Robin Beck

Another more serious incident was the story of Sundari a wandering nun who belonged to another sect and who was instructed by her male colleagues to visit the Buddha frequently and attend his teachings. After she had done so for a while they killed her and buried her body in the grounds of the Jeta Grove. Not long after this they went to King Pasenadi and told him they could not find their colleague Sundari and that they wanted to organise a search for her. When permission was given they of course unearthed her body in the Jeta Grove and promptly accused the Buddha and his bhikkhus of murdering her.

When faced with these accusations and the hostility of the local people who believed this story to be true the Buddha told his followers that the trouble would not last long and he exhorted them with the stanza :

"The liar goes to hell, like him who did
And afterwards declares 'I did not'.
They both of them on dying fare alike
In life to come, as men whose acts are vile."

Sure enough the uproar soon subsided much to the wonder and relief of the bhikkhus. The Buddha then uttered the following exclamation :

"Unguarded men provoke with words like darts
Let fly against an elephant in battle.
But when hard words are spoken to a bhikkhu,
Let him endure them with unruffled mind."

In this period a petty quarrel arose between two monks staying at Kosambi which grew out of all proportion and which threatened the unity of the Buddha’s sangha. It all began when a monk who was a specialist in the Buddha’s doctrinal discourses left some unused washing water in a bowl in the toilet. This was found by another monk who was a specialist in memorising and interpreting the rules, the Vinaya, made by the Buddha for the behaviour of the sangha. Upon seeing the bowl of unused water he asked the former monk whether or not he knew that he that he had infringed upon the rules of the order. When the discourse specialist said that he had not known about that particular rule, the interpreter of rules said that it was therefore not an infringement. The discourse specialist then went away thinking that the matter was settled and that he had not committed an infringement.

Not long after however the Vinaya specialist began telling other bhikkhus that the discourse specialist had indeed committed an infringement. The discourse specialist was therefore asked to acknowledge his infringement but now he refused to do so as he felt that the Vinaya specialist had behaved with deceit by telling the bhikkhus about the incident after it had apparently been settled. This led to the Vinaya specialist convoking an assembly, the result of which was the suspension of the discourse specialist from the order. The discourse specialist refused to accept this. As both bhikkhus were learned and respected teachers they each had a number of their own followers and students. Things therefore became heated as both parties began to squabble and tension and dissension grew.

In time the Buddha was informed of the situation and he said that if this was not resolved there would be a schism in the sangha. He therefore went to see both parties in order to try to make them understand the negative consequences to the sangha of their behaviour. The quarrelling continued however and in fact became worse. When the Buddha was again requested to resolve the situation the followers of both sides requested the Buddha not to interfere. The Buddha requested each side three times to mend their differences but each time they refused to listen to him. He then got up and went away.

The following morning the Buddha got up and went into Kosambi for alms and then after eating his meal he put his place in order and picked up his bowl and outer robe. He realised that the quarrelling monks were obsessed with their argument and that it was impossible to make them see sense. He then uttered the following stanza :

If you can find a trustworthy companion
With whom to walk, both virtuous and steadfast,
Then walk with him content and mindfully,
Overcoming any threat of danger.
If you can find no trustworthy companion
With whom to walk, both virtuous and steadfast,
Then, as a king who leaves a vanquished kingdom,
Walk like a tusker in the woods alone.
Better it is to walk alone:
There is no fellowship with fools.
Walk alone, harm none, and know no conflict;
Be like a tusker in the woods alone.

The Buddha then departed and after wandering for some days and meeting and instructing various disciples on the way he came to the Parileyyaka forest and there he entered the thick jungle and stayed for a time in solitary retreat. The Buddha’s only company in the jungle thicket was a tusker elephant who had left the herd, seeking peace from the other elephants who hustled and bustled him.

After staying at in the Parileyyaka forest as long as he chose, the Buddha wandered by stages to Shravasti where he went to live in the Jeta Grove. Meanwhile back in Kosambi the quarrelling found themselves rejected and without the support of the lay people due to the fact that they could no longer see the Buddha. Finally both the contending factions went to the Jeta Grove and sought to settle their dispute once and for all in the Buddha’s presence. Eventually the discourse specialist acknowledged having committed an infringement which then made it technically possible for the discipline specialist to reinstate him as a member of the community. The Buddha approved the act of settlement between the two sides and the procedure was laid down should it ever happen again in the future.

