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Vipassī Buddha

The nineteenth of the twenty-four Buddhas.

• He was born in the Khema park in Bandhumatī, his father being Bandhumā and his mother Bandhumatī. He belonged to the Koṇḍañña clan.
• For eight thousand years he lived as a householder in three palaces: Nanda, Sunanda and Sirimā. His body was eighty cubits in height.
• His wife was Sutanā (v.l. Sudassanā) and his son Samavattakkhandha.  He left the household in a chariot and practised austerities for eight months.
• Just before his enlightenment, the daughter of the millionaire Sudassana gave him milk-rice, while a grain-watcher (yavapālaka) named Sujāta gave grass for his seat. His Bodhi was a pātali tree.
• He taught his first discourse in Khemamigadāya to his step-brother Khandha and his chief priest’s son Tissa; these two later became his chief disciples.
• His constant attendant was Asoka; Candā and Candamittā were his chief women disciples. His chief lay patrons were Punabbasummitta and Nāga among men, and Sirimā and Uttarā among women.
• He died in Sumittārāma at the age of eighty thousand, and his relics were enshrined in a thūpa seven leagues in height.
• The Bodhisatta was a Nāga king named Atula.¹

Three reasons are given for the name of this Buddha:² 1) Because he could see as well by night as by day; 2) because he had broad eyes; 3) because he could see clearly after investigation. Vipassī held the uposatha only once in seven years,³ but on such occasions the whole Saṅgha was present.⁴ The construction of a Gandhakuṭi for Vipassī brought Meṇḍaka great glory in the present age. Meṇḍaka’s name at the time was Avaroja.⁵ Aññāta-Koṇḍañña was then known as Cūḷakāla, and nine times he gave Vipassī Buddha the first fruits of his fields.⁶

¹ Bu.xx.1 ff; BuA.195 f; D.ii.2 ff. ² BuA.195; cf. DA.ii.454; SA.ii.15 ³ DhA.iii.236.

⁴ Sp.i.186. ⁵ DhA.iii.364 f ⁶ DhA.i.81 f.