The first Council was that held at Rajagriha,
shortly after Buddha's death, under the presidency of Kasyapa--say about
B.C. 410. The second was that spoken of here--say about B.C. 300.]
CHAPTER XXVI
~Remarkable Death of Ananda~
Four yojanas on from this place to the east brought the travellers to
the confluence of the five rivers. When Ananda was going from Magadha to
Vaisali, wishing his pari-nirvana to take place there, the devas
informed king Ajatasatru [1] of it, and the king immediately pursued
him, in his own grand carriage, with a body of soldiers, and had reached
the river. On the other hand, the Lichchhavis of Vaisali had heard that
Ananda was coming to their city, and they on their part came to meet
him. In this way, they all arrived together at the river, and Ananda
considered that, if he went forward, king Ajatasatru would be very
angry, while, if he went back, the Lichchhavis would resent his conduct.
He thereupon in the very middle of the river burnt his body in a fiery
ecstasy of Samadhi [2], and his pari-nirvana was attained. He divided
his body into two parts, leaving one part on each bank; so that each of
the two kings got one part as a sacred relic, and took it back to his
own capital, and there raised a tope over it.
[Footnote 1: He was the son of king Bimbisara, who was one of the first
royal converts to Buddhism.
Pages:
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293