Upasena: Sudden Death !!

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yawares
Posts: 1531
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:23 pm

Upasena: Sudden Death !!

Post by yawares »

Dear Members,

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Oh no no..not the 'Sudden Death' movie by the cute kungfu 'Jean Claude Van Damme'...this is a dhammapada story!

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:candle: Upasena: Sudden Death :candle:
[www.palikanon.com/english/pali]

Upasena Vangantaputta.-He was born in. Nālaka as the son of Rūpasārī, the brahminee, his father being Vanganta. He was the younger brother of Sāriputta. When he came of age, he learnt the three Vedas, and, having heard the Buddha preach, entered the Order. When his ordination was but one year old, he ordained another bhikkhu, to increase the number of holy ones, and went with him to wait upon the Buddha. The Buddha roundly rebuked him for this hasty procedure, and Upasena, wishing to earn the Master's praise on account of the very cause of this rebuke, practised insight and became an arahant. Thereafter he adopted various dhutangas and persuaded others to do likewise. In a short time he had a large retinue, each member of which was charming in his way, and the Buddha declared Upasena to be the best of those who were altogether charming (samantapāsādikānam).

Buddhaghosa says that Upasena was famed as a very clever preacher (pathavighutthadhammakathika), and many joined him because of his eloquence. More details are given of how Upasena admitted monks into the Order and of the conditions imposed on them. It is said there that after Upasena's visit, the Buddha allowed monks who practised dhutangas, to visit him even during his periods of retreat.

He visited the Buddha when the Buddha had enjoined on himself a period of solitude for a fortnight; the monks had agreed that anyone who went to see the Buddha would be guilty of a pācittiya offence, but the Buddha, desiring to talk to him, asked one of Upasena's followers if he liked rag-robes. "No, Sir, but I wear them out of regard for my teacher," was the reply.[In the Theragāthā are found several verses ascribed to Upasena as having been spoken by him in answer to a question by his saddhivihdrika]

One day, while Upasena was sitting after his meal in the shadow of the Sappasondika-pabbhāra, fanned by the gentle breeze, mending his outer robe, two young snakes were sporting in the tendrils overhanging the cave. One fell on his shoulder and bit him, and the venom spread rapidly throughout his body; he called to Sāriputta and other monks who were near, and requested that he might be taken outside on a couch, there to die. This was done, and his body "was scattered there and then like a handful of chaff."

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Upasena had been, in Padumuttara's day, a householder of Hamsavatī. One day he heard the Buddha declare one of his monks to be the best of those who were altogether charming, and wished for a similar declaration regarding himself by some future Buddha. Towards this end he did many deeds of piety. The Apadāna mentions that he gave a meal to Padumuttara and eight monks, and at the meal placed over the Buddha's head a parasol made of kanikdra-flowers. As a result, he was thirty times king of the devas and twenty-one times cakkavatti.

Upasena is given, together with Yasa Kākandakaputta, as an example of one who observed the Vinaya precepts thoroughly, without imposing any new rules or agreements.

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:heart: Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya :heart:
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yawares
Posts: 1531
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:23 pm

Re: Upasena: Sudden Death !!

Post by yawares »

Dear Nina,

:heart: HAPPY BIRTHDAY :heart:

Thai Carved Fruits and a dhammapada story"Upasena" for your birthday!!
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Tep told me that today is your birthday...how nice that your birthday is April 5...Tep's April 4...and mine, April Fool !!

Miss you/Love you :heart:
yawares :heart: :jumping:
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