born in "namha" or "nam-ngua" [the fifth child].
To
be born in "namha" means that his parents had children all of the same sex in a
row, they were boys or girls adjacent. The fifth child in a set was called
"born nam-ngua" . Chuchok had gathered together 100 kasap by begging. One
kasap is equal to 4 baht, so it would total 400 baht. He had entrusted it to
his friends. The husband and wife, parents of Amittada, who looked after
Chuchok's money, were called "Kunlaphinthu and Nang Manirat".
The
10 Attributes of Prince Wetsandon
1 Tha-me personal
suffering
2 Sangya-me self
control
3 Khantiya patience
4 Sangwa-re piety
5 Niya-me enjoyed
earning merit
6 Ako-te never
angry
7 Awiheungsaya never
got revenge
8 Sat-ce kept
word
9 So-soei-ye resolute
in merit making
10 Met-toei-ye acts
with kindness (from the Eka Nibat Jataka)
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 The
belongings which you love and should keep to yourself, which the ancients warn
against leaving with other people, are money, horses and wife. Particularly
your wife's younger sisters, definitely do not leave them with other people, it
is very dangerous.
2 A
wife who is virtuous will perform her duties effectively in husking rice,
gathering water, firewood gathering, heating water and preparing tea.
3 Things
which are incompatible usually have problems. The book
'Hitopathet'
says that "Knowledge is harmful if it is not used, food is indigestible
because of the fire element, which leads to problems of the nerves, a young
wife makes an old husband suffer". Therefore, you should not try to be an old
cow who thinks they can chew young grass.
6.
THE SERMON ON THE SMALL FOREST
(Sermon
in 35 stanzas)
A
small forest or a thin forest
Synopsis
After
Chetabut allowed Chuchok to stay one night, he looked after and fed him and
then gave him a supply of dried food to take, and then led Chuchok to the start
of the path. He described at length the way to go to Wongkot Mountain, "the
mountain you can see is the beginning of the path you should follow, and it is
called Khanthamat Mountain. It is a place which is rich in a great variety of
pleasant-smelling trees, next you will get to a place which looks dark green,
called Anchan Mountain, which has many species of trees which you will enjoy.
Then you will keep on walking for a little while and then you will arrive at a
big place called the Mango Forest. Next you will reach a palm and coconut
forest with areca-nut trees. Then you will reach the forest with various types
of sweet-smelling flowers spread all around". But Chetabut only mentioned the
path to the hermitage of the hermit Phra Atchut, and to stop to ask him the
rest of the way to get to Wongkot Mountain. Chuchok fixed the way in his mind,
said goodbye, walked clockwise around Chetabut three times and continued on his
way.
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 If
you have power but lack reasonable intelligence, you will be easily deceived,
2 Stupid
people are the victims of clever people,
3 If
you trust other people too much you will be in trouble.
7.THE
SERMON OF THE LARGE FOREST
(Sermon
in 80 stanzas)
A
big forest or a wide forest
Synopsis
Chuchok
went along the path recommended by Chetabut, and arrived at the hermitage of
Phra Atchut, the hermit. He lied to him that he was associated with Prince
Wetsandon in an earlier time, and that he had been away for a long time, and he
wanted to be able to meet him. Phra Atchut believed him, so he gave Chuchok a
place to sleep for the night and next day showed Chuchok the way to go to find
Prince Wetsandon. He said "the mountain you see is called Khanthamat Mountain,
go on to reach the Mutchalin [Mucalinda*] Pool, which is near the hermitage of
Prince Wetsandon, it has lotus flowers and various types of fish. Above it are
trees of various types, and various kinds of fruit, there are many types of
fruit in the vicinity of the hermitage. Continue that way and you will reach
the Himaphan Forest which has various types of animals beyond description. The
important animals are four types of lions, which are, 1) "Tinnaratchasi", eats
blades of grass as food, 2) "Kalasing", eats animal meat as food, 3)
"Pandusuramarukhin" eats animal meat as food. All these three types, look like
cows, have various types of fur, have dull colours but bright yellow. 4)
"Kraisonsingharat", the tip of its tail, feet and mouth are red, all over is
white with a red ruff, it has red down the middle of its back and lives in
water. Apart from those, there are still other animals, a great many, of all
types. If you follow my instructions you will come to the hermitage of Prince
Wetsandon." Chuchok walked clockwise around Phra Atchut the hermit three times,
and went on his way.
