Mahinda (Son of Ashoka)

Category: Patriarchs of Early Buddhism

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• Sanskrit :  महिन्द्र

Mahinda (born 3rd century in Magadha), son of Emperor Ashoka and brother of Sanghamitta. He was fourteen at the time of the coronation of his father and was ordained at the age of twenty, his preceptor being Moggaliputtatissa. The ordination was performed by Mahādeva, while Majjhantika recited the kammavācā. Mahinda became an arahant on the day of his ordination. He spent three years in study of the Doctrine under his preceptor, and, later, when the latter retired to Ahogangā, he left his one thousand disciples for seven years under the care of Mahinda. When the Third Council was held, Mahinda had been for twelve years a monk and was charged with the mission of converting Ceylon. But he delayed for six months, until Devānampiyatissa became king. He then went to Dakkhināgiri and from there to his birthplace, Vedisagiri, staying in Vedisagiri vihāra and visiting his mother, the queen Devī. Still one more month he tarried, teaching the Doctrine to Bhanduka, and then, on the full moon day of Jettha, at the request of Sakka, he went, in company with :

• Itthiya
• Uttiya
• Sambala
• Bhaddasāla
• Sumanasamanera
• Bhanduka

to Ceylon, where he converted Devānampiyatissa by preaching to him the Cūlahatthipadopama Sutta. Later, on the same day, he preached the Samacitta Sutta. The next day, at the request of the king, he visited Anurādhapura, travelling through the air and alighting on the site of the (later) Pathamacetiya. After a meal at the palace he preached the Petavatthu, the Vimānavatthu and the Sacca Samyutta, and Anulā and her five hundred companions became sotāpannas. Later, in the elephant stables, he preached the Devadūta Sutta to the assembled people, and, in the evening, the Bālapandita Sutta, in Nandanavana. The night he spent in Mahāmeghavana, and on the next day the king gave the park to Mahinda, on behalf of the Order.

Mahinda pointed out to the king various spots destined to be connected with the growth of the sāsana in Ceylon, offering flowers at the same, and at the site of the (later) Mahā Thūpa, he described the visits of the Four Buddhas of this kappa to Ceylon. On the fourth day he preached the Anamatagga Sutta in Nandanavana and helped the king in defining the boundaries of what later became the Mahavihara. On the fifth day he preached the Khajjaniya Sutta, on the sixth the [[Gomayapind i Sutta]], and on the seventh the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

The pāsāda first built for the residence of Mahinda was called Kālapāsāda parivena. Other buildings associated with him were the Sunhātaparivena, the Dīghacanka parivena, the Phalagga parivena, the Therāpassaya parivena, the Marugana-parivena, and the Dīghasandasenāpati-parivena.

Twenty six days Mahinda stayed in Mahāmeghavana, and on the thirteenth day of the bright half of āsālha, after having preached the Mahāppamāda Sutta, he went to Missakapabbata, to spend the vassa. The king had sixty eight rock cells built in the mountain and gave them to the theras on the full moon day. On the same day Mahinda ordained sixty two monks, who attained arahantship, at Tumbarumālaka. After the full moon day of Kattika, at the conclusion of the pavārana ceremony, Mahinda held a consultation with Devānampiyatissa and sent Sumanasāmanera to Pātaliputta to bring the relics of the Buddha from Dhammāsoka and other relics from Sakka. These relics were brought and placed on the Missakapabbata, which from then onwards was called Cetiyegiri. The collar bone from among the relics was deposited in the Thūpārāma (q.v.), which was built for the purpose. It was at Mahinda's suggestion that Devānampiyatissa sent an embassy headed by Mahāarittha to Asoka, with a request that Sanghamittā should come to Ceylon with a branch of the Bodhi tree. The request was granted, and Sanghamittā arrived in Ceylon with the branch. Devānampiyatissa, during the later part of his reign, acting on the advice of Mahinda, built numerous vihāras, each one yojana from the other; among them were Issarasamanaka and Vessagiri.

Mahinda is said to have taught the Commentaries to the Tipitaka in the Singhalese language, after translating them from the Pāli.

The Samantapāsādikā mentions a recital held by Mahinda under the presidency of Mahāarittha.

Mahinda continued to live for the first eight years of the reign of Uttiya, who succeeded Devānampiyatissa. Then, at the age of sixty, he died on the eighth day of the bright half of Assayuja, in Cetiyagiri, where he was spending the rainy season. His body was brought in procession, with every splendor and honour, to the Mahāvihāra and placed in the Pañhambamālaka, where homage was paid to it for a whole week. It was then burnt on a pyre of fragrant wood on the east of the Therānambandhamālaka, to the left of the site of the Mahā Thūpa. A cetiya was erected on that spot over half the remains, the other half being distributed in thūpas built on Cetiyagiri and elsewhere. The place of cremation was called Isibhūmangana, and there for many centuries were cremated the remains of holy men who lived within a distance of three yojanas.

Later, King Sirimeghavanip had a life size image of Mahinda made of gold; this he took to the Ambatthalacetiya. For eight days a festival was held in its honour; on the ninth day the image was taken from Ambatthala, carried by the king himself at the head of a large and splendid procession, and placed for three days in Sotthiyākara vihāra. On the twelfth day it was taken with all splendours to Anuradhapura, to the Mahāvihāra, where it was left for three months in the courtyard of the Bodhi tree. From there it was removed to the inner city and deposited in a magnificent image house to the south east of the palace. An endowment was set up for the annual performance of ceremonies in honour of the image, and this custom was continued for many centuries. The image was brought from the inner town to the Mahavihara on the pavarana day, and every year an offering was made on the thirteenth day .

Dhātusena had the image brought to the place where Mahinda's body was cremated and there held a great festival, while Aggabodhi I. set up the image on the banks of the tank called Mahindatata, and ensured that the special task of carrying the image to the dyke of the tank was the task of the Taracchas.