Brahmin
Thus I have heard: One time, the Budha was staying at
Anaathapindidas Ashrama in Jetavana of Shraavastii.
At that time, the Venerable Aniruddha was in the land of Kushinagara, at the place of his birth.
Then, the Shakya deities, Brahmaa, the Catur-Mahaaraaja-Kayikas (Four Heavenly Kings), along with five hundred celestial beings and twenty-eight great yaksha kings, went to where the Venerable Aniruddha was.
Having arrived, they bowed with their heads at his feet and stood to one side.
Then, they praised Aniruddha with the following verse:
“We pay homage to the supreme among humans,
Respected and revered by all!
We do not yet know,
Upon what kind of meditation you now rely?”
At that time, there was a Brahmin named Jabata, a disciple of Brahmaayu.
He went to where the Venerable Aniruddha was, bowed with his head at Aniruddha’s feet, and sat to one side.
Then, the Brahmin asked Aniruddha:
“When I was born in the royal palace, I had never encountered such a natural and wondrous fragrance.
Who has arrived in this place?
Is it a deity, a naaga, a yaksha, a human, or a non-human?”
At that time, Aniruddha replied to the Brahmin:
“Just now, the Shakra deities, Brahmaa, the Catur-Mahaaraaja-Kayikas, along with five hundred celestial beings and twenty-eight great yaksha kings, came to me.
They bowed with their heads at my feet and stood to one side.
Then, they praised me with the following verse:”
“We take refuge in the supreme among humans,
Respected and revered by all!
We do not yet know,
Upon what kind of meditation you now rely?”
The Brahmin asked:
“For what reason do I not see their forms?
Where have Shakra, Brahmaa, and the Catur-Mahaaraaja-Kayikas gone?”
Aniruddha replied:
“It is because you do not possess the divine eye.
That is why you cannot see Shakra, Brahmaa, the Four Heavenly Kings, the five hundred celestial beings, and the twenty-eight great yaksha kings.”
The Brahmin asked:
“If I were to attain the divine eye, would I be able to see Shakra, Brahmaa, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the twenty-eight great yaksha kings?”
Aniruddha replied:
“If you were to attain the divine eye, you would indeed be able to see Shakra, Brahmaa, the Four Heavenly Kings, the five hundred celestial beings, and the twenty-eight great yaksha kings.
However, Brahmin, the divine eye alone is not particularly extraordinary.
There is a Brahmaa deity named ‘Thousand-Eyes.’
He perceives this thousandfold world system as clearly as a person with normal vision sees a jewelled crown in the palm of their hand.
Yet, even this Brahmaa, though able to see the entire thousandfold world system without obstruction, cannot see the very clothes he is wearing on his own body.”
The Brahmin asked:
“Why is it that the Thousand-Eyed Brahmaa cannot see his own form and the clothes he is wearing?”
Aniruddha replied:
“It is because that deity lacks the supreme eye of wisdom.
Therefore, he cannot see his own form and the clothes he is wearing.”
The Brahmin asked:
“If I were to attain the supreme eye of wisdom, would I be able to see my own form and the clothes I am wearing?”
Aniruddha replied:
“If you attain the supreme eye of wisdom, then you will be able to see your own form and the clothes you are wearing.”
The Brahmin asked:
“Venerable one, I sincerely request you to teach me the most profound Dharma,
so that I may attain the supreme eye of wisdom.”
Aniruddha asked:
“Do you uphold moral precepts?”
The Brahmin asked:
“What is called morality (Shila)?”
Aniruddha replied:
“It is to refrain from all evil and not transgress what is lawful.”
The Brahmin replied:
“If this is what constitutes morality, I am capable of upholding such precepts.”
Aniruddha said:
“Brahmin, you should now uphold the precepts without the slightest transgression. You should also eliminate the fetter of arrogance.
Do not cling to thoughts of ‘I’ or ‘mine’ with attachment.”
Then, the Brahmin asked Aniruddha:
“What is the ‘I’?
What is the ‘mine’?
What is the fetter of arrogance?”
Aniruddha said:
“‘I’ refer to consciousness, and ‘mine’ refers to the physical body and its possessions.
When consciousness arises and clings to the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ this is called the fetter of arrogance.
Therefore, Brahmin, you should seek skillful means to remove these fetters.
Thus, Brahmin, you should train yourself in this way.”
The Brahmin immediately rose from his seat, bowed at Aniruddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and departed.
Before reaching his destination, while contemplating this teaching along the way, all his mental defilements were extinguished, and he attained the pure Dharma eye.
At that time, a deity who had once been a close friend of the Brahmin
perceived that the Brahmin had eradicated all mental defilements
and attained the pure Dharma eye.
Then, that deity went to the Venerable Aniruddha,
bowed with his head at Aniruddha’s feet, and stood to one side.
Thereupon, he praised Aniruddha with the following verse:
“Before the Brahmin reached his home.
On the path, he realized the way.
His defilements were completely eradicated,
His Dharma eye became pure, free from doubt and hesitation.”
At that time, the Venerable Aniruddha replied to the deity with a verse:
“I had already observed his mind,
And in due time, he was bound to realize the path.
In the past, during the time of Kaashyapa Budha,
He had heard this very Dharma teaching.”
At that time, the Venerable Aniruddha departed from that place and travelled among humans. Gradually, he arrived at Shraavastii and went to see the Bhagavaan. There, he bowed with his head at the Budha’s feet and stood to one side.
Then, the Bhagavaan spoke the Dharma to Aniruddha in full. After receiving the Budha’s teachings, Aniruddha rose from his seat, bowed with his head at the Budha’s feet, and respectfully took his leave.
At that time, the Bhagavaan said to the bhikshus:
“Among my disciples in the Sangha,
the one who has attained the foremost divine eye
is none other than the bhikshu Aniruddha.”
When the bhikshus heard what the Budha said, they followed it with joy.