*
Mucalinda is the name of the Naga serpent which sheltered the meditating Buddha.
10
Types of Trees with Sweet Smells
1 Munlakhantha roots
smell sweet
2 Sarakhantha stems
smell sweet
3 Phekkhukhantha sap
smells sweet
4 Tacakhantha bark
smells sweet
5 Pappatakakhantha splinters
smell sweet
6 Rasakhantha resin
smells sweet
7 Pattakhantha leaves
smell sweet
8 Pupphakhantha flowers
smell sweet
9 Phalakhantha fruit
smells sweet
10 Sapphakhantha smells
sweet in every way
(from
the Maha Nibat Jataka)
The
10 Families of Elephants in the Himaphan Forest
1 Kalawakahatthi Black
2 Khangkhaiyahatthi Colour
of water
3 Pandarahatthi White
like Mount Kraylat
4 Tamphahatthi Copper
coloured
5 Pingkhalahatthi Light
gold like cat's eyes
6 Khanthahatthi Colour
like the wood eagle: elephants of this
breed
have a sweet body odour
7 Mangkhalahatthi Blue-black:
elephants of this breed have a very
graceful
posture when walking
8 Hemahatthi Yellow
like gold
9 Ubosotthahatthi Pure
gold
10 Chatthantahatthi Body
pure white like silver, mouth and feet red
Elephants
of each of these 10 classes have 10 times more energy than the previous ones in
the list.
Characteristics
of the Tigers and Lions in Himaphan Forest
1 Tinaratchasi eat
grass as food
2 Kalasingha have
black stripes
3 Pandusura
[marukhin]
have yellow stripes, eat meat of animals as food
4 Kraisonsingharat the
tip of the tail, feet and mouth are the same
red
as lacquer, have red stripes around the
middle
the same colour as rouge paint, they like
to
live in caves. In the afternoon they go out for
food.
They like to roar loudly to echo in the
forest.
All
four types of tigers and lions have bodies as large as cows, all are striped in
various ways.
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 "Clever
but clueless" (has wisdom but lacks thought), so is outdone, can easily make
mistakes.
2 To
sympathise is to be ruined, easy belief is suffering
3 To
mix with anyone, look at their faces (who have countenance, duty, inward
looking, spirit), buying cloth looks at the material, buying mats look at the
pattern, buying a farm look at the soil, and you will not be able to fall into
error.
8.
THE SERMON ON THE CHILDREN
(Sermon
in 101 stanzas)
Chuchok
goes to beg for the children Kanha and Chali
Synopsis
Chuchok
arrived at the pool Bokkhorani when it was almost night, and he saw part of the
roof [of the hermitage] far away, but he thought that if he went to beg for
Kanha and Chali when Princess Matsi was there, he would not succeed. It would
be better to wait until tomorrow and have the Princess go out first , because,
usually, women are thrifty, and if the husband were to make a gift, they would
usually interfere. Having realised this, Chuchok climbed up to sleep on an
overhanging rock, to be safe from wild animals .
That
night, Princess Matsi dreamt an omen that a strong, stout, clean-cut man with a
sword would break down the door and come in and cut off her arms and take out
her eyes and cut open her breast and take out her heart. The princess was
frightened, so she woke up and hurried to Prince Wetsandon to beg him to help
interpret the dream. Prince Wetsandon knew that the meaning of the dream was
that tomorrow a beggar would come to ask for Kanha and Chali; he feared that
Princess Matsi would not agree to part with the children if he interpreted it
truly, so to conceal the meaning of the dream, he interpreted it with a cover
of rhetoric in this way: because previously the lady enjoyed happiness, the
time had now come for hard suffering; all the four elements [air, earth, fire,
water] are abnormal, so she would dream abnormal omens, as she did now.
Princess Matsi was still not reassured, so at dawn she woke up Kanha and Chali
and bathed them, then she spoke to them at length giving them instructions, and
asked Prince Wetsandon to look after them. Then, she went to gather fruit in
the forest.
