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APR
OPOS AVYA 1JJ1YY
^
A^U TH
AHbAVUUA^UA^A

. .
Inf
onation from the Theravda tradition concering the fture Buddha
Metteyya (Sanskrit: Maitreya) has been presented by Sayagyi U Chit Tin in a publication
clle
Te
Coraing Budha Ariya Metteyya. I Very little has heen said of Buddha
Metteyya in the Pali Canon itself but many details are added in the Pali commenl'illeS
ad
later texts in the Theravada tradition.2 Besides giving information fom the
commentaries and details from texts on the decline in the present Buddha-sasana, Chit
Tin
bases his descriptior of the career of the future Buddha Metteyya largely on the P:Jj
pom
Anlatavaflsa, the Chronicle of the Future (Buddha) . 3 William Pruitt's
tran
slation of this poem into English is appended to Chit Tin's publication. 4 A seond
appendix gives translations into English of Aspirations to Meet Budha Ariya Metteyya
found at the conclusion of Pali manuscripts in Sri Lanka, Sinhala manuscripts, the
Dvtasaparitta, the commentary on the Jltaka, Sinala manuscripts of Acariya
Buddhaghosa' s Visuhimagga and Atthasllinl, an aspiration attributed to King
Parakramabau I of Sri Lanka, the aspiration of Thera Maha-Mangala in his biography
of Acariya Buddhaghosa, the aspiration at the end of sharing merits in the Dalla
ceremony in Sri Lanka and the aspiration used in conetion with the recitation of
Parinas in Sri Lka. 5 As acknowledged, these transiations except that fom the
Atthasalintmanuscripts, have been taken from Venerable Dr. Saddhatissa's study of the
Dasabodhisattuppattikthl,6 and altered in a few instances. Ven. Saddhatissa gives the
relevant Pali or Sinhala text except that of the Sinhala text of the Visuddhimagga_
To this list of aspirations can be added the following information I note at the
conclusion of Sri Lan manuscripts in the Minayev collection kept in the State Pubiic
2
3
4
6
Sayagyi U Chit Tin Te Coming Buddha Ariya Metteyya. Second Revised
Edition. The Wheel Publication No. 3811383. Buddhist Publication Society.
Kandy (1992). Originally published in 1988 as Dhammadana Series 7 by the
Sayagyi U Ba Kin Memorial Trust. U.K.
ibid. back cover.
ibid.
ibid. pages 49. - 61.
ibid. pages 62 - 65.
H. Saddhatissa. Te Birth-Stories of the Tell Bodhisatras alld th(
Dasabodhisattuppattikatha. Being a translation and edition of the
Dasabodhisalluppallikath5 PTS. London (1975) p_ 36 - 42.
APROPOS ARIYA METTEYYA AND THE MAHASAMPI11ANIDANA 79
. ,
Library in st. Petersburg.
7
1. A comhination of two aspirations noted by Yen. SaddhHissa (pp. 36,38) with
a statement i Pali and an aspiration in SilhaJa intersperse at u conclusion of a
manuscript of the Brahmaj1lasutta.
8
7
imaJ{ likita-pui;fiena metteyyanJ upasatikami
pati{(hahitv7 Sara!le supati!{hami sasane
'By the merit of this writing, may J draw near to Metteyya
(and) b.aving ben establishe in the Refges, may i b \vdi esta, Itshcd in the
sZna'
(Saddhatissa p. 36)
Statement in PaIi:
akkhararrl ktnek'l \ buddharupatrl sari/al!' siyci. Tasma hi pal(jilo
poso likheyya piakattayarl likh7ya palinG dhammam
navako

;sahassakJ?l kappmtl akharaganana.va cakvatti bhavissati.

"Each letter would b equal to an image of the Buddha. Therefore a
wise person should copy the thre-fold canon. Having copie. the
doctrine in Pali, he will become a universal monarch during mne
thousand crores of aeons according to the number of letters.
Aspiration in Sinhala:
s'rrtddhadlpaitcG dharmayen hi prajnaven yu.kal'( up(dimv(
'May I b born endowed with the five qualities such as faith and
wisdom. '
Aspiration reorded and translated by Ven. Saddhatissa (p. 38) as follows:
Ratna Handurukande, The Minayev Collection of Manuscripts in the State
Public Library in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). The Sri Lank Joural of the
Humanities Vol. XVI, University of Peradeniya 1990 (publishe in 1992) p.
