4.9

“Pītavatthe pītadhaje,

pītālaṅkārabhūsite;

Pītacandanalittaṅge,

pītauppalamālinī.

Pītapāsādasayane,

pītāsane pītabhājane;

Pītachatte pītarathe,

pītasse pītabījane.

Kiṁ kammamakarī bhadde,

pubbe mānusake bhave;

Devate pucchitācikkha,

kissa kammassidaṁ phalan”ti.

“Kosātakī nāma latatthi bhante,

Tittikā anabhicchitā;

Tassā cattāri pupphāni,

Thūpaṁ abhihariṁ ahaṁ.

Satthu sarīramuddissa,

vippasannena cetasā;

Nāssa maggaṁ avekkhissaṁ,

na taggamanasā satī.

Tato maṁ avadhī gāvī,

thūpaṁ apattamānasaṁ;

Tañcāhaṁ abhisañceyyaṁ,

bhiyyo nūna ito siyā.

Tena kammena devinda,

maghavā devakuñjara;

Pahāya mānusaṁ dehaṁ,

tava sahabyamāgatā”ti.

Idaṁ sutvā tidasādhipati,

Maghavā devakuñjaro;

Tāvatiṁse pasādento,

Mātaliṁ etadabravi.

“Passa mātali accheraṁ,

cittaṁ kammaphalaṁ idaṁ;

Appakampi kataṁ deyyaṁ,

puññaṁ hoti mahapphalaṁ.

Natthi citte pasannamhi,

appakā nāma dakkhiṇā;

Tathāgate vā sambuddhe,

atha vā tassa sāvake.

Ehi mātali amhepi,

bhiyyo bhiyyo mahemase;

Tathāgatassa dhātuyo,

sukho puññāna muccayo.

Tiṭṭhante nibbute cāpi,

same citte samaṁ phalaṁ;

Cetopaṇidhihetu hi,

sattā gacchanti suggatiṁ.

Bahūnaṁ vata atthāya,

uppajjanti tathāgatā;

Yattha kāraṁ karitvāna,

saggaṁ gacchanti dāyakā”ti.

Pītavimānaṁ navamaṁ.

God Sakka:

Dear Deva, you are wearing yellow clothes and jewelry. You have put on yellow sandalwood cream and you have decorated yourself with yellow lotuses and yellow scarves. Your mansion is yellow; even your furniture is yellow. Furthermore, your plates and bowls are yellow. There are also yellow umbrellas, vehicles, horses, and fans. Everything in this mansion is yellow.

Tell me Devata, what kind of meritorious action did you do when you were in the human world? We ask about the action that gave this result.

Devata:

God Sakka, Lord of Devas, in the human world there were vines with tiny yellow flowers. One day I plucked four flowers without thinking about gaining any special results. Then I went to the stupa containing the relics of the Supreme Buddha.

While I was thinking about the sacred body of the Supreme Buddha, my heart was delighted. I was always thinking about that stupa. I did not realize there was a cow chasing me.

Before I could offer the flowers to the stupa, I was killed by that cow. If I had collected the merit of offering the flowers, my happiness would have been much better than this. Great Sakka, because of that meritorious deed, I was reborn here after I left the human world.

Narrator:

The leader of the Tavatimsa Heaven, God Sakka, also called Maghava, told his chariot driver, Deva Matali, about that excellent meritorious deed. Other devas were also happily listening to him.

God Sakka:

Dear Matali, look at this excellent result. Isn’t this wonderful? Although the object which she was going to offer was very small, it generated a great result. If one gives even a very small thing with a confident heart to the Supreme Buddha or to a disciple of the Buddha, the result is not small.

Dear Matali, come, we too shall go worship the relics of the Supreme Buddha. Collecting merit always gives happiness. If people offer something to the Supreme Buddha when he is alive or after he has passed away, as long as they have the same confident mind on both occasions, the results will be the same. Beings are reborn in heaven because of their confident minds.

Those who respect the Supreme Buddha are reborn in heaven. Surely, Supreme Buddhas are born into this world for the benefit of all beings.