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590 12. Jaina śrävaka Vappa:
There is a preliminary discussion between the Jaina follower Vappa and the long-lived Mahamaudgalya - yana on karma committed in a previous birth but its result not experienced then by one who is fully restrained and pious in this birth. The point at issue is, if he experiences the outcome in this birth. According to Vappa who is expressing the Jaina view, he does. The discussion is then referred to Buddha who had just arrived after evening meditation. Buddha broke up the issue under four heads, activity of the body, activity of words, activity of mind and removal of nesciences, and posed the question from a different angle and in each case, the answer of Vappa was now in the negative. He was convinced that Buddha was right and his own master was wrong. He became a follower of Buddha Source: Suttapițake Anguttara Nikāya Pali, Catu- .
kka-Nipata Mahāvagga Vappasutta, 4. 20.5, (from Hindi version), 'p. 188-192.
Comment
Vappa was a Sakya King, Buddha's own unclel. The Jaina sources, however, do not mention him. What Buddha told him was not contrary to the Jaina tradition, but he had confused him through his mode of presentation, Mrs. Rhys Davids has expressed the possibility of this Vappa being identical with "one of those five friends in whom the Sakyamuni sought fellow helpers?. But this is not correct. Both belonged to Kapilavastu, of course, but one was a brahmin of the Vasistha line while the other was a Sakya Ksatriya. The brahmin
had been initiated much earlier. After Buddha's enlightenment, he and his friends attained the ar hat-hood.
Though he was Buddha's uncle, he was a follower of Mahāvira, according to this account, which should easily 1. Añguttara Nikāya Atthakatha, Part II, p. 559. 2. The Book on Gradual Sayings, Vol. II, Introduction,
p.XIII. 3. Vinaya Pițaka, Mahāvagga Mahākhandhaka, item on
Pancavaggiya Bhikṣu,
