Ten Bodhisattas
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Ten Bodhisattas refer to ten future Buddhas during their lives as
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩ð‘„𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢ð‘†ð‘€¢ð‘†ð‘€¯ (BrahmÄ«), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...
s. They have also been referred to as successors of
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
.


In ''DasabodhisattuppattikathÄ''

''DasabodhisattuppattikathÄ'' ("Ten Bodhisattva Birth Stories" or "Lives of the Ten Bodhisattvas") is a
Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''PÄli Canon'' or ''Tipiá¹­aka'' as well as the sacred language of ''TheravÄda'' Buddhism ...
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
text that deals with ten future Buddhas during their lives as
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩ð‘„𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢ð‘†ð‘€¢ð‘†ð‘€¯ (BrahmÄ«), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...
s. It is a "strange small work of late Pali literature" and "the only example of a book devoted entirely to extolling the Bodhisattas who will be Buddhas in future ages." There are several recensions to the text, all of which were consulted in the publishing of Saddhatissa's book. Despite frequent differences in vocabulary, they agree in the arrangement and content of the stories. Each story is about a virtuous person near the end of his or her cycle of rebirths. Each character has lived a meritorious life and dies through some self-inflicted act, often gruesome, which serves as an offering to the universal Buddha. Each will be reborn one final time and attain full Buddhahood.


In Sotattakī

In the Sotattakī Scripture, one of the exclusive texts to the
Pali Canon The PÄli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the PÄli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During th ...
,
Ānanda Ānanda (5th4th century BCE) was the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist '' Sutta-PiṠ...
asked Gotama Buddha about the people who were practising to achieve the Buddhahood. Gotama Buddha answered that there will be 10 future Buddhas. The Bhodhisattas are introduced as:
"Metteyyo Uttamo RÄmo, Paseno KosalobibÅ«, DÄ«ghasoṇīca Caá¹…kÄ«ca, Subo, Todeyya Brahmano. NÄḷÄgirÄ« PÄlileyyo, BhodhisatthÄ imedasa anukkamena sabhodiá¹, pÄpuṇissanti nÄgate".
which can be translated as:
"The 10 people who will gain enlightenment in the future are: The noble
Maitreya Buddha Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
, King Uttararama, King
Pasenadi Pasenadi ( pi, पसेनदि ; sa, पà¥à¤°à¤¸à¥‡à¤¨à¤œà¤¿à¤¤à¥ ; c. 6th century BCE) was an ruler of Kosala. SÄvatthÄ« was his capital. He succeeded after . He was a prominent (lay follower) of Gautama Buddha, and built many Budd ...
Kosala, Abhibhū, Dīghasoṇī, Caṅkī (Candanī), Subha, a
Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, बà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤¹à¥à¤®à¤£, brÄhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
named Todeyya, an
elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
named NÄḷÄgirÄ« and the king of elephants PÄlileyya. They will become the Future Buddhas in such order"


The 10 Bodhisattas


Maitreya

According to the AnÄgatavamsa, Maitreya buddha was a monk disciple named ''Ajita''. One day, GotamÄ« offered a golden robe to Gotama and his disciples. As no disciple accepted it, Ajita accepted the offering. The monk crowd were not satisfied as they felt that the robe was dedicated to the Buddha. In order to prove that Ajita is his successor, Gotama Buddha hid his emerald alms bowl and told his disciples to help retrieve it. Only Ajita was able to retrieve his bowl. After getting his alms bowl back, Gotama Buddha explained to his disciples that Ajita would become the next future Buddha. He also had told the future biography of Maitreya as SÄriputtara requested for it. After getting the omen, Ajita donated Gotami's robe as the ceiling of the monastery. Maitreya is currently residing at the
Tushita Tuá¹£ita (Sanskrit) or Tusita (PÄli) is one of the six deva-worlds of the KÄmadhÄtu, located between the YÄma heaven and the heaven. Like the other heavens, is said to be reachable through meditation. It is the heaven where the Bodhisatt ...
realm.


