Kuṡi-nagara.
Kuṡi-nagara (in Pāli Kusi-nārā) was the place where the Buddha died, or—to speak more correctly—passed away in Pari-nirvāṇa (see pp. [48], [49], [140]). It was long searched for in vain, but has recently been identified by Sir A. Cunningham with the modern Kasia, eighty miles east of Kapila-vastu, and 120 miles N.N.E. of Benares.
Neither Fā-hien nor Hiouen Thsang say much about Kuṡi-nagara, except that it was deserted and had few inhabitants; but the latter’s allusion to the Buddha’s passing away out of the world at this place, and his account of the subsequent assembling of the first council at Rāja-gṛiha by order of the great Kāṡyapa (pp. [47], [55]), is so interesting and curious that I here give an abstract of his narrative, based on Mr. Beal’s translation (ii. 161):—
Once when the great Kāṡyapa was seated in meditation, suddenly a bright light burst forth, and the earth shook. Then, exerting his faculty of supernatural vision, he saw the Lord Buddha passing away into Pari-nirvāṇa between two trees. Forthwith he ordered his followers to accompany him to the city of Kuṡi-nagara. On the way there they met a Brāhman, who, on being asked whence he came, replied, ‘From Kuṡi-nagara, where I saw your master entering into Nirvāṇa. A vast multitude of heavenly beings were around him.’
Kāṡyapa having heard these words said, ‘The sun of wisdom has extinguished his rays. The world is now in darkness. The illustrious guide—the King of the Law—has left us; the whole world is empty and afflicted. Men and gods are left without a guide.’ Accordingly, he proceeded to the two trees, and looking on Buddha, offered worship. But certain careless monks said one to another, with satisfaction, ‘Tathāgata has gone to rest. This is good for us; for now, if we transgress, who is there to reprove us?’ Then Kāṡyapa was deeply moved, and resolved to secure obedience to the teaching of Buddha.
Addressing the assembled multitude, he said, ‘We ought to collect the Law. Those who have kept it without failure, whose powers of discrimination are clear, such persons may form the assembly. Those who are only learners must depart to their homes.’
On this they went away, and only 999 men were left, including Ānanda. But the great Kāṡyapa excluded Ānanda as being yet a learner. Addressing him, he said, ‘You are not yet free from defect; you, too, must leave the assembly. You were a personal attendant on Buddha, you loved him much, and are, therefore, not free from the ties of affection.’
So Ānanda retired to a desert place. Wearied out, he desired to lie down. Scarcely had his head reached the pillow, when lo! he obtained the condition of an Arhat. Then he returned to the door of the assembly. But Kāṡyapa said to him, ‘Have you got rid of all ties? If so, prove it; exercise your spiritual power and enter without the door being opened.’ Then Ānanda entered through the key-hole, and having paid reverence to the assembled monks, sat down.
This power of reducing the body to the size of an atom, so as to be able to pass through so minute an aperture as a key-hole, was one of the supernatural faculties supposed to belong to perfected saints or Arhats (compare pp. [133], [245] of these Lectures).
The consideration of Buddhist Sacred Places might lead us on to various hallowed spots in other Buddhist countries, for example, Anurādha-pura, Adam’s Peak and Kelani in Ceylon; the site of the great pagoda at Rangoon, and of that near Mandalay in Burma; the site of the Buddha’s foot-print (Phra Bat) in Siam; the snows of Kinchinjunga in Sikkim; the city of Lhāssa and its monasteries in Tibet; Kuren in Mongolia; but all these, and other places, have either been incidentally mentioned in previous Lectures or will be more fully noticed hereafter.
LECTURE XV.
Monasteries and Temples.
Buddhist monasteries deserve a fuller notice than the incidental allusions we have made to them in previous Lectures.
The duty of dwelling under trees, and not in houses, according to the example set by all the Buddhas (see [p. 136]), and especially by Gautama Buddha himself, during his long course of meditation (see [p. 31]), was in theory supposed to be binding on all true monks. ‘The root of a tree for an abode’ was one of ‘the four Resources,’ of which every monk was allowed to avail himself, and the enumeration of which formed part of the admission-ceremonies (see [p. 80]).
At the same time certain dispensations or indulgences were specially granted at those ceremonies, one of which was permission to live in covered residences, when not itinerating. The five kinds of dwellings permissible under varying circumstances are described in Ćulla-vagga (VI. 1, 2). They are Vihāras (monasteries), Aḍḍhayogas (i. e. houses of a peculiar shape), storied dwellings (prāsāda)[221], mansions (harmya), and caves (see note, [p. 81] of this volume).