THE BUDDHA'S LAST DAYS
Every time I read this sutta, I'm awe struck by the impact it has on me.
It's just a bunch of little teachings thrown together and then the hero
dies. But it always has a much greater impact than it rationally should.
And I'm not really interested in figuring out why it is so strong - I'd
rather have it continue to have that impact.
The sutta seems to be a collection of teachings, that presumably the
Digha reciters knew but had no good place to put, so they all got collected
here as a lead in to the Buddha's passing. The little teachings are separated
by the 'chorus' of the comprehensive discourse on morality, concentration
and wisdom which first appears in section 1.12.
The little teachings that struck me the most are as follows:
Section 1.17: Sariputta knows about the Buddhas' enlightenment because
he knows 'the drift of the Dhamma'. It would seem that Sariputta is speaking
from his own experience of enlightenment, not quoting some doctrine. I
certainly find that I feel much more comfortable talking about Dhamma I
have personally experienced than trying to explain some doctrine I have
only read.
Sections 2.23 - 2.26: The Buddha is presented as a very human and very
old man - he becomes quite ill, but manages to recover. Then he states
that he has taught with an open hand - there are no secret teaching, it's
all laid out for us to follow. He also says we should be islands (or lamps)
unto ourselves by practicing the four foundations of mindfulness.
Section 3.40 - 3.47: Ananda is blamed for the Buddha not living to be
100. This is such a weird passage. I certainly have no idea of why it is
there!
The Buddha's death is presented with such a wealth of detail (plus lots
of additional 'stuff', such as the 500 ox carts versus the thunderstorm)
that it seems very plausible that his passing was much the way described.
I am particularly struck by 6.1 through 6.7. Overall, they seems quite
authentic to me (except possibly for 6.2), though some of these events
may not have taken place on the Buddha's deathbed. 6.3 actually rings the
truest of all since its inclusion after-the-fact would be very implausible
because the minor rules were not abolished.
As for the jhanas in 6.8 - 6.9, if another experienced jhana practitioner
were to watch my face, I think they could distinguish 1, 2, 3, 4 and immaterial.
So I'm not at all surprised that Anuruddha could tell what the Buddha was
doing as he passed away.
The rest of this sutta is a tribute to the Buddha and his teachings.
His impact is still so strong today - it must have been astounding during
his lifetime.
This is a finely crafted sutta. Skimming it as I write this has again
had the impact it had upon first reading!
Leigh Brasington
28 Apr '96
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/ Revised 16 July 12