195 - 214.
ibid. p. 20.
RATNABANDURUKNDE
Ito cuto 'ham vara-]ambudie
Himalaye hemamayamhi kite
Kappayuko devapatT va hutvZi
Metteanihassa sUfomi dhammml
_____, ____ 80
' Having departed from here ad bing born on the golden peak of
Himalaya in the noble lambudipa as a leading deity of an aeon's life,
span, I shall inde hear the Dhamma of the Lord Metteyya.'
2. A aspiration in Sill.hala at the conclusion of a Pall manuscript of the
Maabodhivama. <
metun balen matu floyipada dujatiye k
tanin dinama pilisindagena seuve ka
upan upall tanakama nibanda sil ra ka
nivan dakim mam met munirajull do k
By the power of these three Uewels of the Buddha, Dhar and
sangha) may 1 not be bor in an evil birth in the future, may I b born
in tortunate circumstances at all pJaces, may I obsere the precepts
constantly wherever 1 am br ad may I attain Nibbana afer seeing
Metteyya, the king of sages.
3. Aspiration in Pali at the conclusion of a manuscript of the
DhammacakpavattallasuttalO
ima
n
likhitapuinena mette)yal1.l upasark.amitva bodhilar!l dhammaf
(
!
nibbo,puragaminam siddhir astu
By the merit of writing this may I
g
o near Metteyya and may the
doctrine understood by me lead me to the city of Nibbana.
The following aspirations of the copyists of Sri Lnkan manuscripts in the
Minayev colletion expressing their desire to beome Buddhas, and to excel in wisdom,
wealth and generosity are of interest, though there is no specific mention of Metteyya
in the relevant formulae.
9
iO
ibid. p. 201.
ibid. p. 210. Manuscript No. 916-87. The spiration not printed there is given
here from my notes on this manuscript.
APROPOS ARIYA METTEYYA AND THE MAHASAMPANIANA 81
1. Aspiration in Pali at the conclusion of a Pali manuscript of the BalavaLaral1
2.
iminapuffakammeno yava buddho bhavZmahaf mahosadhm'a nal!ena
jOlise

t.hiva bhogina(sic
.
) vessantarova danena holu nwyhmr1
bhavZbhave.
With this act of merit, may I be like Mahosadha in wisdom, like the'
merchant .oti in wealth and like Vessantara in generosity in aJl births
until I become a Buddha.
The same aspiration is found at the conclusion of a manuscript vI' the
commentarial text, the Saripatrhtnapada-auhavannand2 with a few variants
and a change in the order of

words. anena pfnakammefla yllva buddho

bhavamaham I'essantarova danenajotisetthlva bJwginam (ic.) mahosadhova
nar!ena hOlu
'
mayhm!1 bhal'abhave.
,
.
.
The copyist of this manuscript, Walpala Sobhita Terunnanse, incumbent of the
J ayawardhana Kotte monastery (Jayawardh(/!/a KOfte viHarasthinayehi nityavasi
vi), who completed his work (liya fndu kala) o a Saturday afteroon ({ani
dina divihhagayed/ in the year 2381 of the Buddhist era (SrTbuddhavar,"ayen
deds tUflsiya as7eka{a pdmilJi mema var-ayehi) aspires to be a supreme Buddha
(buduvemva lovutura).
3. A aspiration in Sinhala at the conclusion of a Sinhala commentary to the
Swyasatakal3
mama da lovtura buduveml
May I too become a supreme Buddha.
4. Aspiration in Sinhala at the conclusion of a Pali manuscript of the
Mahasatipatthanasutta 14
>
II
12
13
14
fluva'attan krehi agra vemva
ibid. p. 199.
ibid. p. 204,205.
ibid. p. 213.
ibid. p. 202. Manuscript No. 976-78 printed there should be corrected to read
as 916-18.
" '"
, .
RATNA HANDURUKANDE
I
,'
i
M I e aong the wise.
