I’d be grateful for some insights and reflections and verification on the following: I recently heard that Ashoka’s past life was as a poor man who offered the Buddha sand in his alms bowl and was then reborn as King Ashoka roughly 150 yrs after Buddha’s parinirvana. Ashokavadana I heard is an historic narrative based on karma and rebirth for King Ashoka and that when Ashoka then meet monastic Upagupta who told him about their past life recollection he is said to have stated" “I was rewarded with kingship simply because of a gift of dirt!” etc… thank you
That’s interesting. It shows the power of good deeds.
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Hi Asoka,
I am writing a book on Asoka and did considerable research on this. You were right to query it.
The sand story is generally accepted as coming from the northern Sanskrit Sarvastivada / Mulasarvastivada. There is no such idea in the Theravada account: think how foolish it would be to offer someone sand to eat.
The Mahavamsa, a genuine Theravada text, says that in a previous life Asoka was a honey merchant who gave honey to a paccekabuddha and aspired to rule over Jambudipa.
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Thank you - I chose to post that one
Yet had also heard of the honey merchant past life
Thank you
As for the sand : yes indeed - however many time are there symbols used tather than actual sand or dirt - anyway - thank you for the verification
Appreciated
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yes I see the point. Like a toddler who might give her mother a pretend cookie, as part of play and with kindness. However, for an adult?
I think giving earth could be a good gift if given with the intention to help someone practice the Earth Kasina
This is interesting. I wonder if rich and famous people in the modern world like Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo also have a similar backstory. Maybe they offered something or performed service for a Paccekabuddha or an Ascetic with Jhana in one of their past lives and that could be why they achieved their current state. I don’t think being the best at something (like being the richest or best at a sport) could be the result of an an ordinary good deed. I think they definitely did a special act of merit for a special person or observed special vows like King Sakka when he was a human.
if they did - they havent learned much as greed seems to be their lifestyle..
There are a lot of ways to make merit in the world that do not involve Buddhism or what we would call in Buddhism Right View. People can do good deeds with motivation from other religious beliefs or humanitarian beliefs. So different viewpoints but they still do Kamma that leads to a fortunate rebirth. So they might get to the worldly top and have a fortunate rebirth but not have strong wisdom. Look at the obsession for wealth and power in prayers and the idea you can gain something by just thinking about it. So with self delusion and making merit you can become very wealthy and powerful but still do stupid stuff in consequence because of the delusion about who you think you are.
You can see this sutta on the levels of giving.
The Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅgasutta (Discourse on the Analysis of Offerings)
379. ‘‘cuddasa kho panimānanda, pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
379. “Ānanda, there are these fourteen kinds of individual offerings.
katamā cuddasa?
Which fourteen?
tathāgate arahante sammāsambuddhe dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ paṭhamā pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One—this is the first individual offering.
paccekasambuddhe dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ dutiyā pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to a Paccekasambuddha—this is the second individual offering.
tathāgatasāvake arahante dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ tatiyā pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to an Arahant disciple of the Tathāgata—this is the third individual offering.
arahattaphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanne dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ catutthī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to one practicing for the realization of the fruit of arahattā—this is the fourth individual offering.
anāgāmissa dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ pañcamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to an Anāgāmī—this is the fifth individual offering.
anāgāmiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanne dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ chaṭṭhī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to one practicing for the realization of the fruit of anāgāmī—this is the sixth individual offering.
sakadāgāmissa dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ sattamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to a Sakadāgāmī—this is the seventh individual offering.
sakadāgāmiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanne dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ aṭṭhamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to one practicing for the realization of the fruit of **sakadāgāmī—this is the eighth individual offering. **
sotāpanne dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ navamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to a Sotāpanna—this is the ninth individual offering.
sotāpattiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanne dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ dasamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to one practicing for the realization of the fruit of **sotāpatti—this is the tenth individual offering. **
bāhirake kāmesu vītarāge dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ ekādasamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to an outsider who is free from sensual passion—this is the eleventh individual offering.
puthujjanasīlavante dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ dvādasamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to an ordinary person who is virtuous—this is the twelfth individual offering.
puthujjanadussīle dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ terasamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇā.
Giving a donation to an ordinary person who is immoral—this is the thirteenth individual offering.
tiracchānagate dānaṃ deti – ayaṃ cuddasamī pāṭipuggalikā dakkhiṇāti.
Giving a donation to an animal—this is the fourteenth individual offering.”
And this sutta here too.
Velāma Sutta
tasmiṃ kho pana, gahapati, dāne na koci dakkhiṇeyyo ahosi, na taṃ koci dakkhiṇaṃ visodheti.
But householder, in that gift, there was no one worthy of offerings; no one purified that offering.
