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82,000 Teachings from the Buddha
I have received;
2,000 more from his disciples;
Now, 84,000 are familiar to me.[1]

Who nothing has heard[2] and nothing understood,
He ages only oxen-like:
His stomach only grows and grows,
But his insight deepens not.

Who has much heard and learned,
But does despise him who is poor in learning,
Is like one blind who holds a lamp.
So must I think of such a one.

Thou follow him who has heard much,
Then what is heard shall not decline.
This is the tap-root of the holy life;
Hence a Dhamma-guardian [3] thou should'st be!

Knowing what comes first and last,
Knowing well the meaning, too,
Skilful in grammar and in other items,[4]
The well-grasped meaning he examines.

Keen in his patient application,
He strives to weigh the meaning well.
At the right time he makes his effort,
And inwardly collects his mind.

— the Venerable Ananda,
in Thag 17.3 (vv. 1024-29)

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The one disciple of the Buddha most often mentioned in his discourses is Ananda. Amongst all those great monks around the Buddha he occupies a unique position, and this in many respects, as will be mentioned in these pages.

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1. Ananda's Personal Path  

His unique position had already begun before his birth. He came to earth, just as the Buddha did, from the Tusita heaven, and was born on the same day as he and in the same caste, namely the warrior caste of the royal family of the Sakyas. Their fathers were brothers, so that Ananda was the Buddha's cousin. He had three brothers, Anuruddha, Mahanama, Pandu, and one sister, Rohini.

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Anuruddha entered the Sangha[5] together with Ananda and became an arahant, a fully enlightened one. Mahanama, the prince of the Sakyas, became a once-returner[6] as a householder, while the only thing known about Pandu is the fact that he survived the near-extinction of the Sakya clan during the Buddha's 80^th year.

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Ananda's only sister, Rohini, had a skin disease as a result of former jealousy, and lived in seclusion at home until the Buddha talked to her about the karmic cause of her affliction and paved the way to stream-entry for her.[7] Rohini recovered and was later reborn in the "heaven of the gods of the thirty-three" as the wife of Sakka, the king of the gods.

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When he was 37 years old, Ananda joined his brother Anuruddha and his cousin Devadatta and also many other Sakyan nobles to become a "homeless one", a monk (Cv VII.1).

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The venerable Belatthassa, an arahant — a fully liberated saint — became his teacher in the Sangha. Only one verse by the venerable Belatthasisa has survived to this day:

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Under the guidance of this holy one, Ananda was introduced into the monk's discipline.

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He was a willing and diligent pupil and was able to attain the fruit of stream-entry already during his first rains retreat (Cv VII.1).[8] Later Ananda told his fellow monks, that the venerable Punna Mantaniputta had been of great help to him during his learning period. He had taught Dhamma to the new monks and had explained to them that the "I am" conceit does not arise without a cause — namely, it is brought about through form, feeling, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. For a better understanding of this, the venerable Punna had given a fitting analogy:

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Ananda thought about this analogy again and again and ever more deeply, until he penetrated the suffering, impermanence and no-self aspects of the five aggregates, and no longer relied upon them as his support. He then began to reap the benefits of monkhood, beginning with the fruit of stream-entry.

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Ananda was always well content with his life as a monk. He understood the blessings of renunciation and had entered upon the Path, which is a joy to tread if one can cross the stream[10] in company with like-minded friends. During the first years of his life as a monk, Ananda was fully occupied with the purification of his own mind; he blended easily into the Sangha and slowly developed more and more resilience and mental strength.

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When the Buddha and Ananda were both 55 years of age, the Buddha called a meeting of the monks and declared: "In my 20 years as a monk, as Father of the Sangha, I have had many different attendants, but none of them has really filled the post perfectly, as again and again some willfulness has become apparent. Now I am 55 years old and it is necessary for me to have a trustworthy and reliable attendant." At once all the noble disciples offered their services. But the Buddha did not accept them. Then the great monks looked at Ananda, who had held back modestly, and asked him to come forward voluntarily.

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Due to his impeccable behavior as a monk, he seemed predestined for the post. When he was asked why he was the only one who had not offered his services, he replied that the Buddha knew best who was suitable as his attendant. He had so much confidence in the Blessed One, that it did not occur to him to express his own wishes, although he would have liked to become the attendant of the Buddha.

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Then the Buddha declared that Ananda would be pleasing to him and that he wanted him as his attendant. Ananda was in no way proud that the Master had preferred him to his greatest disciples, but instead asked a favor of having eight conditions fulfilled.

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First of all, the Master should never pass a gift of robes on to him; second, he should never give him any almsfood, which he himself had received; third, having received a dwelling place he should never give it to him; fourth, never to include him in any personal invitation (such as an occasion for teaching Dhamma when a meal would be offered).

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Besides these four negative conditions, he also had four positive wishes, namely: if he was invited to a meal, he asked for the right to transfer this invitation to the Buddha; if people came from outlying areas, he asked for the privilege to lead them to the Buddha; if he had any doubts or inquiries about the Dhamma, he asked for the right to present these to the Buddha at any time; and if the Buddha gave a discourse during his absence, he asked for the privilege to have the Buddha repeat it to him privately.

