Maha Kaccayana Maha Thera Wish Fulfilling Arahant
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MMMaaahhhaaa KKKaaaccccccaaayyyaaannnaaa MMMaaahhhaaa TTThhheeerrraaa WWiisshh FFuullffiilllliinngg AArraahhaanntt Wish Fulfilling Arahant FFFooorrr fffrrreeeeee dddiiissstttrrriiibbbuuutttiiiooonnn ooonnnlllyyy CCCooommmpppiiillleeeddd fffooorrr ttthhheee SSSeeerrreeennneee JJJoooyyy aaannnddd EEEmmmoootttiiiooonnn ooofff ttthhheee PPPiiiooouuusss AAA GGGiiifffttt ooofff DDDhhhaaammmmmmaaa Maha Kaccayana Wish Fulfilling Arahat FORWARD Maha Kaccana or Maha Kaccayana – is the wish fulfilling Arahat – Su Taung Pye Yahanda ! Those who adored Sivali Thera (Shin Thiwali) will appreciate an additional arahat who could fulfill your worldly wishes in addition to understanding his lovely exposition of the Buddha Dhamma. Whoever adores him will find the good kamma come to fruition, immediately in the present. Many worship him for good fortune and are of great help in their training practice (Dana-Sila-Bhavana) the slow and gradual step in the liberation effort to escape from the round of rebirths. Maha Kaccana Thera has acquired special skill and good kamma: a. He was acclaimed as the foremost in exposition the Buddha dhamma. b. He has a golden hue out of his body. c. He was known to given gifts to whoever makes wishes and pay adoration to him. “The Venerable Maha Kaccana's elevation to a position of pre-eminence in the Sangha was the flowering of a seed that had been planted long ago in the rolling cycles of samsara, the round of rebirths, and had been brought to gradual maturity over countless lives.” Maha Kaccana had aspired to become the Master of the Doctrinal Exposition at the time of Buddha Padumuttara. That very aspiration has come to maturity by his support through countless acts of meritorious deeds throughout the round of rebirths and one of the acts of meritorious deeds was his offering of a gold brick to the stupa that enshrined the relics of the Kassapa Buddha. As a result of this offering, he was born with his body radiating golden hue. As lay followers, if we have the good fortune to live in comfort and wealth we should use the wealth skillfully for the benefit of our future lives. Lay followers have a training practice of our own – Dana-Sila-Bhavana – unlike that of the fast-track monastic training practice (Sila-Samadhi-Panna). We lay followers, not to forget, are still living in the sensual world and is not practical for us to embrace the monastic training practice. We need worldly wealth to enable us to do charity (Dana).Those who live in the western part of the world know very well how hard life is when we are out of work, unlike the Monks who received their daily alms food from the benevolent community of lay followers. Maha Kaccana had inherited this supernatural power and skill by accumulating them doing meritorious deeds through the round of rebirths for the period of sixteen Buddha’s appearances: Padumuttara, Sumedha Buddha, Sujata Buddha, Piyadassi Buddha, Atthadassi Buddha, Dhammadassi Buddha, Siddhatta Buddha, Tissa Buddha, Phussa Page 2 of 50 A Gift of Dhamma Maung Paw, California2 Buddha, Vipassai Buddha, Sikhi Buddha, Vessabhu Buddha, Kakusandha Buddha, Konagamana Buddha, Kassapa Buddha, Gotama Buddha. Based on his biography, Maha Kaccana has the power of giving gifts of much reward. Wishes in reference to him were all rewarded in an instant. a. Soreyya who wishes to have a wife with the golden hues like Maha Kaccana, was instantly turned to a female body. Sorreya then realized his bad remarks, went to Maha Kaccana to beg for forgiveness and in an instant he was turned back to his old self, the male body. b. Minister Vassakara who saw Maha Kaccana coming down the mountain and made his remarks: that Maha Kaccana looks like a Monkey. For the sin of his speech, Vassakara was born as Monkey in his next rebirth. c. Maha Kaccana one day wished that he would become fat and ugly, whereupon he was so transformed into the popular likeness of him fat and ugly as today. Always learn to do good merits and wish good, say good, in bodily action, in speech and in thought. This human life, as a householder, is so complex; we have so many obstacles on the way that we must pass through so we could bring to bear the right livelihood (samma ajiva), the mundane matter first and then the liberation from the round of rebirths (samsara), the supra-mundane matter. Given the basic tenet of Buddhism is to achieve liberation from the round of rebirths through our own effort (supra-mundane – Lokuttara). However, for householder who must support the family, the sasana and the community of Sanghas, all the mundane matters (Lokeya) a little bit of divine helps will take us a long way to help us do meritorious deeds. For that reasons, many followers by faith (Sadhasari) and followers by dhamma (Dhammasari) will appreciate to know that we have Sivali Thera and Maha Kaccana Thera, arahats for us to adore and worship for both mundane and supra-mundane benefits. Page 3 of 50 A Gift of Dhamma Maung Paw, California3 Maha Kaccana Master of Doctrinal Exposition Wish Fulfilling Arahat CONTENTS 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 6 2. Skilled and Versatile Teacher. ........................................................................................ 