Chapter 2 - The Great Prophecy And Ten Perfections

Homage to the Blessed One, The Pure, The Buddha Supreme!
Homage to His Doctrine, well spoken, well seen!
Homage to His Congregation of Elects of good and upright conduct!

Many many world cycles ago, there was on earth a beautiful town named Amara where lived Sumedha, a Brahmin of great wealth and learning. He was of a religious turn of mind and often contemplated "Birth is misery, old age is misery, disease is misery and death is misery: every living being has to undergo these miseries." He felt that there must be an escape from these miseries and was determined to search for it. He gave away all his wealth in alms and went into the forest and became a hermit. There he practised virtue, concentration and meditation and even gained spiritual powers.

At that time there appeared on earth a Buddha called Dipankara. One day as He was coming into the town of Amara, the people joyfully cleared His pathway. The Hermit Sumedha saw the people preparing the pathway and asked them for whom the path was being made. He received the answer that the Mighty Buddha Dipankara had appeared in the human abode and for Him the path was being cleared. The Hermit Sumedha was overjoyed to hear the word Buddha and consequently went on muttering Buddha, Buddha. Then he asked the people to let him also clear the path and was granted a portion of the path to be cleared. The Hermit began to clear his portion of the path ardently saying in his heart Buddha! Buddha! over and over again.

But before he could complete The Buddha Dipankara came that way attended by several thousand disciples who were all endowed with spiritual powers. Then and there the Hermit laid himself down with face downward upon the mud thus covering the unfinished path for The Buddha Dipankara and His Disciples to walk over.

While he was lying upon the mud, he thought to himself "If I want salvation now for myself, I can get it in the presence of this Buddha. But why should I not aspire to become a Buddha myself in the future and thus save countless number of living beings from the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death". He then made his earnest wish to become a Buddha himself. The Buddha Dipankara came to halt near his head and addressed the people, laymen and saints, "Behold this Monk! He will be a Buddha after after many world cycles." The Buddha Dipankara then prophesied in detail where and when he would be a Buddha, who would be his chief disciples and so forth. After this The Buddha Dipankara raised His right foot and went His way. All His disciples walked by the right around Sumedha thus signifying their great veneration for him, the Buddha to be.

When The Buddha Dipankara and all His disciples had gone ahead, the Hermit Sumedha got up from where he lay full of great delight and joy, because of the happy thought that The Buddhas words never turn out to be untrue. "Surely I shall be a Buddha". Since then he resolved: -

"When I realise the Four Noble Truths, I will help the living beings to realise them".

"When I find the way out of the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death I will show them the way".

"When I am free from the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death, I will liberate the living beings from these miseries".

From the Buddha Dipankara, the Buddha Gautama is the twenty eighth Buddha, i.e., twenty six Buddhas appeared on earth between them. After being prophesied by a Buddha that he would be a Buddha, a Future Buddha has to practise all kinds of virtues in the highest degree and the main virtues, called Perfections, are ten in number, viz.., giving alms, observance of precepts and high morals, renunciation, wisdom, courage and effort patience, truthfulness, resolution, good will, and equanimity.

It must be understood that a Future Buddha is always a philanthropist and renders highest service to others and the ten main Perfections are fulfilled in every existence, from the time of the Great Prophecy to the time of His Enlightenment, but he fulfils one of them in the highest degree in a certain existence according to circumstances.

The Hermit Sumedha realised that giving of alms was the first Perfection to be fulfilled. Consequently he gave away in alms all that he had and kept nothing for himself. At one time when he was King Vessantra, he resolved to give away in alms not only his external properties, such as his kingdom, palace, treasure and so forth but also his internal properties such as his heart, blood, eyes, flesh and even himself as a slave, if there was any one, human or inhuman, who would ask for these. He did give away in alms among many other things his white elephant, the pride of his subjects, and was exiled for so doing. At one time when he was born as a wise hare, a beggar came to him and asked for food. He had nothing to give except his own body. Asking the beggar to eat his roasted flesh, he jumped into the fire, thus fulfilling his supreme vow of charity or alms giving.

The next Perfection to be fulfilled is that of keeping precepts. Precepts are obviously the foundation of all meritorious deeds and the Future Buddha kept the precepts right through. In one existence, he was pierced through with pointed sticks and hacked with hunting knives, but with all that he kept his mind free from anger and ill will against any and acquired the Perfection of keeping the precepts in the highest degree.

The third Perfection is renunciation This is practically self abnegation. in several existences, as a rich man or as a king he abandoned his riches or throne, and retired into the forest without any attachment to the worldly objects. When he was born as Hatthipala an heir apparent to the throne he retired into the forest in spite of the entreaties of his parents and others to ascend the throne without any rival. By so doing he acquired the Perfection of renunciation in the highest degree.

The fourth Perfection to be fulfilled is wisdom. When he was Mahosadha he saved his King and country by his knowledge and wisdom and acquired the Perfection of wisdom in the highest degree.

The fifth Perfection is courage and effort. When he was Prince Janaka he was shipwrecked in an ocean and the land was far away and out of sight. Nevertheless he fed himself well and jumped down from the mast of the ship that was sinking and went swimming towards the land. He swam across the ocean and acquired the Perfection of courage and effort in the highest degree.

The sixth Perfection is patience. In several lives he was most cruelly tortured. At one time when he was lying down, he was most ruthlessly hacked. Yet he was not angry with anyone but diffused loving kindness to every one. Once his neck was sawed across but even then he did not entertain any ill will against those perpetrating such cruelty on him. It was thus that He acquired the Perfection of patience in the highest degree.

The seventh Perfection is truth. Throughout all existences he kept his promise even at the cost of his life. Truth was practised for truths sake and no exception was made. When he was King Mahasutasoma he happened to fall into the hands of King Porisata who ate human flesh. They were together as students in their university and Porisata knew that Mahasutasoma was always truthful. When the latter was about to be killed, he asked Porisata to let him go back to his kingdom to hear the Buddhas doctrine and also promised to come back to him to be killed and eaten. On his promise, he was allowed to go back to his kingdom for the purpose. He went back to his kingdom and returned to Porisata as promised. It was such a regard for truth that made him acquire the Perfection of truth in the highest degree.

The eighth Perfection is of the resolution. When he was Prince Temi he made up his mind to observe silence just to avoid ascending the throne of his father. His parents tried to break his silence but did not succeed. He resisted all kinds of persuasions, temptations, and threats and remained silent and thus acquired the Perfection of resolution in the highest degree.

The ninth Perfection is goodwill or loving kindness. In human society, the highest goodwill is that of a mother towards her only son. This is the highest virtue and the Future Buddha practised it throughout. Once he was the leader of a herd of deer and the King of the country used to shoot them or get them shot for flesh. The Future Buddha arranged with the King to let one of them submit to be killed every day to avoid killing more than one a day. The arrangement was implemented for some time but one day, it so happened that it was the turn of a female deer in a family way to be killed. Though the Future Buddha being the leader was given immunity against being killed he would not let the female deer go to the royal kitchen to be killed for flesh because of the embryo in her. He himself went instead and submitted to be killed. Thus the Future Buddha acquired the Perfection of goodwill or loving kindness in the highest degree.

The tenth Perfection is mental equanimity or benevolent indifference or neutrality. At one time, the Future Buddha laid himself down with the dead. Then some villagers mocked at him, others praised him, some children spat on him, others showered fragrant garlands upon him. He was however entirely indifferent, alike to pleasure and pain, and thus acquired the Perfection of mental equanimity in the highest degree