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by DANISTER I. FERNANDO

"Il pasalosvaka poya" (full moon day in November) is of great significance to the Buddhists the world over, since some very important events pertaining to the life of the Buddha and to Buddhism have taken place on this blessed day. Among them the starting of the spread of the new philosophy of Shakyamuni Gotama Buddha has to be considered most important, with considerable prominence.

Buddha, having ended His first rain-retreat (vassavasi was living at Isipatana in Benares, with the "first sixty Arahants" which formed the nucleus of the "Sangha Sasana" (Bhikkhu fraternity) by then. These sixty monks had understood the Dhamma in full and were extremely competent to make the Dhamma easily accessible to and understood by the listener. Therefore the Master decided to send out missionaries for the propagation of His new philosophy. Subsequently He summoned the sixty disciples and addressed them as follows:

"Released am I, O! monks, from all ties, human and divine. you also are free from fetters. Go forth, ye Bhikkhus for the welfare and happiness of the many out of compassion for the world, for the gain, welfare and happiness of Gods and men. Let not two of you go in the same direction. Proclaim the Dhamma that is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end, completely perfect. I shall also go to Uruvela, to Senanigama, to teach the Dhamma." The 'Tathagata' commenced His noble mission in this way which lasted to the end of His life - a period of forty five years. He and His disciples trudged the highways and byways of India for the propagation of the Dhamma in boundless compassion and wisdom. The 'Tathagata' having sent out bhikkhus on missionary work walked himself to Uruvelagama, to the very same place where He once practised six years of austere asceticism attended by the five ascetics Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama and Assaji.

Around the "Il" full moon day, the most significant event sticking out clearly from the rest was the miraculous conversion of the three "Jatila" brothers Uruvelakassapa, Gayakassapa and Nadikassapa. It is believed that they had earned the name "Jatila" (Jata-dhara) because they wore the turban (Jata), as a head-wear. The story about the conversion of the 'Jatilas' is rather interesting.

The three Jatila brothers were living in their respective "ashrams" along the river Neranjana bank. They were considered to be popular teachers commanding large retinues of followers. The eldest Uruvelakassapa had five-hundred pupils, Nadikassapa three-hundred and the youngest Gayakassapa, two-hundred.

While at Uruvela, Buddha visited Uruvelakassapa at his ashram and had a general confabulation between themselves, when Uruvelakassapa described himself as an Arahant. Buddha with the intention of correcting him wished to stay the night at his ashram.

Accordingly, the Blessed One asked the ascetic for permission to spend that night in the kitchen apartment (Ginihal geya) of the ashram if it was not in anyway inconvenient to the ascetic. Uruvela replied, "Great 'samana,' I have absolutely no objection whatsoever. You are quite welcome. But a dangerous cobra haunting that place can harm you heavily. I am very much concerned about that." "No, it cannot harm me. Do not be frightened" replied the Buddha. "Then great 'samana,' you may stay and be comfortable."

Buddha, entered the apartment and lay down on a makeshift coverlet of grass inside. Then the cobra saw Him and in its severe chagrin sent out a ray of inflammable smoke to harm the Buddha, who resisted, and with the firm resolve not to harm the cobra or any part of its body He sent out a stronger ray making use of His Superhuman magical power (iddli). This power is a component of the six kinds of Higher Spiritual Powers (Abhinna). The cobra was thus subdued. In the process the whole apartment seemed glowing with fire. The resident ascetics including Uruvelakassapa came round crying out "Oh, the great samana is being tortured by the dangerous cobra."

The following day dawned. The Buddha with extreme complacence and with His normal show of compassion brought out the cobra, now crestfallen, coiled up in Buddha's begging bowl, saying, "This is your mighty cobra, Uruvelakassapa, it is now with me." Uruvelakassapa was shocked and thought, "This 'samana' is definitely powerful, but he cannot be an 'Arahant' like myself. However, he invited the Buddha to continue staying with him receiving cordial treatment.

But Buddha acted differently. He took shelter in a jungle area close to the ashram of Uruvelakassapa and continued to live there performing a series of superhuman acts to such an extent that finally the Jatila ascetic recognized the enormous superiority of the Buddha and at the same time admitting that he himself was far from being an "arahant." With Buddha's preaching he became fully converted and together with his five hundred followers received ordination and higher ordination at the hands of the Buddha.

Subsequently, Uruvela's two younger brothers, Gayakassapa and Nadikassapa came to know of the good fortune of their elder brother and immediately came over to meet the "Tathagata." Having listened to the preaching of the Buddha, they too were convinced of the new philosophy so much, that the two of them with their five-hundred followers embraced Buddhism and joined the order of Bhikkhus thus bringing the total number of Jatila monks to one-thousand. The Buddha lived at Uruveldanauva for a few days and taking the newly ordained thousand Bhikkhus, went to Gayasisa in Gaya.

At a pleasant spot in Gayasisa, surrounded by spontaneous greenery, and seated on a spreading stretch of smooth rock addressed the Bhikkhus in His magnificent resonance, a very important sermon, "Adittapariyaya Sutta (the Fire Sermon). This Sutta, envisages a plethora of abstruse Dhamma, about which, let me make an attempt here, to put across only a gist of it in a very brief form:

The Adittapariyaya Sutta in brief:

"O! Bhikkhus, the eye, the visual forms, visual consciousness and visual impressions are burning. Also, pleasant or painful or neither pleasant nor painful sensations arising on account of visual impressions are burning.

They are burning with the fire of lust (raga) fire of hate (dosa) and fire of delusion (moha). They are burning with birth, aging, death, sorrows, lamentations, pains, grief and despair.

Similarly, on the same pattern the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body and the mind are burning.

O! Bhikkhus, a disciple, learned and noble who sees things as they really are (Yathabhuta nanadassana becomes dispassionate in regard to the eye, the visible forms, the visual consciousness, visual impressions and whatever sensations.

He also becomes dispassionate in regard to the ear and sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and flavours, the body and tangible things, the mind and mental objects, the mental consciousness, the mental impressions and whatever sensations.

When he is dispassionate, he becomes detached, and through detachment he becomes liberated. Then he gets the knowledge that he is liberated. He understands that rebirth is exhausted, that what has to be done in regard to liberation is done, and finally that there is no more left to be done in regard to being an 'Arahat.'

Having listened to this exposition the bhikkhus were extremely glad and rejoiced. It is said that all hundred Jatila Bhikkhus realized "Arahatship."

"May all beings be well and happy."

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