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RH-047 Apropos Ariya Metteyya and The Mahasampindanidana (Published in 1995) Pages 78 - 85
RH-047 Apropos Ariya Metteyya and The Mahasampindanidana (Published in 1995) Pages 78 - 85
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APR
OPOS AVYA 1JJ1YY
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AHbAVUUA^UA^A
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Inf
onation from the Theravda tradition concering the fture Buddha
Metteyya (Sanskrit: Maitreya) has been presented by Sayagyi U Chit Tin in a publication
clle
Te
Coraing Budha Ariya Metteyya. I Very little has heen said of Buddha
Metteyya in the Pali Canon itself but many details are added in the Pali commenl'illeS
ad
later texts in the Theravada tradition.2 Besides giving information fom the
commentaries and details from texts on the decline in the present Buddha-sasana, Chit
Tin
bases his descriptior of the career of the future Buddha Metteyya largely on the P:Jj
pom
Anlatavaflsa, the Chronicle of the Future (Buddha) . 3 William Pruitt's
tran
slation of this poem into English is appended to Chit Tin's publication. 4 A seond
appendix gives translations into English of Aspirations to Meet Budha Ariya Metteyya
found at the conclusion of Pali manuscripts in Sri Lanka, Sinhala manuscripts, the
Dvtasaparitta, the commentary on the Jltaka, Sinala manuscripts of Acariya
Buddhaghosa' s Visuhimagga and Atthasllinl, an aspiration attributed to King
Parakramabau I of Sri Lanka, the aspiration of Thera Maha-Mangala in his biography
of Acariya Buddhaghosa, the aspiration at the end of sharing merits in the Dalla
ceremony in Sri Lanka and the aspiration used in conetion with the recitation of
Parinas in Sri Lka. 5 As acknowledged, these transiations except that fom the
Atthasalintmanuscripts, have been taken from Venerable Dr. Saddhatissa's study of the
Dasabodhisattuppattikthl,6 and altered in a few instances. Ven. Saddhatissa gives the
relevant Pali or Sinhala text except that of the Sinhala text of the Visuddhimagga_
To this list of aspirations can be added the following information I note at the
conclusion of Sri Lan manuscripts in the Minayev collection kept in the State Pubiic
2
3
4
6
Sayagyi U Chit Tin Te Coming Buddha Ariya Metteyya. Second Revised
Edition. The Wheel Publication No. 3811383. Buddhist Publication Society.
Kandy (1992). Originally published in 1988 as Dhammadana Series 7 by the
Sayagyi U Ba Kin Memorial Trust. U.K.
ibid. back cover.
ibid.
ibid. pages 49. - 61.
ibid. pages 62 - 65.
H. Saddhatissa. Te Birth-Stories of the Tell Bodhisatras alld th(
Dasabodhisattuppattikatha. Being a translation and edition of the
Dasabodhisalluppallikath5 PTS. London (1975) p_ 36 - 42.
APROPOS ARIYA METTEYYA AND THE MAHASAMPI11ANIDANA 79
. ,
Library in st. Petersburg.
7
1. A comhination of two aspirations noted by Yen. SaddhHissa (pp. 36,38) with
a statement i Pali and an aspiration in SilhaJa intersperse at u conclusion of a
manuscript of the Brahmaj1lasutta.
8
7
imaJ{ likita-pui;fiena metteyyanJ upasatikami
pati{(hahitv7 Sara!le supati!{hami sasane
'By the merit of this writing, may J draw near to Metteyya
(and) b.aving ben establishe in the Refges, may i b \vdi esta, Itshcd in the
sZna'
(Saddhatissa p. 36)
Statement in PaIi:
akkhararrl ktnek'l \ buddharupatrl sari/al!' siyci. Tasma hi pal(jilo
poso likheyya piakattayarl likh7ya palinG dhammam
navako
t.hiva bhogina(sic
.
) vessantarova danena holu nwyhmr1
bhavZbhave.
With this act of merit, may I be like Mahosadha in wisdom, like the'
merchant .oti in wealth and like Vessantara in generosity in aJl births
until I become a Buddha.
The same aspiration is found at the conclusion of a manuscript vI' the
commentarial text, the Saripatrhtnapada-auhavannand2 with a few variants
and a change in the order of