82
One text in the Theravada tradition that was not availahle to Chit Tin at the time
he wrote on Ariya Metteyya was the Mah7sampindanidlna. He draws attention to a
..
story in it concerning Yen. Mahakassapa which has informati on relevant to Metteyya
given in Yen Saddhatissa's publication on the Dasabodhi.mttuppattikarha. Saddhati:;s3,
who refers to the Mahasampiyanidmla as a rare Pali work dealing with the Bodhisatta
ideal and the life of the Buddha, probably written in the later part of the 12th century,
gives the description of the passing away (parillibbclw) of Mahakassapa and the
mraculous cremation of his dead body in the hand of the future Buddha Meteyya a
found in this textY His source of information is an ola leaf manuscri pt of the
MahasampiJ4anidana kept in the Colombo Museum in Sri Lanka, the reevant setion
of which was copied for him by another scholar. 16 Saddhatissa refers to another
incom
plete manuscript of the Mahas{lllIpilUanidana available in the Briti sh Museum from
which he gives information about the number of Buddhas arising in each aeon. 17
An incomplete palm-leaf manuscript of 170 folios called Sampii4ita,1 nWna
mahanidtlld is found in the M inayev Collection of Manuscripts in the State Public
Library in St. Petersburg.18 The section dealing with the passing away of Mahakassapa
thera and the burial (abhi;;7hara) by the Future Buddha Maitreya is found at the end of
this manuscript. r give below in broad outline the cont ent of the St. Petersburg
mnuscript of the Mahasampi!!canidn{( based on notes J made dunng a visit there" u
1989-90.
\
The author begins the text by stating that he will relate the 'Great Narrative of
the Beginnings of the Thret Jewels called the Sampintiwm, the Compndium, as handf.A
down by a succession of teachers . ' (rarana{(ayrlla; sapiIAital! liama mahollidanan:
vakkhami acariyaparampareh7ti). Then he proceeds as follows. Beginning (nialla) is
three-fold according to ancient teachers viz. 'the beginnings of the remote past'
(durenidana), 'the beginnings of the not very remote past' (avidurellidZna) and the
'beginnings in the present ' (santikellidalla). The story of the remote past according to
this text comprises accounts of previous lives of Gautama Buddha from the time of
Buddha Dipamkara upto that of his birth as King Yessantara. The not so remote story
is that from the time of Vessantara upto the time of attaining enlightenment. The present
story is that of the Buddha's life thereafter until his pasing away. Some teachers speak
of a four-fold nidana viz. the very remote (atidura), the remote (dura), the not so
l5
Saddllatissa op.cit. pages 43-44.
l6
ibid. p. 52, n. 48 and 49.
17
ibid. p. 94.
18
Handurukande op.cit. p. 203-204.
APROPOS ARIY A METTEYY A AND THE MAHAS_AMPANIDANA 83
remote (avidura), and the present (sanfike). The ver
y
remote story covers the period
from the time of Buddha Brahmadeva upto the time of Buddha Dipamkara, Juring which
period Gautama Buddha as a bodhisatta resolved to attain enlightenment Br:hmadeva
Buddha is said to have l i ve in the great city of Karakanda, in the very distant past, in
the aSaJlkheyakappa called Nanda. DlpaJara Buddha live in the kappa called
Varamdaka. The Buddhas Tanhamkara, Medbamara and Saranamara were his
. ' , . J
predeCessors in he same kappa. The aspirations of dl(: bodhisatta d lring the
dispnsations of these Buddhas, his supreme virtues and the Perftion1i :Ilc\l a:
generosity which he practised upto the time of his birth as the ascetiC Sume a in the
timp of Buddha Dipambnl, when it was prophesied that he will become a Buddha, are
discussed as part of the remote story. The !ar . r in w i"h he bz} 1 i;H'ta :.tlt.'pcled ()I
twenty-four Buddhas beginning with Dlpa/i)kara and received prophecles from each of
them is also described in this section.
