Monthly Archives: January 2014
68. The Bodhisatta – As A Teacher
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta came to be a teacher of world wide fame, with five hundred young brahmins studying under him.
One of these pupils was a young Brahmin from a foreign land, who fell in love with a woman and made her his wife. Though he continued to live on in Benares, he failed two or three times in his attendance on the master.
67. The Bodhisatta – As A Stone Cutter
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a stone cutter. Growing up, he became expert in working stones. Now in the Kasi country there lived a very rich merchant who had amassed forty crores in gold. And when his wife died, so strong was her love of money that she was re-born a mouse and lived over the treasure.
66. The Bodhisatta – As A Sprite Of Kusa Grass
Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a Sprite in the king’s pleasaunce, and lived in a clump of kusa grass. Now in the same grounds near the king’s seat there grew a beautiful Wishing Tree (also called the Mukkhaka) with straight stem and spreading branches, which received great favour from the king. Here lived one who had been a mighty deva king and had been reborn a Tree sprite. And the Bodhisatta was on terms of intimate friendship with this Tree sprite.
65. The Bodhisatta – As A Spirit Of The Air
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a Spirit of the Air. In Benares, night festival of Kattika was celebrated and the city was decorated like a city of the gods, and the whole people kept holiday. And a poor man had only a couple of old dresses which he had washed and pressed. But his wife said, “My husband, I want a safflower coloured cloth to were outside and one to wear underneath; wearing those, I want to go the festival hanging round your neck.”
