The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the Burmese (Volume I)Bigandet, Paul Ambroise
Religion
The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the Burmese (Volume I)
Bigandet, Paul Ambroise
Buddhism -- Burma; Burma -- Religion; Gautama Buddha
Arrived close to the gniaong tree,[4] Phralaong stopped at the south of
the tree, his face turned towards the north, when, on a sudden, the
southern point of the globe seemed to lower down to the hell Awidzi, the
lowest of all, whilst the northern one appeared to reach the sky. Then
he said, "Verily this is not the place where I shall become a Buddha."
Thence Phralaong went on his right side towards the east of the tree,
and standing up, his face turned towards the west, he said, "This is
indeed the place where all the preceding Buddhas have obtained the
supreme intelligence. Here, too, is the very spot whereupon I shall
become a Buddha, and set up my throne." He took, by one of their
extremities, the eight handfuls of grass and scattered them on the
ground, when, on a sudden, there appeared emerging, as it were, from the
bottom of the earth, a throne fourteen cubits high, adorned with the
choicest sculptures and paintings, superior in perfection to all that
art could produce. Phralaong, then facing the east, uttered the
following imprecation: "If I am not destined to become a Buddha, may my
bones, veins, and skin remain on this throne, and my blood and flesh be
dried up." He then ascended the throne, with his back turned against the
tree, and his face towards the east. He sat down in a cross-legged
position, firmly resolved never to vacate the throne, ere he had become
a Buddha. Such firmness of purpose, which the combined elements could
not shake for a moment, no one ought to think of ever becoming possessed
of.
Whilst Phralaong was sitting on the throne in that cross-legged
position, Manh Nat said to himself, "I will not suffer Prince Theiddat
to overstep the boundaries of my empire." He summoned all his warriors
and shouted to them. On hearing their chief's voice, the warriors
gathered thick round his person. His countless followers in front, on
his right and on his left, reached to the distance of eighteen
youdzanas, and above him to that of nine only. Behind him, they extended
to the very limits of the world. The cries of that immense multitude
were re-echoed at a distance of ten thousand youdzanas, and resembled
the roaring of the mighty sea. Manh Nat rode the elephant Girimegala,
measuring in length five youdzanas. Supplied with one thousand right
arms, he wielded all sorts of the most deadly weapons. His countless
warriors, to avoid confusion, were all disposed in ranks, bearing their
respective armour. They appeared like immense clouds, slowly rolling on
and converging towards Phralaong.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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