As
for Chuchok, when dawn broke he went on the way to Prince Wetsandon's
hermitage. When Prince Wetsandon saw him, he asked Kanha and Chali to go out
and invite him in. Chuchok threatened both children to frighten them, thinking
that when he had succeeded in begging for them both, they would be more easily
used. First Chuchok would beg for Chali and Kanha from Prince Wetsandon, by
speaking indirectly in a cajoling way, taking all five rivers [of
India],(Khongkha, Yommana, Achirawadi, Soraphu and Mahi) and comparing them
with the generosity as well as the kindness of Prince Wetsandon, and then he
would make his request. Prince Wetsandon asked him to wait for Princess Matsi
first. Chuchok said he could not, because the nature of women is sympathetic,
and in no way would she give them. Then Prince Wetsandon begged Chuchok to go
to the palace of the King of Sonchai, to receive the King's gift of a valuable
treasure; but Chuchok said he could not, because the King of Sonchai would
accuse him of a trick to lure away the King's grandchildren and he would be
punished, so he begged to take both children to go to the city of Kalingkharat
that very day.
When
Kanha and Chali learnt of this they were afraid, so they fled together to hide
in the lotus pool and stepped in backwards, and took lotus leaves to hide their
bodies so they could not be seen. When Chuchok looked for them, he could not
see them so he made a show of complaining to Prince Wetsandon that he had
winked at their running away, and that he did not keep his word. So Prince
Wetsandon followed the foot prints to the pool, and he knew that both children
were in the pool. So he called them to come up, explaining that they were royal
children and they could not have anyone criticise them. Then he compared them
to boats which would bring him to Nirvana, so he begged them to come up as dear
children to help make the gift. Chali rose up. So he called to Kanha and Kanha
rose up. Both children embraced their father's feet, then all three royal
personages wept. Wetsandon worked out the value of both children and then gave
them to Chuchok to take away.
At
that very moment there was a miraculous earthquake, and all the herds of
animals were frightened, Mount Sumeru bent over, the water in the great oceans
boiled up, the Naga King came up to float on the surface of the water, the
Garuda played with the winds, and the air became strange and rain fell, deities
of all types came together to express their gratitude.
When
Chuchok received the gift of the children, he beat them in front of Prince
Wetsandon. Prince Wetsandon was calm, so Chali turned and told his troubles to
Kanha, and when Chuchok beat them a great deal, both children joined to tell at
length various stories about fathers, mothers and children. Prince Wetsandon,
when he heard the stories and saw these violent events, was suddenly angry and
would kill Chuchok, because Chuchok hit both children in front of himself and
showed no respect for him. He compared Chuchok with a fishhook and he with a
fish, both children were like water. Nirvana was compared with a fish-trap. In
that Chuchok did the same as a fish-hunter when he beats a fish in front of a
trap; he splashed the water and excited the fish, so that he [as the fish]
would not enter the fish-trap, that is, Nirvana. But in the end, he allowed his
anger to die. So Chuchok led away the two children beating them continuously.
When dusk came, the Brahmin led the children out of the forest.
18
Inauspicious Characteristics of a Man
(18
types of evil things which reside in the body of Chuchok)
1 Phlangkabat both
feet big and crooked
2 Anthathanakha all
his nails are maimed
3 Ophatthapindika thin
legs and calves [of leg] drooping down
4 Thitotarodatha upper
lip of mouth long and covers lower lip
5 Chapala sticky
saliva flows continuously out onto both cheeks
like
sap
6 Kalara fangs
sprout out of mouth like tusks of a pig
7 Phukkhanasaka nose
flattened and broken and looks ugly
8 Kumphothara stomach
bulges like the bulbous base of a big pot
9 Phakkhapitthi ridge
of shoulder bent and back hunched
10 Wisamacakkhu eyes
deep sunk with the bad characteristics: one side
small, one side big, not equal.
11 Sohamatsu beard
looks like copper wire
12 Haritakesa hair
sparse and straw coloured
13 Walina body
has lines of twisted and swollen veins
14 Tinlakahata has
blotches all over his body
15 Pingkhala eyes
all rolled up and crossed like a cat's eyes
16 Winta body
twisted in three places- neck, back and waist
17 Wikada feet
splayed and ugly
18 Phrahakhara body
hair long and rough like pig bristle brush
Four
Causes and Characteristics of Dreaming
Dreaming
arises from four causes, these are
1 Thatukhopha arise
from problems with balance of bodily elements
2 Anuphubuppha arises
from the emotions from earlier in life
3 Thewatopasanghon arises
from deities coming to tell of future events
4 Bupphanimit arises
from omens which tell of good events before they
come
These
are easy to memorise in the order: "Bupphanimit, Chitaniwon, Thepsanghon,
Thatkamroep".