Uttararama

In the time of the
Kassapa Buddha Kassapa Buddha (PÄli), known as KÄÅ›yapa (काशà¥à¤¯à¤ª) in Sanskrit, is one of the ancient Buddhas whose biography is chronicled in chapter 24 of the ''Buddhavaṃsa'', one of the books of the Pali Canon. He was the last Buddha before th ...
, King UttarÄma was a young man named NÄrada. When he saw the Buddha he thought it worthwhile to give his life for the Buddha. And he burnt himself, like a torch. Then the Buddha Kassapa foretold that NÄrada would be the future buddha. After Maitreya Buddha died, there will be 100,000 Sunya-Kalpas. After the 100,000 Sunya-Kalpas, there will be a Maṇá¸a-Kalpa. In the Maṇá¸a-Kalpa, he will become ''RÄma Buddha'' (RÄmasambuddha Buddha).


Pasenadi

King Pasenadi of
Kosala The Kingdom of Kosala (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indian kingdom with a rich culture, corresponding to the area within the region of Awadh in present-day Uttar Pradesh to Western Odisha. It emerged as a janapada, small state during the late Ve ...
was an
UpÄsaka UpÄsaka (masculine) or UpÄsikÄ (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and PÄli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism (or, historically, of Gautama Buddha) who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, ...
of Gotama Buddha. He usually invited him and his disciples to his palace for meals and also went to Buddha's Place to listen to his Dharma. In the time of
KoṇÄgamana Buddha KoṇÄgamana (PÄli), also known as Kanakamuni in Sanskrit or alternatively KoṇÄgon or Kanakagamana, is one of the ancient Buddhas whose biography is chronicled in chapter 23 of the ''Buddhavaṃsa'', one of the books of the Pali Canon. ...
, he was a young man named Suddha. He guarded lotuses in a lake. He sold two flowers every day. Having appreciated his work, he foretold him that he would be the future Buddha. He also had protected him against the heat of the sun with two pieces of cloth. After his death he was reborn in one of the
desire realm The desire realm (Sanskrit: कामधातà¥, ''kÄmadhÄtu'') is one of the trailokya or three realms (Sanskrit: धातà¥, ''dhÄtu'', Tibetan: ''khams'') in Buddhist cosmology into which a being wandering in '' '' may be reborn. Th ...
. In the future, he will become a future Buddha named ''DhammarÄjÄ Buddha'' in the same kalpa as Ramasambhddha Buddha.


Abhibhū

AbhibhÅ« Buddha will be born in the next SÄrÄ-kalpa which will be formed a few Sunya-Kalpas later. After AbhibhÅ« Buddha dies, there will be another 100,000 Sunya-Kalpas.


DÄ«ghasoni

In the newly formed Kalpa, DÄ«ghasoni asurin (Rahu Asurin), a
deva Deva may refer to: Entertainment * ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film * ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film * ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film * Deva (2007 Telugu film) * ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film * Deva ...
, will become a Buddha first.


Caṅkī

Caṅkī (Candanī), a brahmin, will become a successor of Dīghasoni.De Pell Yinn Sayadaw, pp. 26–27


Subha

According to the
Majjhima NikÄya The Majjhima NikÄya (-nikÄya; "Collection of Middle-length Discourses") is a Buddhist scripture, the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka (lit ...
of the Pali Canon, Subha was the son of Todeyya. When Gotama Buddha visited Subha's house, his pet dog barked continuously. As soon as he revealed the past of the dog, it ran away in fear. When Subha knew about the matter, he went to the Buddha to disprove his statements. However, he only told him to ask his pet about the possessions he buried in the past life. As they could find the hidden possessions, Subha began to respect him and to do donations for his father. Another time, Subha asked the Buddha a seven sets of questions about the difference between humans. Having got satisfactory answers, he decided to become a devoted buddhist and to practise
PÄramitÄ ''PÄramitÄ'' (Sanskrit, Pali: पारमिता) or ''pÄramÄ«'' (PÄli: पारमी), is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated with ...
. The Buddha didn't see an omen, so their practice to gain enlightenment was not complete.


