Thou art not holy, Kassapa thou hast not yet entered the path." And Kassapa gave up his resistance. Is envy holiness? Envy is the last remnant of self that has remained in thy mind. The Blessed One addressed Kassapa and said: "Thou seest the truth, but acceptest it not because of the envy that dwells in thy heart. The Tathagata replied: "Didst thou not think, O Kassapa, that it would be better if I stayed away from the festival?" And Kassapa was astonished and thought: "Great is Sakyamuni he can read my most secret thoughts, but he is not holy like me." And Kassapa went to the Buddha on the next morning and said: "Why did the great Sakyamuni not come?" When the day of the festival arrived, the Blessed One retired and did not come to Kassapa. When he speaks to them, they will believe in him and abandon me." And he grew envious. There was in those days a festival, and Kassapa thought: "The people will come hither from all parts of the country and will see the great Sakyamuni. "Sakyamuni is a great samana and possesses high powers, but he is not holy like me." In the morning the Blessed One showed the dead body of the fiend to Kassapa, saying: "His fire has been conquered by my fire." And Kassapa thought to himself. When Kassapa saw the light shining forth from the room he said: "Alas, what misery! Truly, the countenance of Gotama the great Sakyamuni is beautiful, but the serpent will destroy him." And the venomous fiend became very wroth so that he died in his anger. In the night the dragon came, belching forth in rage his fiery poison, and filling the air with burning vapor, but could do him no harm, and the fire consumed itself while the World-honored One remained composed. And the Blessed One sat down with body erect, surrounding himself with watchfulness. Should he stay overnight in the room where the sacred fire is kept, the serpent will bite him and he will die." And he said: "I do not object to your staying overnight in the room where the sacred fire is kept, but the serpent lives there he will kill you and I should be sorry to see you perish."īut the Buddha insisted and Kassapa admitted him to the room where the sacred fire was kept. Kassapa, seeing the Blessed One in his majesty and beauty, thought to himself: "This is a great muni and a noble teacher. And the Blessed One went to Kassapa of Uruvela the Jatila, and said: "Let me stay a night in the room where you keep your sacred fire." Kassapa was renowned throughout all India, and his name was honored as one of the wisest men on earth and an authority on religion. Kassapa, The Fire-Worshiper Sacred Texts Buddhism Index Previous NextĪT that time there lived in Uruvela the Jatilas, Brahman hermits with matted hair, worshiping the fire and keeping a fire-dragon and Kassapa was their chief.
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