Valuation
- Setting the Value on a Person
Before
Prince Wetsandon gave Chali and Kanha to Chuchok, he estimated a value such
that ordinary people could not afford to set both children free [independent],
apart from their grandfather and grandmother. Therefore he negotiated the
price of both children to have it settled at that time that " if both children
wish to be freed ; Chali as the elder brother has a value of 1000 gold
tamlungs [equal to 4,000 baht], as for Kanha, as the younger sister, her price
is probably limited to 100 gold tamlungs; 100 each of female slaves, male
slaves, elephants, horses, Khawi cows and Usupharach cows".
Central
Points of the Sermon
1 Being
a person who understood the right time and the right place, Chuchok did not
hurry to go and beg, but waited for Princess Matsi to go out to the forest, to
have an audience to ask for both children, and this was the reason for his
getting success in the thing he desired; as the ancient proverb says "slow but
sure; if you hurry, you will get the opposite result". Recognise the right
occasion, learn how to have manners, speak out; to have bravery and coolness of
head is success.
2 All
parents love their children equally, but do not worry about them equally. They
worry about girls more than they worry about boys, because you compare them so
"girls are like rice, boys are like unhusked rice". The more girls grow up as
teenagers, the more trouble they bring.
3 Sati
Tesang Niwaranang
:
Sati
(mindfulness) is a device to guard against every type of danger.
Khanti
Sahasawarana:
Khanti
can protect you from impetuosity. It is the reason that Prince Wetsandon did
not kill Chuchok with a sword when Chuchok insulted him and struck Chali and
Kanha, particularly in his sight.
4 It
is a characteristic of women, that even if it is true they live with kindness
and compassion, and would like to liberate other people from suffering, the
single exception is that women will never sacrifice their children.
9.
THE SERMON ON PRINCESS MATSI
(Sermon
in 90 stanzas)
Princess
Matsi goes into the forest to gather fruit, returns and cannot find Chali and
Kanha. She goes to question her husband about it, is accused, and faints
Synopsis
When
Chuchok led the children away, Phra Indra feared that if Princess Matsi
returned during the day, she would pursue the two children, and would probably
catch up with them. So he caused three deities to disguise themselves as a
tiger, a yellow tiger [leopard], and a lion who came to block the path. When
Princess Matsi went to get fruit that day, she became uneasy, and was able to
pick only a few small pieces before she hurried back; but she encountered the
three animals asleep blocking her way, so she could not pass by. Until dusk
fell the princess begged all three animals to allow her to go by. Then the
deities opened the path for her, and she returned.
She
could not see the two children, so she pleadingly asked Prince Wetsandon . No
matter how many times she asked, he did not speak, because he saw that she was
tired, and would be greatly grieved about the children, and could be a danger
to her own life. So to reduce Princess Matsi's grief he pretended that he was
jealous, that she was going to find pleasure with a lover in the middle of the
forest, only to return at night. Princess Matsi repeatedly asked for
forgiveness. Prince Wetsandon was quiet and would not discuss it. So she went
out to look for the children all through the night, until the next day when she
returned to the hermitage. She was so disheartened from weariness that she
fainted. Prince Wetsandon was deeply shocked that Princess Matsi had died, so
he spoke fully of his grief. When his grief subsided, he examined her, and saw
that she had only fainted, so he lifted her head onto his lap and sprinkled
water on her breast; she recovered and returned to consciousness, and again
asked for Chali and Kanha. He told her the truth and begged her to help him
rejoice in the gift as well. The princess thus rejoiced in the gift of the dear
children and he told her of the miracles which occurred at the time of the gift
(as previously mentioned in the Sermon On The Children).
Central
Points of the Sermon
Children
are the eyes and hearts of their parents. "Good children gladden the hearts of
fathers and mothers. Children in trouble bruise the hearts of fathers and
mothers." Whose love equals that of parents? Whose worry equals that of
parents? Whose possessiveness equals that of parents? Whose giving equals that
of parents? Therefore, we should be good children, grateful children, whom
humans in the world admire, and whom the deities in heaven admire and praise.
