05/11/2025
“Caratha bhikkhave carikaṃ
bahujana-hitaya bahujana-sukhaya,
lokanukampaya,
atthaya hitaya sukhaya
devamanussanaṃ.
Ma ekena dve agamittha.
Desetha bhikkhave Dhammaṃ
adikalyaṇaṃ,
majjhekalyaṇaṃ, pariyosanakalyaṇaṃ
satthaṃ sabyanjanaṃ.
Kevalaparipuṇṇaṃ parisuddhaṃ
brahmacariyaṃ pakasetha.
Santi satta apparajakkhajatika
asavanata Dhammassa parihayanti.
Bhavissanti Dhammassa annataro.”
"Go your ways, oh monks,
for the benefit and happiness of many,
out of compassion for the world,
for the good, benefit, and happiness of daitis and people.
Let no two go in the same direction.
Teach, oh monks, the Dhamma,
which is beneficial in the beginning,
in the middle, and at the end—
both the spirit and the letter of it.
Make known the Noble Life, which is fully
complete (requiring no addition)
and pure (requiring no subtraction).
There are beings with only a little dust in their eyes
who will be lost unless they hear the Dhamma.
Such people will understand the truth.
Dutiya Marapasa Sutta, Saṃyutta Nikaya, IV (I).5
With these inspiring words, the Buddha exhorted his first 60 fully liberated (arahant) disciples, to go in different directions, with loving compassion, to teach Dhamma for the betterment of living beings.
Today is ''Il Full Moon Poya Day, the last day of the Vassana season. As the Il Poya day dawns, the main incident of Buddha's life that comes to mind is that it was on Il Full Moon Day that the 60 disciples were sent in different directions on this great mission of preaching the Dhamma. It was a great day that led to several other memorable events in the history of the Sambuddha Sasana such as the announcement of the future Buddha-hood of Maitreya Bodhisattva, Jatila brothers entering the Buddhist order, festival of ‘Devaharohana’ or ascend to heaven by Gautama Buddha, accepting a robe from the future Buddha Maitreya, who was a disciple of the Buddha, passing away of the Chief Disciple Sariputta, laying of Gautama Buddha’s Dakunu Aku Datuwa "Right collar-bone of Lord Buddha" in the first Dagoba Thuparamaya which was built by King Devanampiyatissa.
By the first Il full moon poya day, after Buddha’s Enlightenment there were 61 Arahants including the Buddha Himself. Five Brahmin ascetics, Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Assaji were the first five Arhanths of the Gothama Buddha Sasana. After his enlightenment the Buddha preached his First Sermon Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (The Wheel of Dhamma) to five ascetics, who had previously been his companions, in the deer park near Varanasi on the Esala Full moon Poya Day. The sermon contains the fundamental principles of his teaching expressed in the Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, the cause of suffering, cessation of ends suffering, and the way to end suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path of right views, right aims, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. While listening to his discourse, the ascetics became the disciples of the Buddha.
Then Yasa, son of a millionaire in Benares who met Buddha while going away from home after realizing the impermanence of worldly life. When, the Buddha expounded Dhamma Yasa, attained Arahantship. His father came across the Buddha while going in search of his missing son and became the first lay disciple to take refuge in the Triple Gem. Yasa’s mother and his former wife were the two female lay disciples of the Buddha. Yasa had fifty four friends. Having heard of Yasa’s conversion they too entered the Order and attained Arahantship. On the first Il Poya Day after the enlightenment, the Buddha summoned his 60 disciples and exhorted them to spread the dhamma as they are all freed of human. The Buddha told them that no two should go in a single direction so that they could be of assistance to as many as possible. He said that there were some who had lust in them but there were many who could understand Dhamma. With this exhortation Buddha dispatched His first sixty disciples to various directions and He Himself went to Uruwela in Senaigama.
Another important event that took place on an Il Full Moon Poyaday was Maithri Bodhisattva's acceptance of 'Niyatha Viwarana" who had completed the performance of Buddhist Ordinances as a prerequisite of becoming a Buddha i.e. Paramita during a period of “Solos Assankeyya Kalpa Lakshaya” was a celestial being. He had departed from heaven during Gautama Buddha’s period and was born in Sankassa pura about 48 miles away from Shravasthi - Sewath Nuwara as the son of a rich nobleman named Siriwardhana.
He completed his studies under the great teacher “Disapamok” and inherited quite a lot of wealth from his parents. He had a large number of followers. He had the occasion to see “Devarohanaya“ Maha puja and listen to the discourse between the Buddha and Arahant Sariputta. He was delighted and entered into priesthood under Buddha with his following numbering about one hundred. He attained higher ordination, learnt the Dharma and taught the others. This thera observed “vas” and received a couple of valuable Katina cheevara. He knew the efficacy or the effect of Katina cheewara puja and offered both to the Buddha. With one of them he made a canopy for Buddha’s Sugandha Kutiya. He tore the other robe into strips and hung it at the edges of the canopy. Buddha explained the merits of offering cheewara and gave “Niyatha Vivarana” – permission to or assurance of becoming a Buddha.
Buddha told the followers that Maithri Bodhisattva would be born as the son of Sakwithi Raja –universal king Sanka in the Kethumathi kingdom during this Maha Badra Kalpa. Brahmani Badrawathi will be his mother. Banyan -Nuga tree will be his Bodhiya. Maithri Bodhisattva worshipped the Buddha and accepted the Niyatha Vivaranaya.
It was on a subsequent Il full moon poya day that Dharma Senadhipathi and one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, Arahant Sariputta attained Parinibbana.
His mother, Rupasari did not believe in the threefold refuge and remained heretic even in her old age. Arahant Sariputta contemplated as to whether she possessed the virtues of attaining Nibbana by the cessation of all desires and of re-existence realized that she could attain Sotapanna, the first of the four paths to Nibbana. Hence after obtaining permission from the Buddha to attain Parinibbana, Arahant Sariputta made an opportune visit to his mother followed by hundreds of thousands of weeping people who had heard about the Maha Thera’s Parinibbana. Maha Thera preached to his mother the virtuous properties of the Buddha such as the moral conduct, intelligence, sense of liberation, knowledge of emancipation, and meditation vision and philosophy and loving kindness to convince her that Buddha was a peerless teacher and the Unique One.
After listening to her son patiently Rupasari gave up her beliefs in heathenism and attained Sotapanna. Arahant Sariputta Maha Thera was happy that he could repay his mother for bringing him up.
After being of service to many including his own mother Arahant Sarikaputra Maha Thera attained Parinibbana on an Il Full Moon Poya Day.