Hi Robin,
Interesting things you pointed to - I would like to briefly comment on them and plug my writings:

*Taking Refuge in the Triple Jewel aka Three Treasures.

I agree with Dharmajim that this is the essential primal act of "becoming a Buddhist."
At Ryuei.net I have a couple of articles about this and I usually also bring in the Threefold Training of Ethics (Sila), Meditaton (Dhyana), and Wisdom (Prajna). I think that between the Three Treasure and Threefold Training you have the bare essence of basic or foundational Buddhism. Here is my discussion of this:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/How-to-be-Buddhist.html

And another:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/3x3.html

*The Kaidan of the "Three Great Hidden Dharmas"

I see the Three Great Hidden Dharmas as Nichiren's great contribution (though foreshadowed by the Dharma Flower Confessional Samadhi of Chih-i) which clarifies what the Three Treasures and Threefold Training are in terms of Nichiren Buddhism. I have written about this here:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/3HiddenDharmas.html

as the Precept Platform, Receiving the Dharma directly from the Buddha, & the Gassho Mudra of the "Three-fold Contemplation" as a form of Precept.

Receivining the Wonderful Dharma directly from the scrolls of the Lotus Sutra is an important element of Nichiren Buddhism, and one that I think bypasses self-serving claims of "blood lineages" but at the same time I think it should be balanced with a healthy view of mentoring that should be seen as the formation of "spiritual friendships" between older and younger siblings on the Path.

The sole or Diamond Chalice Precept of upholding the true spirit of Odaimoku is also important though I fear misunderstood as a rationale for doing whatever you want as long as you chant. I don't think you have this misunderstanding, but I just point out that some do. I see the various precept codes as records of the applications of the true spirit of Odaimoku to specific situations - and these past "cases" have a lot to teach us and should cause us to reflect and perhaps measure our own adherence or lack thereof to the true spirit of Odaimoku as we encounter the specificity of our own daily challenges.

The Gassho of the Threefold Contemplation is something I think you might want to explain more. I think I can guess what you mean, but I will refrain.

*The "Tusker Stanzas" from the Pali Canon

I believe these are posted at the website for the Sangha For Independents Yahoo group. I will have to write about these someday soon.

*The Sigalovada & Kalama Sutta

My commentary on the Sigalovada:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/FamilyValues.html

My comments on the Kalama and some other relevant discourses:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/BuddhaDharma.html

*The Six Perfections

I view these as the kinds of qualities that should develop in our lives if we are truly upholding the Odaimoku. I have written about them here:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/ohigan_05.html

*The Four Divine Attributes

Is this the same as the Brahmaviharas? If so,

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/metta1.html

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/Compassion.html

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/Joy.html

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/Equanimity.html

*The Four Universal Vows

These are also important but I don't have any online article about them - though they are dealt with in Dharma Flower and in Lotus Seeds.

I think it would also be important for people who are attracted to Buddhism to jump right into practice from the very start. To that end I have written the following about basic meditation techniques and also chanting practice:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/Ryuei/meditation_instructions.html

I hope you don't mind me posting all these links, I just offer them as a basis for a fuller discussion of these pointers.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Where are these Tusker Stanzas? I googled with no real result. Byrd in LA

Hi Robin:

One of the difficulties facing many of us in the west is that the different Dharma traditions have different takes on what is required to be a participant in their tradition. This leads to a sense of confusion. I think part of the confusion is that we in the west are still unclear as to the range of the term "Buddhism". Most people I know think of this term as being like "Christianity". Lately, however, I've been thinking that the term "Buddhism" is more like the term "Monotheism." So if you didn't know anything about monotheism and encountered Judaism, Greek Orthodox, and Bahai, it would be very confusing and if someone asked you how to become a monotheist you'd be similarly confused.

My own sense is this: One becomes a Buddhist by Taking Refuge. That is the primal Buddhist act, it is the gate that opens the Dharma. And to be clear, the Buddha one takes refuge in is Shakyamuni Buddha.

Best wishes,

Dharmajim