10.
THE SERMON ON PHRA INDRA
(Sermon
in 43 stanzas)
Phra
Indra changes into an old Brahmin to come and ask for Matsi
Synopsis
The
next day the Divine King [Phra Indra] realised that since the two children of
Prince Wetsandon had been given to Chuchok, were someone to come afterwards
to ask for Princess Matsi, he would probably give her away as well, and then
Prince Wetsandon would have difficulty in getting food to eat; so he disguised
himself as a Brahmin and came to beg for Princess Matsi. Prince Wetsandon gave
permission, and poured water as a sign of an absolute gift to the Brahmin. At
that moment there was a miraculous earthquake everywhere, the same as the
previous time. As for Princess Matsi, she could not at all refuse, because she
believed in the wisdom of her husband. Prince Wetsandon noticed the appearance
of the princess. The princess knew this, so she said, to satisfy him, that she
was his possession, whom he could give or sell to anybody, or could punish any
way he chose, that he had a right to do anything. Therefore he could offer her
to the Brahmin and she was happy not to oppose the prince's virtue.
Phra Indra knew the hearts of both royal people, so He blessed them and offered
the princess back, and then he floated in the air to announce that he was the
Divine King, but before he went he gave permission to Prince Wetsandon to beg
eight types of blessings. The blessings which Prince Wetsandon sought are the
following
1 to
have the King of Sonchai be pleased with his actions, and invite him
to
return to the city,
2 to
have him have compassion to ease the lot and save the lives of
people
who have execution as their punishment,
3 to
have him be the patron of all people in all three ages,
these
are youth, middle age and old age,
4 to
have him remain contented with his own wife and not to be
pleased with the wives of others,
5 to
have children to pass on the high rank of the royal family, to have
long
life, power and to live in the Dhamma,
6 when
he returns to the city, the next day to have divine food sufficient
for
all as a gift,
7 when
he makes any gift, to not have the royal treasury diminish, to
always
believe wholeheartedly in giving, and not to create suffering
when
the treasury is empty,
8 when
he comes to the end of life, have him go to heaven and have him
dwell
at higher and higher levels until he reaches the peak
and does not fall [from grace].
The
Divine King conferred these blessings and disappeared to return to his place
in heaven.
Central
Points of the Sermon
Doing
good even if people do not see, with noone to compliment your, is a goodness
which always remains. Like gold, even if it is in a display case or in a safe,
it will cover the front of a monk or the back of a monk, it is still gold.
Doing
good even if there is noone to see, but the deities above you usually know.
11.
THE SERMON ON THE GREAT KING
(Sermon
in 69 stanzas)
The
great King: Chuchok leads Chali and Kanha away, they get lost and go into the
city of Siphi where they are ransomed as free people
Synopsis
Chuchok
the Brahmin led the two children into the forest. It was a a distance of 60
yot. On the way, the deities always kept them from danger. When night came,
Chuckok bound the limbs (arms) of the two children to a clump of trees, and
then climbed up to sleep in the branches of a tree. The deities took pity, so
all through the next 10 nights disguised as Prince Wetsandon and Princess
Matsi, they removed the vines and carried the children to bathe them, to tie
their hair, to beautify them and to give them divine food to eat, and to lull
them to sleep until the next day. When Chuhok came to a fork in the path, which
led to Kalingkharat, the deities inspired him to take the path to the city of
Siphi.
That
night, the King of the city of Sonchai dreamt an omen that there was a man of
frightening appearance, who would come to present to him with a pair of lotus
flowers, one flower just blooming, one flower just in bud. The [royal]
astrologer interpreted the dream that relatives who went away, will return to
the city. Next day, he went outside into the open space. The deities inspired
Chuchok to lead the children in front of the King. A group of royal
attendants did not draw attention to them by forbidding them to pass. The King
of the city of Sonchai looked down and saw his grandchildren, so he ordered the
attendants to bring Chuchok and the two children to see him and ask them their
stories, about leading the children here. Chuchok told him the truth. The group
of royal attendants led the criticism of Prince Wetsandon. Prince Chali was not
pleased, so he argued to his grandfather that he should not allow the group of
attendants to criticise and appear insolent to his father in front of the King.
Then he spoke of the various troubles he had suffered (see the Sermon on the
Children).
