King Suddhodana desires to see the Buddha

On hearing that the Buddha was preaching the Dhamma in Rajagaha, King Suddhodana was desirous of seeing Him. Nine courtiers, each with a large following, were sent on nine successive occasions to invite the Buddha to Kapilavatthu. Contrary to the King’s expectations all nine attained Arahantship  and  joined  the Order. Since Arahants are indifferent to worldly things they did not convey the King’s message to the Buddha.

The disappointed King finally despatched Kaludayi, who was a playmate of the Buddha. He agreed to go on condition that he would be allowed to enter the Order.

He, too, hearing the Dhamma, attained Arahantship and entered the Order. But unlike the others he conveyed the message to the Buddha and persuaded Him to visit His aged royal father. The Buddha, attended by a large retinue of His disciples, journeyed the whole distance preaching the Dhamma on the way, and arrived in Kapilavatthu in two months.

Arrangements were made for Him to stay in the Park of Nigrodha, a Sakyan. The conceited elderly Sakyans, without paying Him due obeisance, put forward the younger ones to salute Him.  The Buddha subdued their pride by rising into the air and exhibiting the “Twin Wonder”.’ The King, seeing this wonderful sight, saluted Him immediately, saying that it was his third salutation. Then all the other Sakyans paid Him due respect.  Thereupon the Buddha came down from the sky and sat on the prepared seat. The relatives too sat down to listen to Him.

Then a strange phenomenon occurred. Rain broke out, but it wetted only those who wished to be wet, and not others. When the Sakyans marveled  at  this  phenomenon,  the  Buddha preached the Vessantara Jataka to show that a similar incident took place in the presence of his relatives in a previous birth.
 

THE BUDDHA GOES ON HIS ALMS-ROUND

As no one invited Him for the noonday meal on the following day, the Buddha, bowl in hand went from house to house in the streets of Kapilavatthu seeking alms together with His disciples. This was reported to the King, and he with agitated heart hurried to the scene and inquired of the Buddha why He thus disgraces the family.

“This is the custom of our lineage, O King" replied the Buddha to the King’s astonishment.

“Surely, Lord, ours is the warrior lineage of Mahasammata, and not a single warrior has gone seeking alms.” “This royal lineage is yours, O King; mine is the Buddha lineage.” Standing in the street the Buddha then advised the King thus:-“Be alert! Be not heedless! Lead a righteous life. The righteous live happily both in this world and in the next.”

The King saw the light of Truth and attained the first stage of Sainthood. Soon he took the bowl from the Buddha and conducted Him and His disciples to the palace and served them all with food. After the meal the Buddha preached the Dhamma thus:-“Lead a righteous life, and not one that is corrupt. The righteous live happily both in this world and in the next.”

Thereupon the King attained Sakadagami-Once Returner, the second stage of Sainthood, and Maha Pajapati Gotami attained the first stage of Sainthood.

On a later occasion, hearing the Dhammapala Jataka, the King attained Anagami-Never-Rerurner, the third stage of Sainthood.

On his death-bed, the King heard the Dhamma from the Buddha for the last time and attained Arahantship.
 

The Buddha and Princess Yasodhara

When the Buddha visited the palace, all but Princess Yasodhara came to pay their reverence to the Buddha. Yasodhara thought:-

Certainly if there is any virtue in me, the noble Lord Himself will come to my presence. Then will I reverence Him.”

The Buddha handed His bowl to the King, and accompanied by His two chief disciples entered the chamber of Yasodhara and sat on the prepared seat, saying:-

“Let the King’s daughter reverence as she likes. Say nothing.”
Swiftly she came, clasped His ankles, and placing her head on His feet, reverenced Him as she liked.

The King then commented on her great love and said:-

“Lord, when my daughter heard that you were wearing yellow robes, she also robed herself in yellow; when she heard that You were taking one meal a day, she also did the same; when she heard that You had given up lofty couches, she lay on a low couch; when she heard that You had given up garlands and scents, she also gave them up; when her relatives sent messages to say that they maintain her, she did not even look at a single one. So virtuous was my daughter!”

“Not only in this birth but in a previous birth, too, she protected me, O' King,” remarked the Buddha and cited the Candakinnara Jataka. Consoling her with these words, the Buddha left the palace.

After the death of King Suddhodana, when Maha Pajapati Gotami became a Bhikkhuni, Yasodhara also entered the Order and later attained Arahantship. It may be mentioned that Princess Yasodhara was of the same age as the Buddha.
 

The Buddha and His stepbrother Nanda.

Two days after the arrival of the Buddha in Kapilavatthu, Prince Nanda, the son of Queen Pajapati Gotami, was celebrating his consecration ceremony, marriage ceremony, and the house-warming ceremony. It was on the occasion of these three festivals that the Buddha visited the palace.

The Buddha handed the bowl to Prince Nanda and uttering a Blessing rose to go without taking the bowl. The Prince followed Him. Princess Janapada Kalyani seeing Nanda following the Buddha said:-“Return quickly, O noble Lord!” Prince Nanda was deeply moved by these words that fell from the mouth of his fiancee, but with deference to the Buddha he could not return the bowl to Him. So, bowl in hand, he went to the park with the Buddha and was asked to join the Order.

