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A Treasury of Buddhist Stories About the Translator A Treasury of Buddhist Stories About the Translator The eminent American Orientalist Eugene Watson Burlingame was born in 1876 in Albany, New York. He obtained a BA and MA at Yale University, studied at Harvard, and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a professor at Yale. His other major publication, besides Buddhist Legends, was Buddhist Parables (1922). Burlingame died in 1932. A Treasury of Buddhist Stories from the Dhammapada Commentary Translated from the Pali by Eugene Watson Burlingame Selected and revised by Bhikkhu Khantipálo Buddhist Publication Society Buddhist Publication Society P.O. Box 61 54, Sangharaja Mawatha Kandy, Sri Lanka Published in 1996 Reprinted 2012 Copyright © 1996 by the Buddhist Publication Society National Library and Documentation Service Board- Cataloguing-In-Publication Data Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Dhammapada A Treasury of Buddhist Stories: From the Dhammapada Commentary/ed. by Bhikkhu Khantipalo.- Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society Inc., 2011. BP 220S.- 240p.; 22cm. ISBN 978-955-24-0147-3 i. 294.382322 DDC 22 ii. Bhikkhu Khantipalo ed. 1. Dhammapada 2. Buddhism ISBN 978-955-24-0147-3 Typeset at the BPS Text set in URW Palladio Pali Printed in Sri Lanka by Samayawardana Printers, Colombo 10. Contents Introduction.................................................................................... 1 Part I: Making Good Kamma 1. The Story of Magha .................................................................... 7 Story of the Present: Maháli’s Question ...................................... 7 Story of the Past: How Magha Became Sakka .............................. 9 2. The Old Brahmin and His Sons ............................................. 20 Word Commentary ...................................................................... 24 3. A Certain Brahmin................................................................... 26 4. The Bondswoman Puóóá ......................................................... 28 5. Treasurer Catfoot ...................................................................... 31 6. The Brahmin with a Single Robe ............................................. 34 7. Páþhika the Naked Ascetic ........................................................ 37 8. Coppertooth the Thief-killer ..................................................... 40 9. Husband-honourer ................................................................... 44 10. A Certain Monk ..................................................................... 47 Part II: Doing Evil 11. The Lay Disciple Atula ......................................................... 57 12. Ciñcá the Brahmin Girl .......................................................... 60 Story of the Past: The Lewd Woman and the Youth ................... 63 13. The Black Ogress .................................................................... 65 14. The Five Laymen .................................................................... 71 15. King Pasenadi of Kosala ......................................................... 74 16. Great-wealth the Treasurer’s Son........................................... 76 Part III: The Buddha Teaches Dhamma 17. Mára the Evil One.................................................................. 81 18. The Buddha Settles a Quarrel ................................................ 83 19. A Certain Brahmin................................................................. 86 20. A Certain Head of Family ...................................................... 88 21. Merchant Great-wealth .......................................................... 91 22. The Brahmin Who Asked About Loss .................................... 93 v Part IV: Noble Attainments 23. The Maiden Rohióì ................................................................ 97 The Maiden with Blotches on her Face ....................................... 97 Story of the Past: The Jealous Queen and the Nautch-girl ........................................................................... 98 Sequel: The Celestial Nymph ...................................................... 99 24. The Weaver’s Daughter ........................................................ 100 25. A Certain Layman................................................................ 105 26. Kála, Anáthapióðika’s Son .................................................. 107 27. A Brahmin of Sáketa............................................................. 110 Story of the Past ........................................................................ 111 28. Santati the King’s Minister ................................................. 114 Story of the Past: The Preacher and the King ........................... 116 29. The Elder Báhiya Dárucìriya ............................................... 119 Story of the Past ........................................................................ 119 The Story of Báhiya Dárucìriya (concluded) ............................ 121 30. Uggasena the Treasurer’s Son ............................................. 124 Story of the Past: A Joke in Earnest .......................................... 128 Part V: What Novices Can Do 31. The Elder Sangharakkhita’s Nephew ................................... 131 32. The Elder Tissa’s Novice ...................................................... 134 33. Paóðita the Novice ............................................................... 137 Story of the Past: Sakka and the Poor Man .............................. 137 Story of the Present: Paóðita the Novice .................................. 145 34. The Four Novices ................................................................. 152 Part VI: How Dhamma is Practised 35. Worthy of Reverence............................................................. 157 36. The Elder Attadattha ............................................................ 158 37. The Elder Ánanda’s Question ............................................. 159 38. Angry Bháradvája ................................................................ 161 39. Patience Subdues Violence ................................................... 163 40. Sirimá ................................................................................... 165 vi 41. A Certain Monk ................................................................... 169 42. The Monk from the Vajji People ........................................... 171 Part VII: The Attainments of Monks 43. The Elder Nanda .................................................................. 175 Nanda Becomes a Monk in Spite of Himself ............................ 175 Nanda and the Celestial Nymphs ............................................. 178 44. A Certain Monk ................................................................... 182 45. The Elder Cú¿a Panthaka...................................................... 184 The Birth of Cú¿a Panthaka ...................................................... 184 Cú¿a Panthaka as a Monk ......................................................... 186 46. Two Fellow-monks ................................................................ 192 47. The Elder Sappadása ............................................................ 195 48. The Elder Pútigatta Tissa ..................................................... 198 Story of the Past: The Cruel Fowler .......................................... 199 49. The Elder Vangìsa ................................................................ 201 Part VIII: The Attainments of Nuns 50. Mahá Pajápatì Gotamì ......................................................... 207 51. The Elder Nun Uppalavaóóá............................................... 208 52. The Elder Nun Kisá Gotamì ................................................ 211 Kisá Gotamì Marries a Rich Merchant’s Son .......................... 211 Kisá Gotamì Seeks Mustard Seed for Her Child ...................... 212 53. The Elder Nun Paþácárá ....................................................... 215 54. The Elder Nun Bahuputtiká ................................................ 222 55. The Elder Nun Dhammadinná ............................................ 224 56. The Elder Nun Rúpanandá.................................................. 226 vii Publisher’s Note This anthology has been compiled from Eugene Watson Burlingame’s classic translation of the background stories from the Dhammapada Commentary, Buddhist Legends. Originally published in the Harvard Oriental Series, Buddhist Legends has been maintained in print since 1969 by the Pali Text Society. With the latter’s permission, the Buddhist Publication Society had issued a selection of these stories in booklet form in the Wheel series, edited and arranged by Bhikkhu Khantipálo (now Laurence Mills). It is this same selection of stories that is now being issued in a single volume. The publisher gratefully acknowledges the kindness of the Pali Text Society for granting permission to publish this anthology. Readers who would like to obtain the complete three- volume collection of Buddhist Legends may contact the Pali Text Society, U.K., or inquire from bookshops specializing in Asian literature. INTRODUCTION Introduction This book comprises Buddhist stories which have been selected from the old commentary to the Dhammapada. This anthology of fifty-six stories represents only a small part of the very large origi- nal work, which in its complete translation fills three large vol- umes. The stories selected here are perhaps among
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