The
King of the city of Sonchai saw the royal children, Chali and Kanha sitting
below [the king] with Chuchok, in the manner of a master and his slaves, and
not in a way suitable for the dignity of royal children, so he remonstrated
with them. Prince Chali said that he was the slave of the Brahmin, and he would
not dare sit with His Highness the King. So the King of the city of Sonchai
asked Chuchok the ransom price of the two royal children. He asked Chuchok, but
Prince Chali said for himself that according to the estimation of Prince
Wetsandon the value for Chali was 1,000 gold tamlung, and for Kanha equal to
100 each of spiritual treasures and 100 gold tamlung [as mentioned before]. The
King of the city of Sonchai withdrew this from the royal treasury together with
the spiritual treasures, and gave them to the Brahmin Chuchok, and arranged a
celebration for both grandchildren. After that he appointed Prince Chali to go
to invite Prince Wetsandon to return, but Prince Chali said that he feared his
father would not believe him, and that he [the King] should take out a troop of
soldiers himself. The King of the city of Sonchai therefore raised a troop of
soldiers to go out to welcome back Prince Wetsandon, as Prince Chali had
proposed.
During all this, the Brahmin Chuchok ate such an excess of food that he could
not digest it, and so he died. The King of the city of Sonchai made an
announcement to have his family and relatives come and collect the Brahmin's
money; but no relatives came to claim it, so he ordered the money to be put
back into the royal treasury.
On
the seventh day, they mounted elephants to go and welcome Prince Wetsandon. At
that time eight Brahmins who were citizens of the city of Kalingkharat brought
the elephant Patchainakhen and offered to give it back, so he ordered Prince
Chali to ride the elephant Patchainakhen at the head of the army. They went out
of the city, and after several nights, they arrived at Mount Wongkot.
KONLABOTBUASONKLIP
This
is an essay on the time that they prepared the procession of the army to go out
to bring back Prince Wetsandon. It is considered to be a well detailed and very
well arranged piece of literature, it is called "
Konlabotbuasonklip",
which His Highness the royal monk Prince Paramanuchitchinorot, the outstanding
poet of the world, composed for the Sermon on the Great King. It is popular as
a most beautiful composition. For example in describing the force of elephants,
it says
(a
section in Thai on the preparation of elephants and their drivers for war).
Central
Points of the Sermon
Good
people are always safe and survive, they are likely to receive protection from
danger everywhere they go. Born as males or females, they must keep their
skills, born as people they should build goodness for themselves, born at any
time they should create good for themselves, then the world will not forget them.
12.
THE SERMON ON THE SIX KSATRIYA
(Sermon
in 36 stanzas)
The
six Ksatriya: the King of Sonchai, Queen Phutsadi, Prince Wetsandon, Princess
Matsi, Prince Chali and Princess Kanha, meet at Mount Khiriwongkot, become
unconscious, the magic rain Bokkhoraphat is made to fall on the six royal people
and
they regain consciousness.
Synopsis
When
Prince Chali, leading the army, arrived at the pool Mutchalin, he ordered them
to halt, to build a pavilion to formally receive his Highness the King of
Sonchai. The sound of the horses and carriages echoed and made strange
vibrations in the area of Mount Wongkot. Prince Wetsandon was shocked, assuming
that the enemy had already attacked and destroyed the city of Siphi and
assassinated the King, his father, and they were coming to destroy him as well.
So he led Princess Matsi to hide and observe the army. When Princess Matsi
looked, she was certain that the army were the soldiers of the King of Sonchai
come to welcome Prince Wetsandon, as in the blessings which the God Indra had
conferred on him; so she reassured her royal husband. Her husband recollected
[the blessing] and decided to return and stay at the hermitage as before.
His
Majesty the King of Sonchai conferred with his queen. He would go to the
hermitage first, after that the queen and the two children would slowly follow
in turn, because he was concerned that if they went together it would greatly
upset Prince Wetsandon and Matsi. When the King arrived, the two Ksatriya
[Prince Wetsandon and Princess Matsi] greeted him, then he enquired about their
living conditions. Prince Wetsandon told him of all his experiences, and then
asked about the wellbeing of his mother, and news of his children, as well as
news of the city of Siphi. His father told him about them. After that, his
mother the Queen arrived, and the two Ksatriya greeted her, then the two
children arrived at the hermitage. Princess Matsi looked at them and cried
repeatedly. The two children ran and hugged their mother and cried. Speaking at
length, all three Ksatriya fell unconscious together. When Prince Wetsandon and
his parents saw this, they all wept and fainted as well. The group of royal
concubines and servants in the King's retinue all fainted away as well. At that
moment, there was an earthquake all over the surface of the world.