With reluctance he entered the Order out of respect for Him as a Buddha and as an elder brother of his; but he was constantly thinking of his fiancee. The Buddha reading his thoughts devised a means to set him on the right path. With the object of showing him celestial nymphs the Buddha using His psychic powers, took him to a heavenly plane. On the way Nanda Bhikkhu was shown a singed she-monkey clinging to a burnt-up stump in a scorched field.

Reaching heaven Nanda Bhikkhu beheld the celestial nymphs and was so much fascinated by them that he compared his charming fiancee to the old she-monkey.

“Would you like to have them, Nanda?” the Buddha questioned him.

“Yes, Lord!” he childishly replied.

“Well, then, I guarantee that you will possess them if you persevere as I bid you.”

Hearing that Nanda Thera was living the Holy Life with the object of winning heavenly nymphs, the Bhikkhus ridiculed him, calling him ‘hireling’.  Eventually he became ashamed of his base motive, and by striving diligently attained Arahantship.
 

The Buddha and Prince Rahula

On the seventh day after His arrival in Kapilavatthu Princess Yasodhara dressed up Rahula and pointing to the Buddha said:-

“Behold, son, that great ascetic of majestic appearance. He is your father. Go up to Him and ask for your inheritance.”

Young Rahula came to His presence, and asking for his inheritance, as advised by his mother, very affectionately said:-

“O ascetic, even your shadow is pleasing to me.”

After the noon meal he followed the Buddha uttering much else that was becoming. Nobody attempted to stop him. Nor did the Buddha prevent him from following Him. On arrival at the park the Buddha summoned the Venerable Sariputta and said:-

“Rahula asks me for his inheritance.  I shall give him the seven-fold noble wealth which I received at the foot of the Bodhi tree, and make him owner of an inheritance transcending this world. Ordain him, Sariputta.”

Rahula, who was then only seven years of age, was admitted into the Order. King Suddhodana was deeply grieved to hear of this unexpected ordination of his beloved grandson. He came to the Buddha and humbly requested Him not to ordain any one without the prior consent of his parents.

The Buddha granted the request.

There are several instructive discourses preached specifically to the Venerable Rahula. Having come of age, he received the Higher Ordination and attained Arahantship in due time.
 

The Buddha and Ananda

Ananda was a cousin of the Buddha. He entered the Order together with the  Sakya  Nobles - Anuruddha,  Bhaddiya,  Bhagu,  Kimbila,  and Devadatta. Hearing a discourse from the Venerable Mantaniputta on the nature of things, he became a Sotapanna.
As he possessed a powerful retentive memory, and as he had the rare privilege of listening to all the discourses of the Buddha owing to his close association with Him, he was later appointed the  “Treasurer of the Dhamma-Dhamma-Bhandagarika.”

From the 55th year of the Buddha, until His Parinibbana in the 50th year, the Venerable Ananda ministered to all His needs acting as His favourite attendant. It was he who pleaded for the establishment of the Order of Nuns. At the First Council he was chosen to rehearse the Dhamma. Thus every Sutta begins with his words - “Evam me sutam. - Thus have I heard.”

As he was expected to take a leading part in the First Council which was composed  only  of Arahants, he strove hard and attained Arahantship on the night preceding the Convocation while he was about to lie down on his couch. It is stated that he was the only disciple who attained Arahantship free from the postures of sitting, standing, walking or sleeping.
 

The Buddha and Devadatta

Devadatta was the son of Suppabuddha, and hence the cousin and brother-in-law of the Buddha. He entered the Order in the early part of the Buddha’s ministry, and was distinguished for psychic powers (Iddhi).  Later, overcome by worldly gain and honour, he so completely changed his life that he became the greatest adversary of the Buddha.  He once approached the Buddha and expressed his desire to lead the Order as the Teacher was old. The Buddha refused. Devadatta thereafter committed many an evil act for which he still suffers in Avici.

Knowing perfectly well that the Buddha would not assent, but in order to make it a pretext to disparage the Buddha and thereby win the support of the ignorant folk, he requested the Buddha to enforce the following five rules:-

I. that monks should dwell all their lives in the forest,
II. that they should live on alms begged,
III. that they should wear Pamsukula robes (i.e., robes made from rags collected from the dust heap and cemeteries),
IV. that they should live at the foot of a tree,
V. that they should not eat fish or flesh throughout life.

The compassionate, far-seeing Buddha declared that those who wished were free to observe them, but He would not make them compulsory.

Devadatta made this refusal a weapon to cause a schism in the Order. Instigated by Him, Ajatasattu caused the death of his innocent and devout father, King Bimbisara.

Failing in all efforts to destroy the Buddha, finally Devadatta himself made an unsuccessful attempt to kill Him by hurling a rock from above on His head. Books state that in the remote future he would become a Pacceka Buddha, named Atthissara, as a result of the Holy Life he red before his wicked career.