Jain Journal 1977 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 13

JAIN JOURNAL
arhat-ship by Sariputra and others Yuan Chwang next tells about the Monkey Tank, which was to the south of a stone pillar about 50 feet high surmounted by a lion, at an Asokan tope to the north-west of the Relic tope. He says the Tank (or Pond) had been made by monkeys for the Buddha, and that the latter resided at this place. Near the west:side of the Tank, he continues, "was a tope on the spot at which the monkeys took the Buddha's bowl up a tree for honey to give him; near the south bank was a tope at the place where the monkeys presented the honey; and near the north east corner of the Tank was a picture (or image) of a monkey." While the story is laid here at Vaisali there are variations which have laid it at Sravasti or at Mathura. The story given by the Chinese text Hsien-yu-ching tells of a Brahmin boy at Sravasti who was born by the blessings of the Buddha. When the boy was born he was given the name Madhurasaci (Mo-t' ou-lo-se-chih, Chinese Mi-sheng) since the honey-vessels became full of honey" during his birth. Afterwards, the boy became a disciple of the Buddha "who explained to Ananda that Mi-sheng in a long-past previous existence had been a bhiksu, that he had then once been disrespectful to a senior Brother. The senior rebuked him gently and Mi-sheng was penitent, but he had to suffer punishment for his thoughtless rude language by 500 births as a monkey. It was in the last of these births that the incident of the honey-offering occurred.” Once Buddha with his disciples was taking rest under some trees by the side of a tank close to Sravasti when his bowl was taken by a monkey, the former bhiksu, and was offered to him after it was filled with honey. At first the Buddha returned the bowl to remove the insects from the honey: When it was cleaned and added with water and thereby made 'pure' for the bhiksus the bowl of honey was accepted by the Buddha. At this, the monkey "frisked about with delight until he fell and was drowned in the pit below. But by the merit of the gift of the honey he was immediately born again as a human creature and became the disciple Mi-sheng." Other Chinese texts give some variations of the episode. According to one version the bhiksu was named Madhu-Vasistha. Another account calls him Mi-hsing, i.e., Honey-nature. There are other versions with regards to Mi-sheng or Mi-hsing. While one of these tells that the monkey frisked about with delight but did not fall into the water another one narrates that he expired and was born in Paradise. This story was heard by Yuan Chwang as an explanation of the name Mathura which scholars equate with Madhura. 10 In this connectinnacother episode has been recalled by
* Ibid., Vol II, p. 65. 8 Ibid., Vol. I, p. 310. • Ibid., Vol. I, pp. 310-11. 10 Ibid., Vol. I p. 311.