SN8:9 Koṇḍañña
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Then the Venerable aññā Koṇḍañña, after a very long absence, approached the Blessed One, prostrated himself with his head at the Blessed One's feet, kissed the Blessed One's feet, sn.i.194 stroked them with his hands, and announced his name thus: "I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One! I am Koṇḍañña, Fortunate One!" [n.524] The elder's first name is spelled Aññāsi in Be and Ee1; here I follow Se and Ee2. He was one of the first five disciples and the very first to obtain comprehension of the Dhamma; it was for this reason that he was given the name "aññā" (or "Aññasi"), which means "understanding" (or "understood"). See SN56.11 (V 424,8–11). According to Spk, the "very long absence" was twelve years, during which he dwelt on the bank of the Mandakini Lotus Pond in the Chaddanta Forest in the Himalayas, a dwelling place favoured by paccekabuddhas. He was fond of seclusion and thus rarely joined the community.
Then it occurred to the Venerable Vangisa: "This Venerable aññā Koṇḍañña, after a very long absence, has approached the Blessed One … kisses the Blessed One's feet, strokes them with his hands, and announces his name … . Let me extol the Venerable aññā Koṇḍañña in the Blessed One's presence with suitable verses."
2Then the Venerable Vangisa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, raising his joined hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him: "An inspiration has come to me, Blessed One! An inspiration has come to me, Fortunate One!"
"Then express your inspiration, Vangisa."
Then the Venerable Vangisa extolled the Venerable aññā Koṇḍañña in the Blessed One's presence with suitable verses:
3v.746 "Enlightened in succession to the Buddha,
The elder Koṇḍañña, of strong endeavour,
Is one who gains pleasant dwellings,
One who often gains the seclusions.
[n.525] Enlightened in succession to the Buddha (buddhanubuddho). Spk: First the Teacher awakened to the Four Noble Truths and after him the Elder Koṇḍañña awakened to them. The pleasant dwellings (sukhavihāra) are the "pleasant dwellings in this present life" (diṭṭthadhammasukhavihāra), i.e., the jhānas and fruition attainment; the seclusions (viveka) are the three seclusions (of body through physical solitude, of mind through jhāna, and seclusion from the acquisitions by destruction of all defilements). Buddhanubuddhāsavāka is used in a more general sense in SN16.5 (II 203, 7) with reference to the old generation of enlightened monks.
4v.747 "Whatever may be attained by a disciple
Who practises the Master's Teaching,
All that has been attained by him,
One who trained diligently.
5v.748 "Of great might, a triple-knowledge man,
Skilled in the course of others’ minds—
Koṇḍañña, a true heir of the Buddha,
Pays homage at the Teacher's feet."
[n.526] in pāda c we should read buddhadayado with Be, Se, and Ee2, as against Ee1 buddhāsavāko. Spk states that although only four abhiññās are mentioned, the elder possessed all six. He had come to take leave of the Buddha as he realized the time for his parinibbāna was approaching. After this meeting he returned to the Himalayas and passed away in his hut. The elephants were the first to mourn his death and honoured him by escorting his body in procession across the Himalayas. Then the devas built a casket for the body and passed it up through the various celestial realms so the devas and brahmas could pay final homage to him, after which the casket was returned to earth for the cremation. The remains were brought to the Buddha, who placed them in a cetiya, "and even today, it is said, that cetiya still stands."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā aññāsikoṇḍañño sucirasseva yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavato pādāni mukhena ca paricumbati, pāṇīhi ca parisambāhati, nāmañca sāveti: "koṇḍaññohaṁ, bhagavā, koṇḍaññohaṁ, sugatā"ti.
Atha kho āyasmato vaṅgīsassa etadahosi: "Ayaṁ kho āyasmā aññāsikoṇḍañño sucirasseva yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavato pādāni mukhena ca paricumbati, pāṇīhi ca parisambāhati, nāmañca sāveti: ‘koṇḍaññohaṁ, bhagavā, koṇḍaññohaṁ, sugatā’ti. Yannūnāhaṁ āyasmantaṁ aññāsikoṇḍaññaṁ bhagavato sammukhā sāruppāhi gāthāhi abhitthaveyyan"ti.
2Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "paṭibhāti maṁ, bhagavā, paṭibhāti maṁ, sugatā"ti.
"Paṭibhātu taṁ, vaṅgīsā"ti bhagavā avoca.
Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso āyasmantaṁ aññāsikoṇḍaññaṁ bhagavato sammukhā sāruppāhi gāthāhi abhitthavi:
3"Buddhānubuddho so thero,
koṇḍañño tibbanikkamo;
Lābhī sukhavihārānaṁ,
vivekānaṁ abhiṇhaso.
4Yaṁ sāvakena pattabbaṁ,
satthusāsanakārinā;
Sabbassa taṁ anuppattaṁ,
appamattassa sikkhato.
5Mahānubhāvo tevijjo,
cetopariyāyakovido;
Koṇḍañño buddhadāyādo,
pāde vandati satthuno"ti.