The subsequent setion of the text which deals with the not so uistani story
includes the followin
g
events and episodes: the five great reflections made by the
Bodhisatta living in the heaven of the Tusita gods , these refections being about the time,
continent, country, family and the mother in his last birth preeing enlightenment; the
conception in the womb of Quen MahaOaya, the chief consort of King Suddhodana; the
birh .l(! the utterance of the lordl
y
words 'I am the most excellent in the world' etc.;
the birth of seven others at the same time as the bodhisatta; the prpho:y that the prine ,
the son of Suddhodana, who had the characteristics of a great man was dettined to be
a universal monarch if he led a household life or a Buddha if he renounct'. the world;
the ploughin3 festival; the incident of King Suddhodana erecting three mansions to suit
each season for the use of his son; the prince's visits to the pleasure park during 'Nhich
he saw an old ma, a sick man, a corpse and a recluse created by the Suddhavasa gods;
the prince's reactions to seing these omens culminating in his decision to ren unc, th
world on the very day he sa'. the \.ell-clad, well-robed recluse, so calm and peaceful
in appearance; the anllOUJlcement of this deision to the charioteer Charma with the
[pquest that he ).fepres the horse for the Great Depature; going past thre kogdoms i
a single night and arriving at the bank of a nver, at the end of a jour:.)', thIrty yOj!!fWS
long; the prince's departure at this poi nt and the death of the horse Kanthaka through
grief; the prince's arrival at a mango-grove in the tovm of Anupiya; s
p
ending a week
there enjoying the bliss of renouncing worldly lif; arrivlg in the city of Rajagaha;
reuest of the king of Rajagaha that the prince, the bodhisatta, should visit his kingdom
frst on attaining enlightenment and the bodhisatta's assent; setting out wanderi ng from
there and arriving at the hermitages of Al ara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta where he
spent sometime; the bodhisatta's deision to practise severe austerities; giving up these
austerities after some time on realising that they did not lead to enlightenment; the
deision to partake of a substantial amount of food for sustenance; arrival at the place
calle Isipatana after begging for alms in villages and market-towns; the offering of
milk-rice in a bowl by the maiden Sujata; partaking of it on the bank of the river
Neranjara; arriving at the bodhi-IlI(1nda, the terrace of enlightenment; confrontation of
Mara, the Evil Oe; shattering hi' and his forces culminating in the attainment of
Buudhahood, which event occasione man
y
a miracle.
RATNAlfANDURUKANDE 84
Stating that the events discussed above should be known as the avidiirenidalla,
the
author of the Sampi'!fa-mah?llidalia proceeds to narrate e
p
isodes categorised under
santikeniailla, which he again defines as the activities of the Buddha from the lime of
enlightenment upto the parinibbtlla, the passing away. The main episodes so discussed
are: the manner of the Buddha's spending the frst few weks after enlightenment; his
wish to preach the doctrine and dehating as to whom he should do 50 in the first
instance; his going to the Der Park at Isipatana and the arrival there of the
paJc(vaggTya monks, the monks belonging to the group of five; the preaching of the first
sennon, the DhammacakkappavaffallaSU({a; the conversion of the noble youth Y8.sa; the
gradual formation and the increase of the community of monks; ihe Buddha's exhortation
to the ronk to go fJrth for the welfare of the many; th, arrival of the Buddha at
Uruvela, resulting in the conversion of the ascetic Uruvelakassapa and others; the arrival
of the Buddha with a thousand monks in the city of Rijagaha and the acceptance of alms
at the palace of King Bimhisara; the conversion of Saripntta and MoggaWna and their
being appoi nted as the chief disciples; taking up residence in Veluvanarama; the story
of the Elder Kaludayi; the Buddha's arri val on the bank of the river Rohin; heing
invited to take
'
up residence in the N igrodhanima by King SUddhodana;
'
meeting
Yasodhara, the mother of Rahula, being praised by her with the chanting of the set of
stanzs called the Narm7ha-galhil: the narration of the Candakiflllarajataka in the course
of a doctrinal discourse at the end of which Yasodhara attai ned sOliatfiphala. the fruit
of entering the stream; the incident of ordaining Nancla, the Buddha's half-brother, on
the third day of the Buddha's arrival at Kapilavatthu; the episode of being told that the
son Rahula wished to inherit the father's wealth and the subsequent ordination of Rahula;
King Suddhodana's immense grief on losing hoth son and grandson; information about
where the Buddha spent the rainy seasons, the first in Varalasi, the second at Rajagaha
and so on, and the last in the village of Ve!uvana; the events that took place shortly
hefore the finai passing away viz. the Buddha's going for alms to Vesali, acceptance of
alms at the house of Cunda, the SOIl of a smith, informing the eider Ananoa of the wish
to go to Kusinara, arriving there and lying like a lion in the nhaseya pOSture: between
the tWln sal tres, head towards the north; heing questioned as to ',vhat line of action
should be followed in relation to the body of the Buddha after his passing away;
declaration to Aanda of four persons worthy of being honoured by the eretion of Ihupa
mounds; the visit of Subhadda; the final admonition to the monks viz. "All conditiontd
things are subject to dp-ay. Strive diligently" (vayadhammi salkhara appamadella
sampQetha); pariniboaha, the passing away and the concurrent miracles such as the
trembling of the earth, many in number; and the eretion of .several fhupas after the
demise of the Buddha.
