bawa May 28th, 2008
THE king Devanampiyatissa who had arranged a waterfestival for the dwellers in the capital, set forth to enjoy the pleasures of the chase. Attended by forty thousand of his men he went on foot to the Missaka-mountain. The deva of the mountain who desired to show the theras to him, appeared there in the form of an elk-stag browsing in the thicket. When the king saw him, he thought: ‘It is unseemly to kill an unheeding (creature)’ and he struck out a sound from his bowstring; the stag fled towards the mountain. The king pursued, but the stag in his flight drew near to the thera. When the thera came into the prince’s view the (deva) himself vanished. Continue Reading »
bawa May 28th, 2008
THE great thera Mahinda, of lofty wisdom, who at that time had been twelve years (a monk), charged by his teacher and by the brotherhood to convert the island of Lanka, pondered on the fitting time (for this) and thought: ‘Old is the king Mutasiva; his son must become king.’
When he had resolved to visit in the meantime his kinsfolk, he bade farewell to his teacher and the brotherhood and having asked the leave of the king he took with him the four theras ((1-See 12. 7.)) and also Samghamitta’s son, the miraculously gifted samanera Sumana, ((2-See 5. 170.)) mighty in the six supernormal powers; and he went to Dakkhinagiri ((3-A vihara in Ujjeni, Skr. Ujjayini. See note to 5. 39.)) to confer on his kinsfolk (the) grace (of his preaching). While he was so doing six months passed away. Continue Reading »
