The Good Example of Maha Kasapa (Maha Kasapa) .VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH. Part 1 I. A PURE PERSON Among the great disciples of the Buddha, it is found that there are two pairs of apostles, both outstanding, outstanding, and most exemplary, two pairs of brothers: first). Sariputra (Sariputta) and Moggallana (Moggallana), 2). Ananda (Ananda) and Ananda (Anuruddha). (See the books "The Life of Sariputta", "The History of Muc Kien Lien", and "The Life of Saint Ananda". - Same translator. But the number one recluse who was classified by the Buddha as a high disciple was the only great monk, Maha Kassapa, a superior hermit in monastic life. Saint Dai Ca Lettuce also has the real name Pipphali Kassapa, roughly translated as Thuong Tinh Ca Lettuce. But to distinguish it from other ascetic later also named Kassapa (Kassapa). For example, Tu Nhan Kassapa (Kumàra Kassapa), Veruvana Kassapa, etc., so contemporaries automatically called him Dai Tinh Tinh Dai Ca Lettuce (Mahà Kassapa) for short. After Sariputta and Moggallana passed away, and then the Buddha entered Nirvana, the Elder Maha Kassapa was respected by the entire Buddhist Sangha at that time. He is naturally considered as the first Buddhist master, replacing the Buddha as the Master. But Saint Maha Kassapa did not accept this position, because he remembered the Venerable Master's will: "After the Tathagata enters Nirvana, Buddhism will not have a supreme leader to command the Sangha!". And that respect was also confirmed by the Buddha himself when the Venerable Ananda asked the question shortly before the Buddha closed his eyes: "Venerable Master! After the Buddha's death, which Sa-Mon will be worthy of leading the Sangha!". "Hey Ananda! You will take the Sutta (Dhamma) and the LAW (Vinaya)" as a guide, as a guide, or as a teacher! (According to Digha Nikaya n. 16: Field A Function 16). (The word "Dhamma" should be translated as FRANCE, but in this context, the translator would like to take the liberty of translating it into the word BINH to make it easier to understand. Please forgive me!). However, the ecclesiastical authority implicitly recognized in Saint Maha Kassapa, by all the Sangha, as well as the Buddhists, has given him a special dignity, unmatched by any other Buddhist adept! That religious authority was originally a gathering place of extraordinary elements, which even when the Buddha was in the world, everyone knew. For example, the Buddha once praised: "The recluse Mahakashyapa has many qualities similar to that of the Tathagata. He has seven good generals out of thirty-two good generals of a great man. He is the only one who "wears together", exchanges clothes. to the Tathagata. Dai Ca Lettuce has fulfilled all ten virtues, causing others to be godly!". According to the Gopaka Moggallana Sutta, in the Majjhima Nikaya n. 108 (Middle A Function 108), the ten virtues worthy of others' godliness (Pàsàdaniya Dhammā) are: 1. Pure virtue. 2. Profound Taoism. 3. Always be content. 4. Mastery in meditation levels. 5. Achieve many miracles. 6. There is Thien ear (heard ten thousand miles away). 7. Yes Tha mind (knowing the thoughts of others). 8. There is Tuc network communication (remember all previous lives). 9. Having Thien eye (seeing ten thousand miles away, seeing all species, invisible and visible). 10. Body and mind destroy all afflictions, attain Arahantship (Real Lai: no more reincarnation). Mahasattva is a symbol of complete discipline, enduring asceticism and unparalleled diligence in the field of meditation. Therefore, he was elected by the entire Sangha to preside over the first sutra assembly, at his suggestion, in a natural cave near Rajagaha, after the Buddha passed away. . This is probably the reason why later the two sects of Buddhism in China and Japan were the Pure Land, and Zen considered Saint Maha Kassapa as the first Patriarch after the Buddha. Regarding the family origin, Mahakasyapa, as well as the two high apostles Sariputta (Sāriputta) and Moggallana (Moggallana) of the Buddha. He came from the Brahmin class. And similar to the other Saint Sangha, Mahakashyapa was older than the Buddha. He was born in the land of Magadha, in a village called Mahàtittha (roughly translated as the village of Exchange, that is, where it is the crossroads of the traffic axes, where people from all directions can go back and forth regularly by road