Todeyya

Todeyya was a rich Brahmin during the time of Gautama Buddha. Despite the wealth, he didn't manage to donate his possessions and hid them instead. Because of his obsession, he became a pet dog of Subha in the afterlife. Tigyaing Titaw Sayadaw, ''Questions about Buddhism'' Volume 3, pp. 119-121


NÄḷÄgiri

NÄḷÄgiri was the elephant that was used by
Devadatta Devadatta was by tradition a Buddhist monk, cousin and brother-in-law of Gautama SiddhÄrtha. The accounts of his life vary greatly, but he is generally seen as an evil and divisive figure in Buddhism, who led a breakaway group in the ea ...
to murder Gotama Buddha. It was fed sixteen pots of alcohol and ordered to fight the Buddha. When it was rushing towards him, he gently soothed the drunk elephant. He then began to preach some
Dharma Dharma (; sa, धरà¥à¤®, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
. After preaching, the elephant was tamed and paid respect to Buddha, then gradually walked away. Gotama Buddha did not give him the omen but had told him to do the
Five precepts The Five precepts ( sa, pañcaśīla, italic=yes; pi, pañcasīla, italic=yes) or five rules of training ( sa, pañcaśikṣapada, italic=yes; pi, pañcasikkhapada, italic=yes) is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay peo ...
. It also had got another name, "DanapÄla".


Palileyya

Gotama Buddha once left alone to the Palileyaka village due to the conflict between his disciples. The villagers built a monastery for him at the Rakkhita forest which was near their village. Meanwhile, an elephant named Palileya (Burmese: ပလလဲ) left his family because he felt cramped. He thought that living alone would be a solution. Then, he met the Buddha at his monastery. The Buddha told him about the benefits of solitude. In the JinatthapakÄsanÄ« (The explicit life of Buddha) written by Kyee Thel Lay Htet Sayadaw, Palileya looked after the Buddha. He usually guarded while he was sleeping. He gave a lot of fresh fruits to him and followed him to the village during
alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...
. He had taken care of him for a
Vassa The ''Vassa'' ( pi, vassa-, script=Latn, sa, vará¹£a-, script=Latn, both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July ...
(three months). After three months, Gotama Buddha had to leave him. He told him that he was not ready to practise for enlightenment. Palileyya died of grief. In the afterlife he became a Deva named Palileyya in the TÄvatiṃsa realm. According to the
Hmannan Yazawin ''Hmannan Maha Yazawindawgyi'' ( my, မှန်နန်း မဟာ ရာဇá€á€„်á€á€±á€¬á€ºá€€á€¼á€®á€¸, ; commonly, ''Hmannan Yazawin''; known in English as the '' Glass Palace Chronicle'') is the first official chronicle of Konbaung ...
of Myanmar, it is believed that the
Bagan Bagan (, ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Bagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that wou ...
Kings,
Thamoddarit Thamoddarit ( my, သမုဒ္ဒရာဇ် ; pi, SamuddarÄja; 76 – 152) was the legendary founder of Pagan Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar), who supposedly reigned from 107 to 152 CE. He was proclaimed as the founder of Pagan for the first ...
,
Anawrahta Anawrahta Minsaw ( my, အနော်ရထာ မင်းစော, ; 11 May 1014 – 11 April 1077) was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone ...
and
Kyaswa Kyaswa ( my, ကျစွာ, ; 1198–1251) was the king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1235 to 1251. Kyaswa succeeded his father Htilominlo and was even more devout.Harvey 1925: 59Coedès 1968: 183 Kyaswa's reign like his father ...
are the future lives of Palileyya. King
Myet-Hna Shay of Prome , image = , caption = , reign = 1377/78 – 1388/89 , coronation = , succession = Governor of Prome , predecessor = Saw Yan Naung (as viceroy) , successor ...
was also believed to be another afterlife as he spent most of his time mediating at a pagoda.San Tun(Mandalay University), King Myet-Hna Shay (1987)


References


Sources

* * * {{Buddhism topics Theravada Buddhist philosophical concepts Bodhisattvas