Namo Buddhaya!!!

Children’s Dhamma Program Noble Dhamma for Little Hearts

The Story of Suppabuddha, the Leper

Caranti bālā dummedhā - Amitte neva attanā Karontā pāpakaṃ kammaṃ - Yaṃ hoti kaṭukap phalaṃ.

Fools with no wisdom act as their own enemies. They live doing much evil. Eventually, their evil deeds will bear bitter fruit.

Dear children,

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, supreme Buddha uttered this verse, with reference to Suppabuddha, a leper who suffered many years and ignored by his family members and neighbors due to the unpleasant looking and stink with his illness. So he could not do any job and whenever he felt hunger had to beg for foods from the others. Suppabuddha, the leper, one day on his way in searching for food saw a large amount of people gathered and just thought he would be able to find some food from there. When he reached saw the supreme Buddha giving a sermon and interested listening it instead of searching for food by thinking “ This seems to be a great chance for me to understand the reality, so I better not to miss!”. Supreme Buddha noticed that Suppabuddha the leper, would be the lucky person of the day who would realize the and attain Sotapatti fruition (first step of the enlightenment) as well. While sitting at the back of the crowd and listening attentively to the discourse given by the supreme Buddha, he attained the Sotapatti Fruition. When the crowd left the place after the sermon, he followed the supreme Buddha to the monastery as he wished to tell the supreme Buddha about his attainment of Sotapatti Fruition. Meantime a faithful devotee the god Sakka, king of the gods, who went to the in triple gems, wanted to test the leper's faith(Shraddha) in the supreme Buddha, the supreme Dhamma and the supreme Samgha. So he appeared to the leper and said, "You are only a poor-man, living on what you get by begging, with no one to support. I’ve got a plan for you, I can give you a huge wealth if you deny the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha and say that you have refused and no use of them anymore." To this, Suppabuddha paid no interest and replied. "I am certainly not a poor man. I am also a rich man; I own the seven wealths which the noble devotees own once they are blessed with triple gem; I have the faith (shraddha),morality (sila), sense of shame to do evil (hiri),sense of fear to do evil (ottappa), knowledge of Dhamma (suta),generosity (caga) and wisdom (panna)”. Then, Sakka went to the supreme Buddha ahead of Suppabuddha and related the conversation between himself and Suppabuddha. To him the supreme Buddha replied that no one can change Suppabuddha’s faith and confidence to the supreme Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha. Soon after this,Suppabuddha arrived at the monastery and informed the supreme Buddha about his attainment of Sotapatti Fruition. On his way back from the Jetavana monastery, Suppabuddha was gored to death by an angered cow, who, in fact, was a she-devil in a form of a cow.This she-devil was a woman who was killed by Suppabuddha in one of his past lives and who had vowed to have her revenge on him. When the news of Suppabuddha's death reached the Jetavana monastery, the monks asked the supreme Buddha where Suppabuddha was reborn and the supreme Buddha replied to them that Suppabuddha was reborn in Tavatimsa realm, a heavenly world where can practice Dhamma with all luxuries as a god. The supreme Buddha also explained to them that Suppabuddha was born a poor leper because, in one of his previous lives, born as a prince, he had insulted a Paccekabuddha(private Buddha) who went on alms round wearing an old robe. He blamed Paccekabuddha saying “you beggar with leprosy,get out of my way!” and spat upon him as well . As a result of that he suffered a lot in many lives in the hell world and other bad destinations just before reborn at the time of Gautama supreme Buddha. He was born as a wise man who suffered from leprosy but really fortunate enough to go for refuge to the noble triple gem and get a chance to escape from this dangerous Samsara(cycle of death & re-birth) by practicing Dhamma taught by the supreme Buddha.

Dear children,

This story gives very important facts with regard to our lives. As showed by the supreme Buddha, fools are doing much evil as they don’t consider about the bad results will be facing by them within the very lives and the lives after the death. But once they are fallen in bad destinations and also in this life will have to suffer a lot due to their own bad actions did in all ways of bodily,verbally and mentally. As we all are rotating in a long journey of Samsara, we should be very careful on our bodily, verbal and mental actions, not to do evil and cultivate wholesome deeds as much as possible. By these wonderful teachings of the supreme Buddha we get a great chance to have a look at ourselves wisely and correct the weak points especially in order to get out this dangerous Samsara. So we also determine to practice Dhamma by following the guidance of the supreme Buddha.

Theruwan Saranai!

Mahamevnawa Center of New Jersey