‘‘yaṃ, gahapati, velāmo brāhmaṇo dānaṃ adāsi mahādānaṃ, yo cekaṃ diṭṭhisampannaṃ bhojeyya, idaṃ tato mahapphalataraṃ.
“Householder, if one were to feed one person endowed with right view, this is more fruitful than the great gift that the Velāma brahmin gave.
( ) ‘‘yo ca sataṃ diṭṭhisampannānaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ sakadāgāmiṃ bhojeyya, idaṃ tato mahapphalataraṃ.
If one were to feed one hundred persons endowed with right view, or if one were to feed one Sakadāgāmī, this is more fruitful than that.
197( ) ‘‘yo ca sataṃ sakadāgāmīnaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ anāgāmiṃ bhojeyya…pe… yo ca sataṃ anāgāmīnaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ arahantaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ arahantānaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ paccekabuddhaṃ bhojeyya … yo ca sataṃ paccekabuddhānaṃ bhojeyya, yo ca tathāgataṃ arahantaṃ sammāsambuddhaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca buddhappamukhaṃ bhikkhusaṅghaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca cātuddisaṃ saṅghaṃ uddissa vihāraṃ kārāpeyya… yo ca pasannacitto buddhañca dhammañca saṅghañca saraṇaṃ gaccheyya… yo ca pasannacitto sikkhāpadāni samādiyeyya – pāṇātipātā veramaṇiṃ, adinnādānā veramaṇiṃ, kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇiṃ, musāvādā veramaṇiṃ, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇiṃ, yo ca antamaso gandhohanamattampi mettacittaṃ bhāveyya, ( ) idaṃ tato mahapphalataraṃ.
“Whoever should feed a hundred once-returners, or whoever should feed one non-returner… whoever should feed a hundred non-returners, or whoever should feed one Arahant… whoever should feed a hundred Arahants, or whoever should feed one Paccekabuddha… whoever should feed a hundred Paccekabuddhas, or whoever should feed a Tathāgata, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One… whoever should feed a Saṅgha headed by the Buddha… whoever should have a monastery built for the Saṅgha of the four directions… whoever, with a confident mind, should go for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha… whoever, with a confident mind, should undertake the training rules—abstinence from the destruction of life, abstinence from taking what is not given, abstinence from misconduct in sensual pleasures, abstinence from false speech, abstinence from wines, liquors, and intoxicants, which are the basis of heedlessness—or whoever should develop a mind of loving-kindness even for the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, this is of greater fruit than that.
‘‘yañca, gahapati, velāmo brāhmaṇo dānaṃ adāsi mahādānaṃ, yo cekaṃ diṭṭhisampannaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ diṭṭhisampannānaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ sakadāgāmiṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ sakadāgāmīnaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ anāgāmiṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ anāgāmīnaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ arahantaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ arahantānaṃ bhojeyya, yo cekaṃ paccekabuddhaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca sataṃ paccekabuddhānaṃ bhojeyya, yo ca tathāgataṃ arahantaṃ sammāsambuddhaṃ bhojeyya… yo ca buddhappamukhaṃ bhikkhusaṅghaṃ bhojeyya, yo ca cātuddisaṃ saṅghaṃ uddissa vihāraṃ kārāpeyya… yo ca pasannacitto buddhañca dhammañca saṅghañca saraṇaṃ gaccheyya, yo ca pasannacitto sikkhāpadāni samādiyeyya – pāṇātipātā veramaṇiṃ… surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇiṃ, yo ca antamaso gandhohanamattampi mettacittaṃ bhāveyya, yo ca accharāsaṅghātamattampi aniccasaññaṃ bhāveyya, idaṃ tato mahapphalatara’’nti.
“And, householder, the great offering that Velāma the brahmin gave, and whoever should feed one stream-enterer… whoever should feed a hundred stream-enterers, or whoever should feed one once-returner… whoever should feed a hundred once-returners, or whoever should feed one non-returner… whoever should feed a hundred non-returners, or whoever should feed one Arahant… whoever should feed a hundred Arahants, or whoever should feed one Paccekabuddha… whoever should feed a hundred Paccekabuddhas, or whoever should feed a Tathāgata, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One… whoever should feed a Saṅgha headed by the Buddha, or whoever should have a monastery built for the Saṅgha of the four directions… whoever, with a confident mind, should go for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha, or whoever, with a confident mind, should undertake the training rules—abstinence from the destruction of life… abstinence from wines, liquors, and intoxicants, which are the basis of heedlessness—or whoever should develop a mind of loving-kindness even for the time it takes to smell a perfume, or whoever should develop the perception of impermanence even for the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, this is of greater fruit than that.”
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