Maha Kassapa , also known as Maha Kassapa, belongs to the Brahmin caste. His father is a rich man from Shecheng, King of Magadha. Kassapa is one of the ten disciples of Buddha. There are many Buddhist disciples named Kassapa , such as Shili Kassapa, San Kassapa brothers, etc. Because they are older (older than the Buddha), they are called "Great Kassapa". From the age of eight, he has been learning sacrifices, incantations, arithmetic, medicine, literature, Vedic , music, singing and dancing in accordance with the requirements of Brahmanism, with the goal of becoming a high priest of Brahmanism. Because of his extraordinary intelligence, he can master all knowledge in one go. Yearning for a pure spiritual life, Kassapa lived in solitary confinement since his youth, hating worldly passions.
The Separate Couple
When Kasyapa came of age, he determined to be abstinent for life. In order to continue the family line, his parents decided to let him marry and have children. The matchmaker introduced several to him, but he rejected them all because of their poor image and temperament. His parents sent people everywhere to look for beauties. As long as they were peerless beauties, they would not be able to impress him. From Wangha to Vaishali city in the north, in the village of Kapila on the outskirts of Vaishali, there was a Brahmin rich man named Kapila. He had a daughter named Miaoxian, who lived within a few hundred miles. The number one beauty. The matchmaker introduced Kassapa's family situation to Kapila. Kapila was very satisfied and immediately agreed to the marriage.
After getting married, even though the bride was a stunning beauty, she did not change Kasyapa's ambition. And the bride has no problem with that. So they never consummated their marriage. It turns out that not only Kassapa longed for an ascetic life, but her wife Miaoxian also hated the five desires and hoped to practice pure Brahma. The two were like-minded and lived a "sexless" married life. At night, although they lived in the same room, they slept in separate beds and were only nominally husband and wife. Later, Kasyapa's parents found out about this situation. They thought it was unlucky for newlyweds to sleep in separate beds, so they asked people to move one bed out of the room, leaving only one bed. The couple took turns sleeping, one sleeping and the other sitting in meditation indoors. They lived together like this for twelve years.
After his parents passed away, Kasyapa and Miaoxian discussed it and decided that Kasyapa would become a monk first. He will first go to another place to seek guidance from a master, and after visiting a master, he will come back to pick up Miao Xian.
After Kassapa became a monk, he visited famous teachers abroad, but the practice methods of all the teachers could not completely satisfy him. At that time, the Buddha lived in Bamboo Grove Abode , while Kassapa lived outside the north gate of Rajagaha, so he often went to Bamboo Grove Abode to listen to the Buddha's sermons.
After listening to several Dharma conferences, he felt that the Buddha was the Master he had been looking for all his life, so he took refuge in the Buddha who was younger than him. The Buddha taught him the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Causes and Conditions. On the eighth day after his tonsure, Kasyapa attained the fruit of Arahantship.
After Kassapa achieved fruition, he sent someone to bring Miao Xian to join the bhikshuni Sangha. Due to Miao Xian's diligent practice, he soon became an Arhat. Received praise from Buddha.
The ascetic Tutu
After Kassapa took refuge in the Buddha, he practiced the Tutu asceticism with peace of mind. He did not want to live the monastic life in a monastery with other monks. What he likes is to sit quietly in the open air, sleep in graves, and sweep clothes while wearing excrement. Because of his advocating asceticism, he was highly respected by the monks. Kassapa advocated that the following ten things should be adhered to when cultivating dhutanga: first, choose a free place to live, second, live a begging life, third, live in one place, fourth, eat once a day, fifth, beg for food and not choose between rich and poor, and sixth, To keep the three robes and bowls, the seventh is to sit under a tree and meditate, the eighth is to sit quietly in the open air, the ninth is to wear dung-sweeping clothes, and the tenth is to live in a tomb.
Shariputra and Riganlian once advised him to develop bodhicitta and engage in missionary activities that benefit living beings. But he said: I need to set an example of asceticism so that people in the future can respect and practice the asceticism of being content with less desires.