times waterways!). He was the son of the great Brahmin protector named Kapila, and his mother was Mrs. Sumanadevi (Based on the commentary in the Samyutta Nikaya: Ka-A-ham). When he was born, he was named Pipphali (roughly translated as Thuong Tinh) because of his always quiet temperament from the moment he was born. And his father could be seen as an emir, because he owned a territory that covered sixteen villages. Prince Pipphali (Chang Tinh), of course, was brought up in a rich and rich environment. But since childhood, people have noticed in this prince Pipphali superhuman features beyond the world. He clearly expressed his desire to live a pure life of monastic life, so when he reached adulthood, he did not mind marrying. When Pipphali Kassapa's parents urged his son to get married, he said to his parents: "I just want to live alone to support my parents until the end of my life, and then I will leave home to become a Taoist!" But Pipphali's parents kept begging me to get married! Because he loved his parents, he was forced to accept. Then, to buy time, Pipphali immediately stated the condition that he only marry, the girl who is completely complete, meets the standards that he deliberately set strictly. And to realize those standards, Pipphali hired sculptors to carve out a beautiful statue of a young woman in pure gold. He adorned the golden statue with splendid clothes and the most precious jewels. Then he brought the golden image before his parents and said: "If my parents can find me a girlfriend like this, I will marry her, and give up my wish to become a monk!" Hearing this, Pipphali's parents immediately sought out eight brahmins, famous for matchmaking and knew all the inhabitants of the area, to place important bonuses, and then asked them to redraw the image of the statue. That "golden lady", to spread search from village to village, such a beautiful girl like a golden body! The eight brahmins immediately thought: "Let's first try to go to the Madda area (ie the "tipped" area or the "minter" area, because there are gold mines, there are many jewelers, maybe we will find a pretty girl. It's so beautiful. Because any place that sells a lot of jewelry, there are many beauties going to it!" And just as they predicted, eight Brahmins found in the village of Sàgala, a girl whose beauty was no less than that golden image. The girl's name was Bhaddhà Kàpilânì, the lady of a wealthy Brahmin family. She had just turned sixteen, which was four years younger than Pipphali Kassapa! The most beautiful age in a girl's life. Her name Bhadda Kàpiânì can be roughly translated as My Hanh! (Because Bhaddà means good luck, happiness, while the word Kàpilànì refers to a deep color like the color of sage!) Bhadda Kàpiânì's parents (My Hanh) after hearing the words of the eight Brahmins to "make a maid", immediately accepted. And the eight maids immediately returned to Pipphali Kassapa's parents, successfully finding their beauty. But a strange coincidence, Bhaddà Kàpilânì (My Hanh) also did not want to get married. She only wished to be ordained, to live the holy life of a priestess. The similar nature and upward aspiration of both Bhaddà Kàpilânì and that of Pipphali Kassapa is evidently an expression of the wholesome roots that have developed over many previous lives. They had made friends, practiced religion together, in common karmic circumstances. So in this life, the good fruit has ripened, pushing them to make similar decisions in their youth, as well as in later old age, on the path each person vows to go in one direction, to find a method of liberation! As for Pipphali Kassapa (Chang Tinh Ca Lettuce) from the day he made a statue of a woman in gold, and then asked his parents to find a bride like that, he could rest assured that there would be no such beautiful person in this world. But when he heard the Brahmin grooms confirmed that he had found a super-beautiful woman, he was extremely surprised. Pipphali immediately sent her a letter, briefly saying: "Hey Bhaddà (My Hanh)! Please take another man to be your husband, to be worthy of your beauty and character, to create a family full of happiness! As for me, I don't want to get married! wife. I only wish to become a monk, find a way out! Hope she doesn't mind!" To Bhadda (My Hanh)! Also. Although she did not make an appointment, she sent Pipphali a letter roughly as follows: "Hey Pipphali! I