7
Thus have I heard:
One time, the Budha was staying at Anaathapindidas Ashrama in Jetavana of Shraavastii.
At that time, the Venerable Aananda, in a quiet place, was reflecting alone and thought to himself:
“All living beings who give rise to thoughts of desire develop attachment to desire. They practice this day and night, never feeling satisfied.”
At that time, the Venerable Aananda, toward evening, rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, and went to where the Bhagavaan was. Upon arriving, he bowed at the Bhagavaan’s feet, sat to one side, and said:
“Earlier, while in a quiet place, I thought to myself:
‘All living beings who give rise to thoughts of desire develop attachment to desire. They practice this day and night, never feeling satisfied.’“
The Bhagavaan replied:
“So it is, Aananda! As you have said, when living beings give rise to thoughts of desire, their attachment to desire increases. They practice this day and night, never feeling satisfied.
Why is this so? Aananda, in the past, there was a Chakravartin (Wheel-Turning Monarch) named King Upashaanta, who ruled with righteousness, free from deceit, and possessed the seven treasures.
What are the seven treasures?
They are:
- The Cakra-ratna (Wheel Treasure),
- The Gaja-ratna (Elephant Treasure),
- The Ashva-ratna (Horse Treasure),
- The Ratna-ratna (Jewel Treasure),
- The Mahaa-raajni-ratna (Queen Treasure),
- The Grihapati-ratna (Householder Treasure),
- The Senapati-ratna (General Treasure).
These are the seven treasures.
He also had a thousand sons, brave and strong, capable of subduing all evils, who ruled the four continents without resorting to weapons.
Aananda, you should know that at that time, king Upashaanta thought to himself:
‘Now I rule this Jambudvipa, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. I have also heard from the elders that in the west lies the land of Godaaniya, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. I shall now go and rule that land.’
Aananda, as soon as King Upashaanta had this thought, he led his fourfold army, vanished from Jambudvipa, and arrived in the land of Godaaniya.”
At that time, the people of that land saw the noble king arriving and all came forward to greet him, bowing and inquiring:
“Welcome, great king! This land of Godaaniya is prosperous and its people are thriving. We beseech you to rule over us and guide the people according to the Dharma!”
Aananda, King Upashaanta then ruled over the land of Godaaniya for hundreds of thousands of years.
At that time, King Upashaanta thought to himself again:
“I rule over Jambudvipa, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. The seven treasures rain down, even up to the knees. Now I also rule over Godaaniya, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound.
I have also heard from the elders that there is another land called Purvavideha, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. I shall now go and rule that land, governing it with righteousness.”
Aananda, as soon as King Upashaanta had this thought, he led his fourfold army, vanished from Godaaniya, and arrived in the land of Purvavideha.”
At that time, the people of that land saw the noble king arriving and all came forward to greet him, bowing and inquiring in unison:
“Welcome, great king! This land of Purvavideha is prosperous, its people thriving, and treasures abound. We beseech you to rule over us and guide the people according to the Dharma!”
Aananda, King Upashaanta then ruled over the land of Purvavideha for hundreds of thousands of years.
At that time, King Upashaanta thought to himself again:
“I rule over Jambudvipa, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. The seven treasures rain down, even up to the knees. Now I also rule over Godaaniya, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. I also rule over Purvavideha, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound.
I have also heard from the elders that there is another land called Uttarakuru, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. They live freely, without constraints, their lifespans are not cut short, and they live a full thousand years. When they pass away, they are reborn in the heavens, not falling into other realms. They wear robes made of karpasa (cotton), and eat natural, fragrant rice.
I shall now go and rule that land, governing it with righteousness.”
At that time, Aananda, as soon as King Upashaanta had this thought, he led his fourfold army, vanished from Purvavideha, and arrived in Uttarakuru.
From afar, he saw the land glowing with a lush green color.
Seeing this, he asked his ministers:
“Do you all see this land glowing with a lush green color?”
They replied, “Yes, we see it.”
The king said: “This is the karpasa (cotton) tree, from which garments are made. You too shall wear garments made from this tree.”
The king told his ministers: “This is soft grass, as soft as heavenly garments, with no difference.”
After a short while, they proceeded further and saw the land glowing with a bright yellow color. The king said to his ministers:
“Do you all see this land glowing with a bright yellow color?”
