The Living Buddha by Daisaku Ikeda & Burton Watson

Author:Daisaku Ikeda & Burton Watson [Ikeda, Daisaku & Watson, Burton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781938252136
Publisher: Middleway
Published: 2008-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

PREACHING AT URUVILVA

Taking leave of his band of disciples, Shakyamuni set off alone for Uruvilva and what was to be one of the most important phases of his preaching career. Among the converts he made there were a number of ardent and influential followers who later contributed greatly to the growth of the Buddhist Order. They included King Bimbisara of Magadha as well as the famous disciples Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, Mahakashyapa, and the three brothers of the Kashyapa clan. This would seem to indicate that Shakyamuni’s preaching efforts in Uruvilva met with considerable success, his new religious doctrines gaining rapid adherence among ascetics, seekers of the Way, and men of influence and position who had grown discontented with the conventional philosophy and religion of the time.

One of the most curious episodes from this chapter of Shakyamuni’s life concerns his conversion of some thirty young couples when he was on his way to Uruvilva. According to the story, Shakyamuni was seated in the midst of a dense forest practicing meditation when the group chanced upon him. Most of the couples were married, but one consisted of a young bachelor and a prostitute. When the prostitute made off with the young man’s possessions, the entire group set out in search of her and happened to meet the Buddha. After listening to their story, Shakyamuni is said to have admonished them, saying, “Rather than seek for a prostitute, wouldn’t it be better to seek for your own true self?” He then proceeded to teach the Law to them, and all the couples were converted.

The episodes concerning the conversion of Yashas and of the thirty couples both have a characteristically Indian ring to them, bespeaking the degree to which thinkers, ascetics, and monks were traditionally respected in India. At the same time, they indicate the admirable way in which Shakyamuni availed himself of every possible opportunity to preach the Law. They also testify to the tremendous power of personal attraction he must have exerted upon those who came into contact with him.

Such adherents as Yashas and the thirty young couples were by no means the types who enter a religious order because they can find no other livelihood. Like many others among Shakyamuni’s disciples, they came from a class that was both intellectually and economically above the common level. This does not mean, of course, that Shakyamuni himself took any notice of class distinctions. He seems to have treated all his followers impartially, regardless of race, caste, class, or economic status. And yet the fact that many people of intellectual distinction and prominent social position were attracted to him is an indication of the warmth and personal magnetism that he must have possessed and that accounted in part for his large and enthusiastic following.

After reaching his destination in Uruvilva, Shakyamuni is said to have sought a confrontation with the followers of Brahmanism, particularly the prestigious Kashyapa brothers, who belonged to the Jatila sect of Brahman ascetics. These brothers, named Uruvilva Kashyapa, Nadi Kashyapa, and Gaya

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