The Buddha’s Last Illness
Piṇḍapātamahapphalapañha (Mil 5.3 6)
‘Venerable Nāgasena, it was said by the Elders who held the Recitation:
“When he had eaten Cunda’s alms,
The coppersmith’s—thus have I heard—
The Buddha felt that sickness dire,
That sharp pain even unto death.”
And afterwards the Blessed One said: “These two offerings of food, Ānanda, equal, of equal fruit, and of equal result, are of much greater fruit and much greater result than any others.” Now if sharp sickness fell upon the Blessed One, Nāgasena, after he had partaken of Kunda’s alms, and sharp pains arose within him even unto death, then that other statement must be wrong. But if that is right then the first must be wrong. How could that alms, Nāgasena, be of great fruit when it turned to poison, gave rise to disease, put an end to the period of his then existence, took away his life? Explain this to me to the refutation of the adversaries. The people are in bewilderment about this, thinking that the dysentery must have been caused by his eating too much, out of greediness.’
1 the Blessed One said, O king, that there were two almsgivings equal, of equal fruit, and equal result, and of much greater fruit, and much greater result than any others—that which, when a Tathāgata has partaken of it, he attains to supreme and perfect Buddhahood (Enlightenment), and that when he has partaken of which, he passes away by that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind. For that alms is full of virtue, full of advantage. The gods, O king, shouted in joy and gladness at the thought: “This is the last meal the Tathāgata will take,” and communicated a divine power of nourishment to that tender pork. And that was itself in good condition, light, pleasant, full of flavour, and good for digestion. It was not because of it that any sickness fell upon the Blessed One, but it was because of the extreme weakness of his body, and because of the period of life he had to live having been exhausted, that the disease arose, and grew worse and worse—just as when, O king, an ordinary fire is burning, if fresh fuel be supplied, it will burn up still more—or as when a stream is flowing along as usual, if a heavy rain falls, it will become a mighty river with a great rush of water—or as when the body is of its ordinary girth, if more food be eaten, it becomes broader than before. So this was not, O king, the fault of the food that was presented, and you can not impute any harm to it.’
‘But, venerable Nāgasena, why is it that those two gifts of food are so specially meritorious?’
‘Because of the attainment of the exalted conditions which resulted from them.’
‘Of what conditions, Nāgasena, are you speaking?’
‘Of the attainment of the nine successive states which were passed through at first in one order, and then in the reverse order.’
‘It was on two days, was it not, Nāgasena, that the Tathāgata attained to those conditions in the highest degree?’
‘Yes, O king.’
‘It is a most wonderful thing, Nāgasena, and a most strange, that of all the great and glorious gifts which were bestowed upon our Blessed One not one can be compared with these two almsgivings. Most marvellous is it, that even as those nine successive conditions are glorious, even so are those gifts made, by their glory, of greater fruit, and of greater advantage than any others. Very good, Nāgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.
Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha’s last illness.
“When he had eaten Cunda’s alms,
The coppersmith’s—thus have I heard—
The Buddha felt that sickness dire,
That sharp pain even unto death.”
And afterwards the Blessed One said: “These two offerings of food, Ānanda, equal, of equal fruit, and of equal result, are of much greater fruit and much greater result than any others.” Now if sharp sickness fell upon the Blessed One, Nāgasena, after he had partaken of Kunda’s alms, and sharp pains arose within him even unto death, then that other statement must be wrong. But if that is right then the first must be wrong. How could that alms, Nāgasena, be of great fruit when it turned to poison, gave rise to disease, put an end to the period of his then existence, took away his life? Explain this to me to the refutation of the adversaries. The people are in bewilderment about this, thinking that the dysentery must have been caused by his eating too much, out of greediness.’
1 the Blessed One said, O king, that there were two almsgivings equal, of equal fruit, and equal result, and of much greater fruit, and much greater result than any others—that which, when a Tathāgata has partaken of it, he attains to supreme and perfect Buddhahood (Enlightenment), and that when he has partaken of which, he passes away by that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind. For that alms is full of virtue, full of advantage. The gods, O king, shouted in joy and gladness at the thought: “This is the last meal the Tathāgata will take,” and communicated a divine power of nourishment to that tender pork. And that was itself in good condition, light, pleasant, full of flavour, and good for digestion. It was not because of it that any sickness fell upon the Blessed One, but it was because of the extreme weakness of his body, and because of the period of life he had to live having been exhausted, that the disease arose, and grew worse and worse—just as when, O king, an ordinary fire is burning, if fresh fuel be supplied, it will burn up still more—or as when a stream is flowing along as usual, if a heavy rain falls, it will become a mighty river with a great rush of water—or as when the body is of its ordinary girth, if more food be eaten, it becomes broader than before. So this was not, O king, the fault of the food that was presented, and you can not impute any harm to it.’
‘But, venerable Nāgasena, why is it that those two gifts of food are so specially meritorious?’
‘Because of the attainment of the exalted conditions which resulted from them.’
‘Of what conditions, Nāgasena, are you speaking?’
‘Of the attainment of the nine successive states which were passed through at first in one order, and then in the reverse order.’
‘It was on two days, was it not, Nāgasena, that the Tathāgata attained to those conditions in the highest degree?’
‘Yes, O king.’
‘It is a most wonderful thing, Nāgasena, and a most strange, that of all the great and glorious gifts which were bestowed upon our Blessed One not one can be compared with these two almsgivings. Most marvellous is it, that even as those nine successive conditions are glorious, even so are those gifts made, by their glory, of greater fruit, and of greater advantage than any others. Very good, Nāgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.
Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha’s last illness.
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