Temples of Sri Lanka

Dasa-Brahmana Jataka

The Bodhisatta was once a king’s advisor. The king’s generosity was legendary across India, but he was disappointed that people who got alms from him were wicked and did not keep the five precepts. He asked the Bodhisatta to find him the most righteous men in the land so he could give them alms and make lots of merit. After describing various kinds of holy men, all deemed unworthy of the king’s great gift, the Bodhisatta told the king about five hundred private Buddhas (those who reach enlightenment on their own and do not teach the path to others) who lived in Nandamula Cave deep in the Himalayas. The king asked the Bodhisatta to invite them to his palace. The Bodhisatta told the king the first step was to order every citizen to decorate the city, give alms, follow the holy-day vows, and pledge themselves to virtue.

At dawn the next day, the Bodhisatta and the king got on the ground and invited the distant private Buddhas by throwing eight handfuls of flowers into the air: they magically traveled across the land and fell on the private Buddhas. Knowing that this invitation came from one with the seed of Buddhahood within him, the private Buddhas accepted. And since the flowers did not return, the Bodhisatta knew the private Buddhas would come. The next morning, the private Buddhas flew to the palace courtyard, where the king gave them great honor and grand gifts for a whole week. When it was time to leave, they thanked the king and flew back to their mountain home.

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