hope you will find another worthy daughter, whose nature loves the duty of being a wife and mother in the family, to make friends for a hundred years. As for me, I originally wanted to go forth and become a monk. It's been a long time, just waiting for the opportunity to do it. Hope you understand!" But unfortunately, the two noble letters just mentioned have not reached the recipient. The reason is due to the "intervention" of the parents on both sides. They had cleverly arranged for the servants to block these two pure letters in advance, and then replaced them with two other letters, full of love, vowing to marry each other, even if they were divided between the legs. Heaven and earth, never give up...! As a result, the wedding day came, Bhaddà (My Hanh) was "brought-in-law" by her parents to her husband's house (according to Indian custom) in the land of Magadha (Magadha), and the wedding was still celebrated as planned. . However, after the wedding ceremony, due to the wishes of the young couple, when they talked to each other, they learned the truth about the "arranged" letters. Both of them love their partner even more, and they both promise to keep their purity: Although they are close to the bed, they are not as close as husband and wife. Every night, before going to bed, two people put a flower in the middle of the bed, and then each person sleeps on one side. It is the effort to remind each other to keep the holy life! Time passed quietly, the couple "husband and wife" Elder Pipphali and Bhaddà (Thuong Tinh and My Hanh) lived noble days. The two did not bother to find out what the assets that their parents would leave them! But when the parents of both sides died, the new patrons Pipphali and Bhadda were forced to replace their parents as land owners... One day, while taking inventory of his fields, Pipphali Kassapa suddenly, with a pure vision, "sees" the suffering images of many sentient beings in the past! He witnessed before his eyes a servant plowing the field. The earthworms, insects, in the ground were thrown up and writhed, making prey for flocks of birds that landed in the air to kill... This image, although to a very ordinary farmer, is not remarkable at all, but to Pipphali Kassapa it is a phenomenon that evokes so much suffering! He thought: "Is our affluence the result of our actions unintentionally or indirectly killing this living creature? Is that property associated with the suffering of many insects, low living, hiding in the ground?What we enjoy every day is the cause of giving away so many poor and unhappy lives?". Thinking like this, Pipphali turned and asked a plowman: "Hey farmer! Have you seen birds killing insects and insects among these furrows? If so, please tell me who is responsible for those killings!" "Sir! It is you who must accept the responsibility, for this plow only plows the ground under your authority!" Hearing the farmer's answer, Pipphali Kassapa was extremely shocked. His mind immediately thought of the karmic relationship between one being and another. He expressed sadness, left to return home. As he walked he let a preoccupation swirl in his mind. He said to himself: "If the cause of the crime of killing those living beings is attributed to me, then property, fields and gardens are meaningless to me. It not only did not help me develop good conduct, but also dragged me down. We are entangled in negative karma. Better, from today on, I will give all my fields, land, and possessions to Bhaddà. After all, she is my official wife, so that I can find a way out soon. crime scene, live the pure life of a Taoist!" It was a coincidence that at that time at home, his patron wife, Bhadda, had similar concerns. She stood looking at a tiled courtyard to dry grain. Sesame plants and fresh sesame seeds are spread out by the servants on the hot brick floor. Then the crows, the worms, the kites, the eagles, landed from the air, swallowed the innocent sesame worms, because they could not stand the heat, came out from the sesame seeds, looking for a way out. Dear. For Bhaddà (My Hanh), that image reminded her of a fear of evil karma in common life in this world. She hurriedly asked some of the servants if she was also responsible for drying the sesame plants they were working on!? The servants answered honestly: "Madam, if it weren't for your orders, these cycads would still be out in the garden and the bugs