Buddha and Nanda

 

Buddha and Nanda

 

In the middle of the first millennium BC, Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, southern Nepal.

Agudempa came to Lumbini riding a donkey. Lavani, the owner of a local small restaurant, warmly received Agudengba.

The very hospitable Lavani old man gave Agudengba local hand-picked rice and said to Agudengba: These hand-picked rice are made from the pure rice that was the favorite of Buddha's father.

Old Lavani told Agudengpa the story of the family members of Buddha Sakyamuni:

Sakyamuni's father was King Suddhodana, who was the king of the Sakyamuni tribe of Kapilavastu in the 6th century BC. His surname is Gautama, and his name is "Shoutu Tuana", which means pure rice, so he is called "King Suddhodana" and belongs to the Sakya clan.

Lady Maya is the wife of King Suddhodana and the mother of Sakyamuni. Mrs. Maya is the daughter of the king of the neighboring Koli tribe. The Koli people are a settlement in eastern India in ancient times. They belong to the Ramakha Kingdom and are the main citizens of this small country.

When Lady Maya was 10 months pregnant, she suddenly thought of going to the shrine in Lumbini before giving birth to her first child. As soon as Lady Maya arrived in Lumbini, she felt the pain of giving birth and gave birth to Gautama Buddha. The time was 563 BC in the Lumbini Garden in Nepal. Gautama Buddha was born in a tree named Under Ashoka's sacred tree. This sacred tree is also called the worry-free tree.

Old Lavani pointed to a painting on the wall and said to Agudengba:

This painting represents the birth of Buddha. Lady Maya stands in the elegant "triple bend" pose, holding on to the branches of the Ashoka tree. The branches awaken and bend under her touch, while on her right side is the baby's body. Buddha stands on a lotus.

Old Lavani told Agudumba:

The son Siddhartha gave birth to before he became a monk was named Rahula. At that time, his son was still young and ignorant. However, King Suddhodana is old, who should inherit the throne?

Before Sakyamuni became Buddha, he was Prince Siddhartha, and his younger brother was Prince Nanda. But Prince Nanda was addicted to women and was mediocre and inactive. Who should inherit the throne became a question.

After Sakyamuni became a Buddha from Prince Siddhartha, he did not forget the kings, ministers and people of Kapilavastu. In order to make all sentient beings peaceful and happy, he hoped to break the tradition of succession after the death of a father and the death of a brother, and let a wise man inherit the throne of King Suddhodana. To achieve this goal, he converted his brother Nanda and his son Rahula into monks and made them join the sangha led by him.

This wish of the Buddha came true only when he returned to Kapilavastu to preach the Dharma.

When the Buddha's brother Nanda became a monk, he had just married Princess Xundeluo. The princess is beautiful, and the two stay together all day long, loving each other. After becoming a monk, Nanda still missed worldly pleasures and did not seek progress. The Buddha decided to take advantage of the situation and guide him on the right path.

One day, the Buddha and his younger brother Nanda were traveling and saw a female monkey.

Buddha asked Nanda: Nanda, this female monkey is inferior to your former wife, which one is more beautiful?

Nanda said: In the past, my wife was as beautiful as a fairy. How could she be on the same level as this female monkey?

Then, the Buddha exerted some magical power and brought Nanda into the glorious heaven. The palaces there are majestic, the pavilions are splendid, the buildings are magnificent, and the buildings are majestic. The sweet music and fragrant flowers made Nanda's heart soar.

Nanda asked the Buddha: What country is this? Who is the king?

Buddha said: Ask those goddesses.

At this time, a group of beautiful and graceful goddesses with icy skin and jade skin came out of the hall and walked towards this side. When Nanda saw it, his soul began to wander. He came forward to ask, and the goddesses replied delicately: "This is heaven, and there is no monarch yet. In the human world, there is a prince Nanda in Kapilavastu, who is the brother of the Buddha. Now Nanda has just become a monk. As long as he is brave and diligent, When his merits are complete, he will come here to become the king after his death. All of us are his beloved concubines, and we are waiting to spend the best time with him. Our place is different from the land of Saha and the evil people of the five turbidities (referring to the human world). The people there Your lifespan is only a few decades. Even if you enjoy glory and wealth, it will not last long. If you were reincarnated here, your lifespan could reach a thousand years. It seems that you are still an ordinary person in the world and have not yet undergone ascetic practice, so the wonder and beauty here are, You can’t understand it yet.”

These unseen and unheard of beautiful scenery and beauties made Nanda intoxicated.

The Buddha asked him: "Nanda, compared with them, your wife is inferior, which one is more beautiful?"

Nanda said: "World Honored One, when my wife is compared with these goddesses, she is as ugly as that female monkey. These goddesses can enchant the soul with every move of their eyebrows and eyes. I am really salivating. Although I have become a monk, I am still a monk. If you are unable to concentrate on your cultivation, you must work harder in the future and be devout and sincere in order to be reborn in this country and enjoy the five pleasures of your desires."

The Buddha smiled and nodded without saying a word. The Buddha used the door of skillful means to first induce Nanda with lust so that he could practice well, and then imparted wisdom to his disciples to achieve complete liberation.

Then, the Buddha took Nanda to Tiewei Mountain to visit hell. The Buddha exerted some magical power, and the two of them immediately entered the gate of hell. The cold wind there was so eerie and terrifying that Nanda was intimidated and could not move forward.

The Buddha said: "Nanda, we are just here for a stroll, you don't have to be afraid. If you have any questions, you can ask the jailer for advice. I will wait here. You can go back as soon as possible."

Nanda mustered up his courage and walked inside. What you see before your eyes are mountains of swords and trees, iron forks and copper hooks, and rivers of oil and blood. Sinful ghosts were being tortured everywhere, some were skinned, some had their eyes gouged out; ghosts were crying and wolves were howling, which was miserable and miserable. Nanda discovered that there was only one oil pan and no sinners had been punished.

Nanda then asked the jailer: "This oil pan is boiling with oil. I wonder which criminal should be punished?"

The jailer smiled grimly and said: "There is a Prince Nanda in Kapilavastu, who is the younger brother of the Buddha. He vows to practice asceticism in order to ascend to heaven and have fun with beautiful women. After he has exhausted his heavenly blessings, he should fall into this hell and be fried in oil. Ku, this oil pan is prepared for him."

When Nanda heard this, he was shocked and ran away.

In this way, Nanda truly realized that life and death are impermanent and reincarnation is the end of suffering; only by escaping from life and death and seeking nirvana is the right path.

When the Buddha saw that he had repented, he took him back to the world.

 

Old Lavani asked his daughter to sing a song "The Only Country Where All Flowers Bloom".

What surprised Agudemba was that the song "The Only Country Where All Flowers Bloom" was actually the national anthem of Nepal. The main idea of the lyrics is:

 

A garland of millions of flowers

This is our Nepal

its vast territory

From Meji till Mahakali

 

This land has thousands of

natural heritage

The blood of warriors brought us

national liberty and tranquility

The land of knowledge, the land of peace

Contains plains, hills and mountains

This is what we are inseparable from

Dear motherland Nepal

Diverse ethnic groups, cultures and religions

How vast our culture is

It's all in this progressive country

Long live Nepal