Nibhclakathi, the story of the passing away, is followed by the story of the
Council, sahgrtikarhi. A large numher of monks had assembled on the day of the
distribution of rel ics. Considering that such gatherings would be rare, it was deided
that a council should be held at the time. Th vi/wya, rules of discipline and the suttas,
the discourses, were recited, the elders Upali, Ananda and Maha-Kassapa being the
disciples who played a prominent part at this assemhly.
APROPOS ARIYA METTEYYA AND THE MAHASAMPINDANIDANA 85
A
The saJigTikarhii is followed by the story of the passing away of the Venerable
Mahakassapa. It is said that he continued to reside at Veluvanarama after the recitation
of the dhamma and the vil/aya and the enshrinement o(relics, where he passed away
subsequently. This section of the Mahasampj,

({allidafla has ben translated into English

by Yen. Saddhatissa in his introduction to Te Birth-Stories of the Tefl Bodhisattas.l<
Allagata-kth(7, the Story of the Future, which forms the next section of the text,
deals with the prediction made by the Buddha with reference to a certain mon, viz. that
he will be Buddha Metteyya in this same bhaddak a. Anagafa-katha is followe by
the Kappaparicchedakatha, whi ch as its name indicates gives information about various
perios of time called the kappas. The theme of the secti() that follows IS not cler fr
the manuscript under consideration is incomplete.
The cursory survey given ahove of the content of the MahZampira
flidiinaktha base on a Sri Lmkan manuscript kept in SI. Petersburg has been made to
invite attention to this text with the hope that a criti cal edition of it will appear in the
near fture. Yen Dr. Yatagama Dhammapaia, incumbent of the Sarasvati Pirivena at
Balagalla, Divulapitiya in Sri Lanka, formerly a Senior Lecturer at the University of
Peradeniya, mentioned to me once that he was preparing an edition of it. One can look
forard to the completi on and publication of his study.
RATNAHANDURUKAE
19
Saddhatissa op. cit. p. 43 - 44.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
ELIZABETH BOPEARACHCHI
D.p.M. WEERAKKODY
Ph.D. (London) ; Professor of Hi story,
Uni versity of Peradeniya.
M.A., D.E.A., Ph.D. (Sorbonne); Senior Lecturer in
Education. Open University of Sri Lanka.
Ph.D. (Hull); Associate Professor In Western
Classics, University of Peradeniya.
MAlESW ARI ARULCHEL VAM - D.Phil. (Oxford); Senior Lecturer In Sanskrit,
University of Peradcniya.
JONATHAN S. WALTERS
M.A., PhD. (Chicago); Ass!. Professor of Asian
Studies, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington.
SUDHARSHAN SENEVIRATNE - M.A., Ph.D. (J .N.U. India) ; Senior Lecturer in
Archaeology, University of Peradeniya.
RATNA HANDURUKANDE
LILAMANI DE SILVA
S. PATHMANATHAN
S. W. PERERA
MERLIN PERIS
K. SELVARATNAM
M.A. (Ceylon) , Ph.D. (Cambridge); Professor of
Sanskit, University of Peradeniya.
M.A., (New York State) Ph.D. (North Texas); Senior
Lecturer in Eng!ish, University of Peradeniya.
Ph.D. (London); Senior lecturer in History,
University of Peradeniya.
M.A., Pb.D. (New Brunswick); Senior Lecturer in
English, University of Peradeniya.
M.A., Ph.D. (London); Professor of Wester Classics.
University of Peradeniya.
Ll.B.; Visiting Lecturer in Law, Dept. of Economics.
University of Peradeniya.