Gateway to Insight
Chapter 20: The Sakyan Ordination Chapter
(1) Catutthe divase. On the fourth day, the Teacher went to the residence of Prince Nanda to receive alms during his wedding ceremony and house-warming celebration. After finishing his meal, the Lord gave his bowl to Prince Nanda, spoke words of blessing, and then departed. He did not take the bowl back from Prince Nanda.
Prince Nanda did not dare to offer it back and so followed behind, carrying the bowl. A maidservant saw Nanda following the Buddha and went to inform Princess Janapadakalyāṇī. The princess, understanding the situation, came out and urged him to return quickly. Prince Nanda followed all the way to the Nigrodhārāma monastery.
The Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, asked Prince Nanda, “Will you ordain?” Prince Nanda did not dare to refuse and accepted, saying he would. The Lord ordained him on that day. On the seventh day, Princess Bimbā adorned Prince Rāhula and sent him to ask for his inheritance at the time when the Lord was on his alms round. Rāhula followed him to the monastery. The Lord, intending to grant him the supramundane inheritance, instructed the Venerable Sāriputta to ordain him.
Meanwhile, the elder Anāthapiṇḍika, who had met the Lord while he was staying in the city of Rājagaha, had offered alms to him and the Sangha of monks and had invited the Lord to the city of Sāvatthī. The householder returned and built the Jetavana Vihāra in preparation for his arrival.
At that time, the Teacher departed from the city of Kapilavatthu and went to the city of Sāvatthī. While the Lord was staying in the Jetavana Vihāra, the Venerable Nanda became discontent and wanted to disrobe. The Lord, knowing this, persuaded him to continue practicing the holy life with the promise that he would attain celestial nymphs. The Venerable Nanda strove in his practice and, not long after, attained Arahantship. He then went to release the Teacher from his promise.
(2) Atha kho bhagavā cārikaṃ caranto. Then the Blessed One, wandering on tour, was staying in the Anupiya Mango Grove near the town of Anupiya. At that time, many from the royal families who had pledged to offer one royal prince each as a follower had gone forth and ordained. However, six princes—Bhaddiya, Anuruddha, Bhagu, Kimbila, Ānanda, and Devadatta—had not yet gone forth. So, all the Sakyans said, “We have all sent our sons to ordain, but these six princes are perhaps not true relatives, for they have not gone to ordain.”
Then, Mahānāma the Sakyan, son of Amitodana, said to his younger brother, Prince Anuruddha, “Either you or I should go and ordain.” Anuruddha replied, “I will not go.” Mahānāma said, “If you do not ordain, you must learn to work. I will go and ordain.” Anuruddha asked about the work. Mahānāma then explained the tasks which included agriculture. Anuruddha saw that it was very difficult.
Prince Anuruddha was a prince who lived a delicate and refined life, never knowing hardship. He had never even heard the word “none.” A story is told that one day, the six princes were playing a game together and wagered cakes, saying, “Whoever loses must bring cakes to pay.” Anuruddha kept losing every time and sent a person to get cakes from his mother, until his mother said there were no cakes left. When the servant went and reported this, Prince Anuruddha, having never heard the word “none,” sent him to bring the “no-cakes.” His mother then gave him an empty vessel to present. A deva secretly placed divine cakes in that vessel. The servant brought it, and they found cakes with a strange aroma. The six princes ate them together. Prince Anuruddha then asked his mother, “Why have you never given me ‘no-cakes’ before? From this day on, I will not accept any other royal cakes.”
His mother heard this and questioned the servant. The servant explained that the vessel he took was empty, but when he arrived at the place where they were playing, he found the vessel full of cakes. The mother, upon hearing this, thought, “As long as my son remains a householder, devas will continue to provide him with divine cakes without fail.”
(3) Athekadivasaṃ tayo khattiyā. One day later, the three princes asked each other, “Where does food come from?” Kimbila replied, “Food comes from the granary.” Bhaddiya replied, “It comes from the pot,” because he had seen rice being taken from a pot. Anuruddha replied, “It comes from the vessel.” It was only later that he learned that “it comes from the rice fields.” He became weary of the household life. The six of them agreed, enjoyed their royal pleasures for seven days, and then departed from the city of Kapilavatthu with their retinue. When they reached the border of the territory, they sent their retinue back.
The six princes and the barber Upāli reached the territory of the Mallas. They took off their royal garments and gave them to the barber Upāli to sell for his livelihood, and then they continued on their way. The barber Upāli took the bundle and started to walk back, but then he thought, “The Sakyan kings are known to be fierce. When they see me with these royal garments, they will surely think, ‘This Upāli has killed the royal princes and taken their regalia,’ and they will inflict royal punishment on me without fail.”
Thinking this, Upāli hung the bundle on a tree branch and went back after the six princes. The six princes, seeing Upāli return, asked him everything. When Upāli had explained the situation, they all went together to the Teacher and requested that he ordain the barber Upāli first, in order to humble their own pride. The Teacher ordained Upāli first, and then he ordained the six princes afterward.
As for Bhaddiya, he attained the three knowledges within that rains-retreat. The Venerable Anuruddha attained the divine eye, and later when the Teacher preached the Mahāpurisavitakka Sutta, he attained the fruit of Arahantship. The Venerable Ānanda attained the fruit of stream-entry. The Venerables Bhagu and Kimbila developed insight and attained Arahantship. The Venerable Devadatta attained worldly psychic powers as a worldling.
Later, the Buddha traveled to the city of Kosambī. The people brought offerings to pay their respects, but they only asked for the Teacher and the eighty great disciples; no one asked for Devadatta at all. Devadatta felt slighted and sought followers. He tried to perform evil deeds until he was swallowed by the earth.
(End of Chapter 20: The Sakyan Ordination Chapter)