Once, the Buddha was preaching to the public in the Deer Mother Lecture Hall. Kassapa came staggering over wearing dung-sweeping clothes with unkempt hair and dirty face.
When the Buddha saw this, he advised him: Kassapa, you are old, so you should not continue to practice asceticism. Take off your dung-sweeping clothes and put on clean and soft clothes to avoid being too tired.
Kassapa said: I take Tutu as a happy thing, I don’t worry about food and clothing, I have no gain or loss, and my heart is filled with the joy of pure liberation.
After listening to Kasyapa's words, the Buddha said meaningfully: In the future, my dharma will not be destroyed by demons and heretics, but by the corruption of the Sangha itself. If the righteousness of the Dharma is to last for a long time and the Dharma's destiny is to last, Kasyapa is indeed worthy of everyone's respect. Kassapa, I won’t force you, just practice in your own way.
When Kasyapa went out to beg for food, he always avoided the rich and chose the poor. There was an old woman in the city of Rajgir, who had no relatives and no one to rely on. She was seriously ill and was sleeping in a garbage dump in an alley, waiting to die. The rich man's rice water flowed beside her, so she caught it with a tile and used it to satisfy her hunger. Kassapa sympathized with the old woman and walked up to her to beg. The old woman had nothing else, so she handed the rice water on the tiles to Kassapa, who took it and drank it in one gulp. It is said that this old woman passed away and became a goddess after her death in Trayastra Palace because she made offerings to Arhats.
Because Kassapa strictly observed the precepts and took pleasure in ascetic practices, he was highly valued by the Buddha. When the Buddha came to Savatthi State , he was entrusted with the responsibility of the urbanized area of Rajagaha.
Holding the flower and smiling
It is said that one time the Buddha preached the sermon in Lingjiu Mountain , and Brahma presented a golden Polo flower to the Buddha. The Buddha held it in his hand and didn't say a word for a long time. Everyone present was confused. Only Mahakasyapa smiled. The Buddha happily said to his disciples: "I have the Dharma Eye, the wonderful mind of Nirvana, the formless reality, the subtle Dharma door, and I have the instruction of Maha Kassapa." At the same time, he also gave Kasyapa the gold-threaded cassock and alms bowl that he usually used. This is the story of "The Legend of the Manchu". Mahakasyapa was therefore listed as the "First Patriarch of the Western Heaven" by Chinese Zen Buddhism.
Collection of Tripitaka
When the Buddha entered nirvana in the twin woods of Kushina, Kassapa was leading five hundred bhikkhus to spread the Dharma in the north. After learning about the demise of the Buddha, he led his disciples to the city of Kushina on a starry night. Everyone was very sad when they saw the Buddha's body. But some disciples said that now that the Buddha is dead, we can be free and no one can control us from now on. Kassapa was very anxious after hearing this. He felt that the Buddha's teachings during his lifetime should be compiled as soon as possible so that the Sangha could have rules to follow. After holding the Dhamma ceremony for the Buddha, he immediately presided over the first gathering of Tripitaka.
In the Seven-leaf Cave , Ananda recited the Dharma Collection, Upali recited the Vinaya Collection, and Kassapa himself recited the Commentary Collection. After the death of the Buddha, Kassapa took the initiative to shoulder the burden of leading the monks, gathered holy scriptures, and avoided the division of the monks. He made a significant contribution to the history of Buddhism.
Jizu Mountain Shanghou Maitreya
Kassapa lived to be more than a hundred years old and taught the Dharma to Ananda. Then he went to Jizu Mountain in the southwest of the city of Wangha. In the basin between the peaks, he sat on the ground and swore: I now swear The magical power makes the body indestructible and covers it with dung. When Maitreya becomes a Buddha in 5.7 billion years, he will visit here. I will dedicate the mantle of Sakyamuni Buddha to him and help him teach and transform all living beings. Then he entered meditation at Jizu Mountain. His disciples came to the mountains to search, but they could only see the mountains but could not find Venerable Kassapa .
nianhuazhi