Divine
Indra knew the reason for the suffering of the six royal people, so he caused a
wave of magic rain called "Bokkhoraphat" to fall in the area. The six royal
people and the group of royal courtiers all regained consciousness, and they
all felt a sense of awe and fear at the holiness of Prince Wetsandon. They all
prostrated themselves and knelt to beg the gift of royal pardon for what had
happened and to beg him to return to the city.
13.
THE SERMON ON THE CITY
(Sermon
in 48 stanzas)
Returning
together to the city
Synopsis
When
Prince Wetsandon heard the people of the city of Siphi invite him as we saw, he
feared, as he received the invitation, that the people would find that he was
easily influenced, so he asked his father whether it would be proper; before
[being banished] he had ruled the city following the ten virtues of the king,
and they had decided to banish him from the city. The King of the city of
Sonchai comforted him and asked his forgiveness and pleaded twice, so he
accepted the invitation. The total time he had performed the duty of staying at
Mount Wongkot was nine months and fifteen days. It was then time to leave the
priesthood, so he performed the coronation ceremony of libation with all three
conch shells, these are
Thaksinawat,
Suwan
and
Hiran.
He then returned to ascend the throne to rule the royal domains as before, and
he requested the four groups of attendants to perform an entertainment over 3
full days.
Queen
Phusadii dressed Princess Matsi in four special types of cloth, with great
crowns and ornaments, for her entry into the city. The four types of cloth are:
1 Kappasikkaphat cloth
made with thread
2 Saiyaphat cloth
made with silk
3 Khommaphat cloth
made with wood fibre
4 Kothumphoraphat cloth
made from fur.
At
that time, the herds of animals who lived in the area were very distressed that
Prince Wetsandon was leaving. He used to spread the sublime states of mind
everywhere. This group of animals lived in his perfections [barami] which
protected them from dangers at all time.
The
King of the city of Sonchai caused to have decorated the road which Prince
Wetsandon would use to return [to the city]. To make it beautiful, he decorated
the royal path with royal tiered umbrellas, flags, bananas and sugar cane, he
scattered all five types of offerings, these are flowers of Burmuda grass, raw
rice, seeds of cabbage, jasmine and puffed rice, at intervals along the way,
from Mount Wongkot to the city of Siphi. Prince Wetsandon rode the elephant
Patcainakhen, surrounded by all the soldiers and relatives. He spent many
nights on the way, a distance of 60 yot, to arrive at the city of Siphi. When
he arrived at the city of Siphi, he was crowned and ascended the throne to rule
the royal domains as before. Altogether, Prince Wetsandon was away from the
city for one year and fifteen days.
At
the time that Prince Wetsandon returned to rule the city, there was a heavy
rain called Sattarat, comprising Suwan, Hiran, Mukda, Mani, Praphan, Phaithun
and Wichian, which fell magically all around the city. This was a gift for all
the people. Prince Wetsandon lived to rule the royal domains until he was aged
120 years, and then he died.
Thotsaphitratchatham
"Thotsphitratchatham"
is translated as "The Ten Kingly Virtues". These are:
1 Dana Charity
2 Sila High
moral character
3 Paritchakha Self-sacrifice
4 Atchawa Honesty
and integrity
5 Mathawa Gentle
disposition
6 Tapa Self
control
7 Akkotha
Not
angry
8 Awihungsa Non
violence
9 Khanti Patience
10 Awirothana Conformity
to the law
(from
the Maha Nibat Jataka)
Furthermore,
the great Bodhisattva Wetsandon reigned by the Thotsaphitratchatham until he
was 120 years old, then his life ended and he went to live a divine life in
heaven.
Central
Points of the Sermon
Goodness
which is acted upon, yields a good result,
Goodness
which is performed, does not disappear,
The
30 types of heroic virtue which he performed to completion,
Goodness
which is performed with a merit-intention, people must understand it.
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