They replied, “Yes, we all see it.”
The king said: “This is natural, fragrant rice. The people here always eat this rice. Now, you too shall eat this rice.”
Then, the noble king proceeded further and saw the land perfectly level and flat. From afar, he saw a high platform, strikingly magnificent. He again asked his ministers:
“Do you all see this land perfectly level and flat?”
They replied, “Yes, we all see it.”
The king told his ministers: “You all shall sit here.”
At that time, Aananda, the people of that land saw the great king arriving and all came forward to greet him, bowing and inquiring in unison:
“Welcome, noble king! This land of Uttarakuru is prosperous, its people thriving, and treasures abound. We beseech you to rule over us and guide the people according to the Dharma!”
Aananda, King Upashaanta then ruled over the land of Uttarakuru for hundreds of thousands of years.
At that time, King Upashaanta thought to himself again:
“I now rule over Jambudvipa, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. The seven treasures rain down, even up to the knees. I also rule over Godaaniya, Purvavideha, and Uttarakuru, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. I have also heard from the elders that there is the realm of the Trayastrimsa (Thirty-Three) Heaven, where the happiness is incomparable, lifespans are extremely long, food and clothing arise naturally, and the number of celestial maidens and attendants is beyond calculation. I shall now go and rule that heavenly realm, governing it with righteousness.”
At that time, Aananda, as soon as King Upashaanta had this thought, he led his fourfold army, vanished from Uttarakuru, and arrived in the Trayastrimsa (Thirty-Three) Heaven.
At that time, Shakra, the lord of the devas, saw King Upashaanta arriving from afar and said:
“Welcome, great king! Please take a seat here.”
Aananda, King Upashaanta then sat together with Shakra. The two sat side by side, indistinguishable in appearance, demeanor, speech, and voice—completely identical.
Aananda, King Upashaanta remained there for hundreds of thousands of years. Then he thought to himself:
“Now I rule over Jambudvipa, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. The seven treasures rain down, even up to the knees. I also rule over Godaaniya, Purvavideha, and Uttarakuru, where the people are prosperous and treasures abound. Now I have reached the Trayastrimsa Heaven. I should now overthrow Shakra and rule alone over the heavens.”
Aananda, as soon as King Upashaanta had this thought, he fell from his seat and plummeted back to Jambudvipa, along with his fourfold army. At that time, the Wheel Treasure was lost, its whereabouts unknown. The Elephant Treasure and Horse Treasure died simultaneously. The Jewel Treasure vanished. The Queen Treasure, Householder Treasure, and General Treasure all perished.”
At that time, King Upashaanta fell gravely ill. His relatives and clan members all gathered around him and inquired about his condition:
“Great king, if, after your passing, someone were to ask: ‘What were the final teachings of King Upashaanta as he approached death?’ How should we respond to such a question?”
King Upashaanta replied:
“If, after my death, someone asks this question, respond as follows: ‘King Upashaanta ruled over the four continents, yet he was never satisfied. He ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven and remained there for hundreds of thousands of years. Still, his greed persisted, and he sought to overthrow Shakra. As a result, he fell from heaven and met his end.'”
“Now, Aananda, do not doubt this. The King Upashaanta of that time was none other than myself. At that time, I ruled over the four continents and ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, yet I was never satisfied with the pleasures of the senses.
Aananda, take this as a teaching: Understand that the path of desire leads to endless craving. The more one indulges in desire, the more it grows. There is no satisfaction in the pursuit of sensual pleasures. If you seek true satisfaction, seek it through the wisdom of the noble ones.”
At that time, the Bhagavaan, in the midst of the assembly, spoke this verse:
“Desire and lust are like a sudden rain,
Yet in sensual pleasures, there is no satisfaction.
Little joy and much suffering—
This is what the wise reject.
Even if one enjoys heavenly pleasures,
Indulging in the five senses,
It is not as good as cutting off desire—
This is the way of the enlightened disciple.
Greed and desire prolong existence for eons,
But when merit is exhausted, one falls into hell.
How long does such pleasure last?
Soon, the pain of hell will be endured.”
“Therefore, Aananda, use this teaching to understand desire and abandon it, never allowing thoughts of desire to arise again. You should train yourselves in this way.”
At that time, Aananda, hearing the Budha’s words, accepted them with joy and practiced accordingly.