- Venerable Ananda

Ananda was one of the principal disciples and a devout attendant of the Buddha. He was a cousin of Prince Siddhartha and the son of Amitodana, an uncle of the Prince’. Since birth, he had brought much joy to his kinsmen, so he was named Ananda, meaning “bliss”.

In the second year of the Buddha’s ministry, Ananda entered the Sangha along with the Sakyan nobles, Anuruddha, Bhaddiya, Bhagu, Kimbila and Devadatta. Not long after, upon hearing a discourse from the Venerable Punna Mantaniputta, Ananda attained the first stage of sainthood (sotapanna).

When the Buddha was fifty-five years old, Venerable Ananda became His chief attendant. Earlier, during the first twenty years after His Enlightenment, the Buddha had no permanent attendant. The few temporary attendants were not very dutiful and their behaviour was not highly commendable. One day, while residing at Jetavana, the Buddha addressed the monks and say:

“Now I am old, Bhikkhus. When I say: “Let us go this way,”some go by another way; some drop my bowl and robe to the ground. Choose one disciple to attend upon me always.”

Immediately, all the monks, from Venerable Sariputta downward, volunteered their services, but the Buddha declined their kind offer. Since Venerable Ananda had remained silent, he was urged by the monks to offer his services as well. He consented on the condition that the Buddha grant the following eight requests:

1. The Buddha should not give him robes which He Himself had received.

2. The Buddha should not give him food which He had received.

3. The Buddha should not allow him to dwell in the same Fragrant Chamber.

4. The Buddha should not take him with Him wherever the Buddha is invited.

5. The Buddha should kindly go with him whenever he is invited.

6. The Buddha should kindly give him permission to introduce visitors who came from afar to see him.

7. The Buddha should kindly grant him permission to approach Him whenever any doubt should arise.

8. The Buddha should kindly repeat to him any discourses that were spoken in his absence.

The Buddha granted these four negative and four positive requests. Thenceforth, Venerable Ananda acted as His dutiful attendant for twenty-five years until the Buddha’s last moment. Like a shadow, Venerable Ananda followed the Buddha everywhere, attending to all His needs with great love and care. Both during day and night, his services were always at the disposal of his Master. At night, it is stated that Venerable Ananda used to go round the Buddha’s Fragrant Chamber nine times with a staff, and a torch in hand to keep himself awake so as to prevent the Buddha’s sleep from being disturbed.

Ananda Bodhi Tree

It was Venerable Ananda who was responsible for the planting of the Ananda Bodhi Tree. For some times, Devout followers used to bring flowers and garlands, lay them at the entrance of the Buddha’s Fragrant Chamber and depart with much rejoicing. The millionaire Anathapindika came to hear of this and requested Venerable Ananda to ask the Buddha whether there was a possibility of finding a place where His devotees might pay reverence to the Buddha when He was away on His teaching tours.

Consequently, Venerable Ananda approached the Buddha and asked:

“Lord, how many objects of reverences are there, may it please you?”

“There are three, Ananda. They are objects of reverence pertaining to the body, objects of reverence pertaining to personal use, and objects of reverence reminiscent of the Buddha.”

“Is it proper, Lord, to construct a cetiya while you are alive?”

“No, not an objects of reverence pertaining to the body, which it is only proper to erect after the passing away of the Buddha. An objects of reverence reminiscent of the Buddha has no physical basis, - it is purely mental. But the great bodhi-tree, used by the Buddha, whether He is alive or dead, is an object of reverence.”

“Lord, when you go on your teaching tours, the great monastery at Jetavanna is without refuge, and people find no object of reverence.”

“Lord. May I bring a seed from the great bodhi-tree and plant it at the entrance to the Jetavana ?”

“Very well, Ananda, plant it. It will then be as if I constantly abide in Jetavana”

Venerable Ananda mentioned this matter to the Buddha’s principal lay supporters, Anathapindika, Visakha, and tuition121King Pasenadi of Kosala, and requested the Venerable Moggallana to secure a seed from the great bodhi-tree. Venerable Moggallana readily consented and obtained a seed from the tree and delivered it to Venerable Ananda, who then presented this to King Pasenadi, who handed it to Anathapindika. Thereupon, Anathapindika stirred up the fragrant soil and dropped the seed in a hole that had been dug. The tree that spring up in that place was known as the Ananda Bodhi Tree.

Ananda – Custodian of the Dhamma

As he possessed a remarkably powerful memory and since he had the rare privilege of listening to practically all the discourses of the Buddha, owing to his close association with Him, he was later appointed the Custodian of the Dhamma. Referring to his own knowledge of the Dhamma in a reply to a question posed by a Brahim, Venerable Ananda said:

“I recite eighty-two thousand from the Buddha and two thousand from the Bhikkhus. There exist eighty-four thousand texts in all.”

The Buddha ranked Venerable Ananda foremost among His disciples in five respects, erudition, retentive memory, good behaviour, steadfastness, and ministering care. Though a distinguished disciple, well-versed in the Dhamma, Venerable Ananda lived as a “learner” (sekha) till the death of the Buddha. The Buddha’s final exhortation to him was: “You have done merit in the past, Ananda. Quickly be free from corruptions.”

It was only after the passing away of the Buddha that Venerable Ananda attained Arahantship. Inasmuch as he was expected to takes a leading part in the First Council, which was composed only of Arahants, he made a strenuous effort and attained Arhantship on the night preceding the First Council. It was mentioned that he attained this while lying down on his couch. It is thus stated that he was the only disciple to attain Arhantships free from the postures of sitting, standing, walking, or sleeping.  

Venerable Ananda passed away at the age of one hundred and twenty. The Dhammapada commentary states that, since people on both sides of the river Rohizi were of equal service to him and since both sides vied with each other to possess his relics, he sat cross-legged in the air over the middle of the river, preached the Dhamma to the crowd that had gathered, and wished that his body would split into two, with one part falling on the near side of the river and the another on the far side.

He then entered into the ecstatic meditation of the element of fire. Instantly, flame of the fire issued forth from his body, and as willed, one portion of his body fell into the near side of the river and the other on the far side.

The text Theragatha gives several stanzas uttered by Venerable

Ananda on various occasions. The following verses, which deal with

the frailty of this so-called “beautiful body” are particularly

interesting:

“Behold this adorned body, a mass of sores, an infirm lump, full

of diseases, highly thought of, of which nothing lasts, nothing

persists.”

Ananda and The Order of Nuns

It was also Venerable Ananda who persuaded the Buddha to admit

Women in the sangha. Had it not been for his intervention, Maha

Pajapati Gotami would not have succeeded in becoming a nun. The

nuns always held Venerable Ananda in high esteem and his sermons

were greatly appreciated by them.

On one occasion Venerable Ananda approached the Buddha and

asked Him:

“How are we to conduct ourselves. Lord with regard to women?”

“As not seeing them, Ananda.”

“But if we do not see them, Lord, what are we to do?”

“Do not talk to them, Ananda.”

“But if they speak to us, Lord, what are we to do?”

“Be watchful, Ananda.”

This general exhortation was given to the monks so that they might

constantly be watchful in their dealings with women.

Reference:

The Buddha and His Teachings By Narada Mahathera (1898-1983).