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The Last Apadānas of the Bhaddiya Chapter: Coming to Find Fault, a Friend Who Came to Remind, and a Pigeon in the Forest
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The Last Apadānas of the Bhaddiya Chapter: Coming to Find Fault, a Friend Who Came to Remind, and a Pigeon in the Forest

Bhaddiyavaggo

The last four stories of the Apadāna of the elders. Abhaya once came to hear the Dhamma to find fault but found none; Lomasatiya's old friend, reborn as a deva, came to ask about the Bhaddekaratta; Vanavaccha was once a pigeon that grew close to a kindly monk; and Cūḷasugandha heard a sermon on giving, virtue and meditation. Each came to the Dhamma through a different door.

8 points

In the Apadāna of the Khuddaka Nikāya, the Bhaddiya Chapter is the last chapter of the Apadāna of the elders. Its final four stories belong to the elders Abhaya, Lomasatiya, Vanavaccha and Cūḷasugandha. After them comes a closing statement that the Apadāna of the Buddhas, of the paccekabuddhas and of the elders ends here.

The Apadāna consists of verses in which elders tell of their past deeds. Each story usually ends by naming the good results received, such as not going to a lower realm for a hundred thousand aeons, or having a fragrant body. That is the text's own framing, so this page focuses on the deeds themselves and the way each elder came to the Dhamma.

The four came to the Dhamma through different doors: one was sent to ask a trick question, one had an old friend come to remind him, one had been a bird living near a kindly monk, and one heard a sermon on giving, virtue and meditation. Yet every story ends with the same line: coming into the Buddha's presence was a good coming indeed.

  1. 1

    Coming to find fault, but finding none Nāddasaṃ tassa munino

    Abhaya tells how, in the time of the Buddha Padumuttara, he was a brahmin's son learned in the Vedas who went to the Buddha with a hostile mind. But having heard him speak, he found no contradictory, repetitive or pointless words at all, so he went forth. He then composed verses of praise saying the Buddha, though free of passion, remained in fearful saṃsāra out of compassion.

    Applying it in daily life

    When listening to someone you disagree with, listen to truly understand. If at the end you can find no fault, admit it plainly. Changing your view because of reasons is not a defeat.

  2. 2

    Sent by people with bad intentions Pāpamittavasaṃ gantvā

    In his last life he was King Bimbisāra's son, named Abhaya. He tells how he fell under the sway of bad friends and was sent by Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta to the Buddha. He asked a subtle question, heard the answer, went forth, and before long attained arahantship.

    Applying it in daily life

    Even if you start something for not very good reasons, you can still change direction if you are willing to listen and accept what you see as it is. Don't let the starting point decide the whole destination.

  3. 3

    An old friend who came back to remind Candano devaputto maṃ

    Lomasatiya tells how, in the time of the Buddha Kassapa, he and his friend Candana went forth together. Later Candana was reborn as a deva in the Tāvatiṃsa heaven, while he was born a Sakyan prince, went forth and lived in Kapilavatthu looking after his mother. The deva Candana came and asked him about the Bhaddekaratta in brief and in detail, and so, prompted, he went to the Buddha to hear those verses.

    Applying it in daily life

    A friend who asks a question you can't answer may be your most valuable friend. When you can't answer, treat it as homework and seek the answer from the best source you can.

  4. 4

    Telling his mother he would go to the forest Urasā panudissāmi

    Having heard the Bhaddekaratta, he was stirred and came to love the forest, so he asked his mother's leave to live alone in the forest. She forbade it because he was delicate. He replied that he would push through the kusa, usīra and other grasses with his chest, deepening his seclusion. Once in the forest, he recalled the verse that one should not run after the past or long for the future, and attained arahantship.

    Applying it in daily life

    When family worry that you can't manage something hard, take your leave openly, listen to their concern, and show your commitment through action rather than argument.

  5. 5

    A pigeon at the monk's feet Kapoto āsahaṃ tahiṃ

    Vanavaccha tells how in one life he was born a pigeon (the Thai translation says a kind of wild bird) in a forest where a monk lived who delighted in jhāna, full of loving-kindness and compassion, always cheerful and even-minded. The bird soon grew trusting and came to sit at his feet. Sometimes the monk gave it food, sometimes he taught the Dhamma, and the bird drew near him with abundant affection.

    Applying it in daily life

    Steady kindness lets even the most wary animal come close. The people around us are the same: if you want someone to dare come near, start with a face and manner that don't make them afraid.

  6. 6

    Fortunate through a good friend Sumittenānukampito

    In his last life, Vanavaccha's mother wished to live in the forest as the birth drew near, so he was born in the forest, and he became a close friend of Prince Siddhattha. When the prince went forth, he too went forth into the Himalayas. When he met Kassapa, a forest dweller who spoke in praise of the ascetic practices, and heard that the Buddha had arisen, he went to him, heard the Dhamma, ordained and returned to the forest. He says: I am truly fortunate, helped by the Teacher, a good friend.

    Applying it in daily life

    Traits you were born with, such as a love of quiet, don't need to be discarded. Find good friends who help steer those traits in the right direction.

  7. 7

    Giving, virtue and meditation in one sentence Dānaṃ datvā mahābhogo

    Cūḷasugandha tells how, in the time of the Buddha Kassapa, he was born into a wealthy family in Bārāṇasī and heard the Buddha teach that by giving one has great wealth, by virtue one goes to a good destination, and by meditation one attains nibbāna. Inspired, he went for refuge and anointed the floor of the Buddha's Fragrant Hut with perfume. The text says the result was a fragrant body in every life. In his last life he went forth, developed virtue, concentration, wisdom and liberation, and ended the defilements.

    Applying it in daily life

    Use these three words to check each week: what have I given to whom, which precepts did I keep well or slip on, and did I have any time to train the mind? Whichever is missing, add that one first.

  8. 8

    Different doors, one destination Svāgataṃ vata me āsi

    Though the four came by different paths, every story ends with the words: my coming into the Buddha's presence was a good coming indeed; my defilements are burnt up, all becoming is uprooted, and the Buddha's teaching has been done.

    Applying it in daily life

    Don't be embarrassed that you came to the Dhamma for ordinary reasons such as suffering, a friend's invitation or curiosity. What matters is whether, once here, you keep walking.

Try it in daily life

We don't have to start from a beautiful place. Abhaya started by being sent by people with bad intentions to put a question to the Buddha, but because he listened honestly to the answer, a wrong beginning became the right path.

The stories of Lomasatiya and Vanavaccha are about friends. A friend who asks a question we can't answer, or a good person we get to live near, often turns a life in a new direction more than we expect.

Think about the door through which you came to take an interest in the Dhamma, and whose door you might become, whether through a question, through kindness, or by inviting someone to hear the Dhamma once.

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