Chapter 9: Offerings to the Buddha-to-be
(1) At that time, in the land of Uruvelā, there was a village named Senānigama. A young woman named Sujātā, the daughter of the village headman lived in that land. When she came of age, she made a vow at a certain banyan tree, saying, “If I find a husband of equal social standing and have a first-born son, I will make an offering of 100,000 kahāpaṇas to the deity every year.” In time, Sujātā’s wish was completely fulfilled.
(2) During the time the Great Being was practicing austerities for six years, Sujātā wished to make an offering to the deity. She ordered her servants to bring 1,000 cows and let them graze freely in the forest. In the evening, she had them collect the milk from 500 of those cows into 500 vessels and feed it to the other 500 cows from whom milk had not been taken. Sujātā continued this process of halving the number of cows until only eight remained. She did this to ensure the milk would be exceptionally sweet.
(3) On the morning of the Visākha full moon day, Sujātā thought, “Tomorrow morning is the full moon day of Visākha. I will make my offering to the deity of the banyan tree.” The next morning, she had the eight cows milked. As the vessels were brought near the cows’ udders, the milk flowed out on its own. Seeing this miracle, Sujātā took the milk with her own hands, poured it into a new pot, lit a fire herself, and began to cook the milk-rice (madhupāyāsa). The foam swirled in a clockwise direction around the pot and did not spill over the edge.
(4) At that moment, the Four Great Kings descended to help guard the stove. The great Brahmā held a white parasol over it. The great Indra came to tend the fire. The deities throughout the cosmos infused the milk-rice with divine essence through their own power. Sujātā, witnessing this miracle, called her servant girl Puṇṇā and said to her, “Puṇṇā, today the deity is exceedingly pleased with us. I have never seen such a miracle. Go and sweep the ground clean under the banyan tree, the dwelling place of the deity.” The servant girl Puṇṇā obeyed Sujātā’s command.
(5) As that night passed, the future Buddha, having attended to his bodily needs, sat waiting for the time for the alms-round. He then went and sat at the foot of that same banyan tree. Shortly thereafter, the servant girl Puṇṇā went there and saw the Bodhisattva sitting, gazing out at the world, facing east. A radiant light emanated from his body, his complexion like gold. She concluded, “Today our deity has descended from the banyan tree to wait to receive the offering with his own hands.” She was filled with joy and returned to report this to her mistress Sujātā.
(6) Upon hearing Puṇṇā’s words, Sujātā was filled with joy and replied, “If this is true, from this day forward, you shall hold the position of my daughter.” Sujātā then gave all manner of appropriate adornments to Puṇṇā. She had the milk-rice placed in a golden bowl worth 100,000, covered it with another golden vessel, and wrapped it in a white cloth. Sujātā dressed herself and had Puṇṇā carry the vessel on her head, following behind her to the banyan tree. There, she saw the Bodhisattva sitting under the tree and brought the milk-rice forward to offer it to him. The clay bowl that the great Brahmā Ghaṭikāra had given him had vanished. The Bodhisattva looked for the bowl but could not find it.
(7) Understanding the Bodhisattva’s gesture, Sujātā offered the vessel as well, saying, “My wish has been fulfilled. I offer this milk-rice along with this golden vessel.” She then respectfully departed.
As for the Great Being, he rose from his seat, circumambulated the banyan tree three times to the right, and took the golden vessel. He proceeded to the Nerañjarā River. Upon arriving, he placed the vessel on the riverbank, then descended to bathe in the river. After bathing, he donned his three robes and sat facing the eastern direction. He formed the milk-rice into balls the size of palmyra palm seeds, making a total of forty-nine portions.
(8) When he had finished eating all of it, the future Buddha took the golden vessel and made a solemn vow: “If I am to truly attain Buddhahood today, may this golden vessel float upstream against the current.” He then released it into the river. The vessel as if with a mind of its own, floated upstream against the current, a sign of his impending omniscience. After floating upstream for a distance of eighty cubits, it sank down into a whirlpool near the realm of the Nāga king Kāla, striking the bowls of the three previous Buddhas. A “krik krik” sound was heard as it settled underneath the other three vessels.
(9) The Nāga king Kāla, hearing the sound of the striking vessels, awoke and thought, “Yesterday a Buddha attained enlightenment, and today another Buddha has attained enlightenment.” He then approached the golden vessel and spoke in praise of the Buddha’s virtues.
As for the Bodhisattva, he rested his body in a sāl tree grove near the riverbank. When evening came, he departed from the grove. Multitudes of deities made offerings with celestial flowers. The trees and vines on both sides of the path blossomed in worship. The multitudes of deities in the ten thousand world systems offered praises and flowers in homage. The Prince proceeded towards the Bodhi Tree.
(10) At that time, a grass-cutter named Sotthiya saw the Bodhisattva and offered him grass.([1]) The Bodhisattva proceeded to the Bodhi Tree, circumambulated it, and sat facing it from the south, then the west, then the north. When he did so, the world systems in those directions trembled, as if to say, “This is not the place where the jeweled throne of enlightenment arises.” The Prince, understanding this, moved to the eastern side and sat facing west. The ground there did not tremble. He then concluded, “This is the place where the throne of enlightenment arises.” He then spread the grass according to custom. The grass itself, however, would not become the jeweled throne. Instead, a Diamond Throne (Vajrāsana), made of diamond and fourteen cubits high, erupted from the earth at that moment.
(11) The Bodhisattva, seeing the jeweled throne, ascended and sat upon it. He then made a vow of exertion, endowed with four resolutions: “May my skin, sinews, bones, and blood dry up. If I do not attain enlightenment, I will not rise from this jeweled throne.” Having made this solemn vow, he turned his back to the trunk of the Bodhi Tree, which was fifty cubits high. At that time, the god-king Sakka brought forth his conch shell and blew it in homage. The gandhabba god brought a lute to play. The god Suyāma brought a celestial fan to wave. The Brahmā Sahampati held up a white parasol. The great Nāga king Kāla brought his maiden daughters to dance in offering. The deities in the ten thousand world systems brought celestial flowers as offerings, shouting praises to the future Buddha, and stood there in attendance.
(End of the Chapter on Offerings to the Buddha-to-be, Chapter 9)
[1] It was previously translated as kusa grass. But since B.E. 2493, when the Supreme Patriarch (Chuon Nath) visited India, he observed that the material was sotthiya grass.