would still be in their nests!" Bhadda immediately thought: "With just one thing to harvest sesame seeds, and I have unintentionally committed so many sins, in the daily life of a patroness, she manages so much land, reaps the harvest. How many crops, we will be entangled in evil karma knows how much! Those evil karma will certainly never let us, even after thousands of kalpas, be able to overcome the sea of ​​suffering and death! Pipphali goes home, I will give you all ownership of the property and I will go to the priesthood...!" (Translator's comment: According to the orthodox Buddhist scriptures, especially according to the Vinaya and Abhidhamma, an evil kamma (Akusala kamma) arises only when there are two factors: attention. (Cetasika) and action (Karana) go hand in hand! Thus, the above-mentioned Pipphali and Bhaddà did not commit the crime of killing, because neither of them had the intention to kill insects, vermin, as well as those two who did not do evil themselves personally!The answers of the plowmen and their servants are based on human criticism, not in the spirit of Buddhism!) When the couple met at home, expressing each other's thoughts to each other, the intention of one person to leave the family was welcomed by the other. So they chose light yellow clothes, bought bowls, cut their hair and shaved their beards, and then lived their own monastic life, leaving behind their many possessions, giving them all to their servants and distributing them to the poor. ...! And since then, people have seen two mendicant sages make a public vow: They will go to find the righteous, liberated Arahants, to learn to live a pure life. The patrons of Pipphali and Bhaddà (Thuong Tinh and My Hanh) are now two ascetics, their bowls ready on their shoulders, waiting for the occasion to be quiet, to quietly escape from the home, in order to avoid the detection and obstruction of the elders loyal family...! And they were gone...! But when they reached the neighboring village, also under the control of the hegemon Pipphali, many peasants and relatives saw them in mendicant clothes, and fell at their feet weeping and dissuaded... : "Grandpa and grandpa, benevolent! Why would you leave us like orphaned laborers, without help!?" Hey villagers! We volunteered to become ordained, just because we saw these three realms as a burning house! If we don't get away soon, we'll just be miserable!" Then turns to the serfs (farmer slaves) the meek Pipphali Kassapa proclaimed their freedom...! Then he and the ascetic Bhaddà (My Hanh) continued on their way, leaving the villagers behind to watch them cry until they disappeared. During the journey, Kassapa went ahead and Bhaddà followed. Taoist Kassapa (Ca Lettuce) suddenly thought: "Now, if Bhaddà Kàpilànì (My Hanh) always follows me, she has an extraordinary beauty. People will protest that: "Has become a Taoist Taoist monk." Then, why can't this former husband and wife live apart? So, surely they were two true Taoists?". Alas! If the world were suspicious and polluted their thoughts with such evil rumors, their evil mental and verbal karma would be extremely heavy! So we and Bhadda should not inadvertently cause them to think sinful! It's better for you and me to separate...! While thinking, the two came to a crossroads, and Kassapa said: "Hey Bhadda! Go this way. But I will go the other way. That will be more suitable for both!" The ascetic Bhaddà (My Hanh) not long ago, who had the same thought as Pipphali Kassapa, happily replied: "Hey brother Kassapa! That's right. The presence of a beautiful woman next to a male ascetic is an inconvenience! People may misunderstand and misunderstand our practice! So ask you to go your way, and this woman to walk on her path! We can part from here!" Having said this, Bhaddà reverently walked around the ascetic Pipphali Kassapa three times, then according to the ancient Indian custom, she knelt at her feet, clasped her hands and said goodbye: "Our spouse, our noble companionship and friendship, which have been steadfast for countless lifetimes, today may be gathered by this way of parting and liberating. So, I ask you to come into me. the right path, and this young lady will take the left path!" And also since then, the two Taoists parted ways, each going his own way, seeking the ultimate fruition of defilements, liberating birth and death, and attaining Arahantship. History