7 2.2. Assignment as foremost in analyzing the dhamma in details.................................. 7 3.1. His round of rebirths .................................................................................................... 9 3.2. Rich Young man aspiration ......................................................................................... 9 3.3. Padumuttara Buddha’s Prophesy ............................................................................... 10 3.4. His past merits come to fruition................................................................................. 11 4.1. His Last Existence...................................................................................................... 12 4.2. Kaccana Ordination ................................................................................................... 12 4.3. Illustration: Offering of alms with instant fruition. ................................................... 13 4.4. The ordination of Sona Kutikanna............................................................................. 14 4.5. Relaxing the Ordination requirements....................................................................... 14 5.1. His role as Teacher Expositor.................................................................................... 16 5.2. Sakka pays special homage to Maha Kaccana........................................................... 17 5.3. Soreyya - Dhammapada Verse 43 (The Story of Soreyya)........................................ 17 4.4. Vassakara, took rebirth as Monkey............................................................................ 19 Madhura Sutta................................................................................................................... 21 The Discourse given to Madhura...................................................................................... 21 6.1. Buddha named him foremost in providing detail exposition..................................... 28 6.2. Analyst of the Dhamma ............................................................................................. 28 Page 4 of 50 A Gift of Dhamma Maung Paw, California4 6.3. Sariputta and Maha Kaccana compared..................................................................... 29 6.4. The Honey Ball Sutta (Illustration)........................................................................... 29 (18) The Honey Ball. ........................................................................................................ 29 6.5. Bhaddekaratta Sutta (Illustration).............................................................................. 40 6.5.1.The Buddha recited the poem: (for Monks)......................................................... 40 III. 4. 8. Uddesavibhangasutta (138)- Point by point Classification................................. 42 Bibliography: .................................................................................................................... 50 1. Maha Kaccana - Master of Doctrinal Exposition - by Bhikkhu Bodhi The Wheel Publication No. 405/406 ISBN 955-24-0138-0 .............................................................. 50 2. Dhammapada Verses and Stories – by Daw Mya Tin (Nibbana.com)..................... 50 Page 5 of 50 A Gift of Dhamma Maung Paw, California5 Maha Kaccana Master of Doctrinal Exposition Wish Fulfilling Arahat 1. Introduction: The Venerable Kaccana Venerable Kaccana was formerly known as Kanacana or Maha Kaccayana was an advisor to King Candapajjota, who having heard of Lord Buddha's Enlightenment, sent his minister Kanacana to invite the Blessed One to establish the Dhamma in his land. Kanacana first obtained the king's permission to 'go forth' in the Buddhist dispensation before leaving with seven of his attendants. On arrival to where the Buddha was staying, Kanacana and his attendants listened to the Buddha's sermons and all eight of them attained arahatship after which they asked the Buddha for ordination. Lord Buddha accepted their request with the simple formality of the time; "Come O Bhikkhu". Venerable Kaccana was a lucid and eloquent teacher of Dhamma and became very popular. He was also regarded as being very handsome; so much so that when a certain son of