records: At that time the earth was shaken by the majesty of the two great ascetics! II. BHADDA KÁPILANÍ (M HANH) Now let's follow in the footsteps of female Taoist My Hanh (Bhaddà Kàpilânì). The path to find the path randomly brought this nun to the city of Savatthi (Sàvatthi). There, she heard many sermons of the Buddha preached at Jetavana Vihàra (Jetàvanà Vihàra). Because at that time the Buddha had not yet allowed the establishment of a nun system, she had to temporarily live in a monastery of non-Buddhist female ascetics. This monastery is not far from Ky Vien Tinh Xa. Taoist My Hanh stayed there for five years, until the birth of the Buddhist Bhikkhuni Church, she was ordained as a bhikkhuni. And not long after that, she again attained Arahantship. One day, to praise the conduct of the great recluse Kassapa (Kassapa), and at the same time to reveal his attainment of liberation. The holy bhikkhuni Arahant Bhadda (My Hanh) recited a few verses saying: "His Buddha's disciple is the heir, today's Ka-lettuce is pure, his mind is clear . See clearly the predecessors of birth and death revolving, Cause and effect from the past ages. ** End of rebirth, Holy mind attained. Knowledge is sublime, masterful in all dharmas. "Three wisdom powers" is "the holy life of three graces." No and yes, no have the same letter! ** My Hanh is single-minded, not outside the end, Giac, Hue co-born ends. Suffering: Nirvana Conquering Demon King ends all time, This is the last life, the end of heaven, humans, animals... ** The three worlds of suffering, joy, and conditions are enough... Separation of affliction, pure mind! Purity is here, earthly benefits... In pure freedom, Dharma Gathering! As an Arahant, Bhikkhuni Bhaddà (My Hanh) devotes her daily efforts to teaching and guiding novice nuns in the discipline of the holy life. According to the analyzes of the "Law for the Bhikkhuni Vibhanga" (Bhikkhuni Vibhanga), there are many cases recorded in the scriptures, involving her female disciples, leading to the creation of certain precepts. the law. (According to Bhikkhuni Vibhanga: The Law of the Bhikkhunis. Pàcitiya 10-12-13: The Opposite of 10-12-13 and Sangha-disesa 1: Sangha-disesa number 1). On the other hand, there are two stories told about how Saint Bhaddà Kàpilânì (My Hanh) was the victim of jealousy, by another bhikkhuni, who had a lot of malice towards the great recluse. Ca Diep. It was Bhikkhuni Thullanandà, a teacher with a high level of education and a talent for preaching the Dharma. But unfortunately, the human heart of this female teacher was not as outstanding as her intelligence and academic strength, so her selfishness stopped her spiritual development. (The original production of the forbidden precepts in the Vinaya Vinaya also mentioned the name of the Bhikkhu-ni Thullanandà many times). The number is when the holy nun Bhaddà (My Hanh) became a popular teacher, including the disciples of Bhikkhuni Thullanandà. This nun, out of jealousy, became angry. She disrupted her "opponent" by leading a group of faithful disciples, pacing back and forth, chanting loudly, causing a stir in front of the holy nun Bhadda's retreat. As a result, that malevolent bhikkhuni was rebuked by the Buddha and made a rule related to making noise! (According to Bhikkhuni Vibhanga, Pàcitiya 33: Bhikkhu-khùni Law Section, Sagittarius No. 33). Another time, despite the request of fellow believers, Bhikkhuni Thullanandà did not arrange a stable place for the nun Bhaddà (My Hanh). As a result, that venerable Saintess became homeless. (According to Bhikkhuni Vibhanga n. 35) However, the holy nun Bhaddà, having attained Arahantship, did not upset her by anyone's mistreatment. On the contrary, the nun also showed boundless compassion and kindness towards female teacher Thullanandà. The nun always praises the education of this bhikkhuni who loves to preach, encouragingly and honestly! The Buddha himself has also repeatedly confirmed that a saint is a person who has attained the Perfection of Life (remembering all previous lives). - According to Anguttara Nikaya: Increase Chi A Ham! - The Sanskrit commentaries (Pàlì) on the Jàtakas (Jàtakas) also recorded many stories about the past lives of Saint nun My Hanh (Bhaddà). In most of those past lives, she had the same marriage karma with her predecessor, Saint Maha Kassapa.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.19/5/2021.