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He explained his reasons for these requests in this way: if he did not pose the first four conditions, then people could say that he had accepted the post of attendant only because of material gain. But if he did not express the other four conditions, then it could rightly be said that he fulfilled the duties of his post without being mindful of his own advancement on the Noble Path.

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The Buddha granted him these very reasonable requests, which were quite in accordance with the teaching. From then on Ananda was the constant companion, attendant and helper of the Blessed One for twenty-five years. In those twenty-five years of his fame, he continued with the same incessant striving for purification as in the first eighteen years of his monkhood as an unknown disciple. He said of himself:

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(The subsequent verse expresses the same about thoughts of hate.)

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The twenty-five years mentioned in this verse refer to the period during which he was the Buddha's attendant, and not to the whole of his life as a monk. During this period, though he was still a "learner," "one in the higher training," no thoughts of lust or hate arose in him; the implication being that his close connection with the Buddha and his devotion to him gave no room for these.

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Only such a man could fill the post of a constant companion for the Buddha. Added to that were Ananda's special positive qualities. How Ananda attained arahantship and survived the Buddha will be related in due course.

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Ananda's praise has been voiced on many occasions in the Pali Canon. The greatest recognition for a monk would surely have been when the Buddha asked him to substitute for him as a teacher and then later confirmed that he, himself, would not have presented the teachings in any other way. This praise was given by the Exalted One to Sariputta[12] (another famous disciple) and to Ananda.

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A similarly high esteem is shown in the fact that monks to whom the Buddha had given a short discourse would ask an experienced monk to explain the teaching more fully. The venerable Maha Kaccana was a master in this, and so were Sariputta and Ananda (AN 10.115).

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Besides the equal status Ananda had in these respects with Sariputta, the disciple who was most similar to the Master, there were occasions when the Buddha specially praised Ananda. He said, for instance, to the monks, that King Pasenadi, to whom Ananda had given a discourse, was very blessed because he had been given the boon of the sight and company of Ananda (MN 88). Further: just as the multitude of aristocrats, brahmans, ordinary folk and ascetics found joy in seeing a world ruler, equally joyful were the monks, nuns, and male and female disciples about Ananda. "If a party of these goes to Ananda to see him, his presence alone gives them joy. When he speaks Dhamma to them, there will be joy for them because of his words. And they are still not satisfied when Ananda reverts to silence" (DN 16).

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In answer to the question of a lay disciple how he could honor the Dhamma, after having honored the Buddha and Sangha, the Buddha's reply was the third praise (of Ananda): "If you, householder, wish to honor the Dhamma, go and honor Ananda, the Guardian of the Dhamma"; whereupon the lay disciple invited Ananda to a meal and gave him a gift of valuable cloth. But Ananda turned it over to Sariputta, because he had the greatest mastery of the Teaching; Sariputta, however, gave it to the Buddha, because he alone was the cause of all bliss (J 296). Another time the Master praised him thus: after Ananda had answered a question of the Buddha and had left, the Buddha said to the other monks:

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A layman who had been following another teaching was converted to the Dhamma after a talk with Ananda. At the end he exulted how amazing it had been that Ananda had neither elevated his own teaching into the heavens nor dragged the other into the dirt. "Totally straightforward was the exposition of the Dhamma, the inner meaning was explained and he, himself, was not carried away" (AN 3.72).[13] A second time he was praised by King Pasenadi, after having given a good explanation to the crown prince of Kosala. "Truly, he looks like Ananda," because the word means esteemed, loveable, agreeable. And King Pasenadi said that Ananda's words had been well-founded (MN 90).

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In view of this abundance of praise, recognition and privileges, mutterings of envy and resentment could have been expected. But this was not the case at all. He was a man who had no enemies. This rare advantage had not come to him without a cause, but had been enjoyed by him not only in this life but also in many previous existences.

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Ananda was so much taken up by subordinating his entire life to the Dhamma, that fame could not touch him and make him proud. He knew that all that was good in him was due to the influence of the Teaching. When seen in this way, there can be no pride. One who cannot be proud, has no enemies, and such a one does not meet with envy. If someone turns inward completely and keeps away from any social contact, as Ananda's brother Anuruddha did, then it is easy to be without enemies. But if someone like Ananda, who had daily contact with a large number of people with regard to diverse matters, lives without enemies, without rivals, without conflict and tensions, it borders on a miracle. This quality is truly a measure of Ananda's uniqueness.

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Although Ananda did experience justified criticism and was occasionally admonished, that was something entirely different. A friendly reminder, a warning or even a substantial reproach to change one's behavior are aids towards more intense purification. Such criticism, if taken to heart, leads to more inner clarity and higher esteem by others.

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The instances in which Ananda was admonished mostly referred to points of social behavior, points of the Vinaya (the monk's discipline); hardly ever to points of self-purification and were never related to his understanding of the Dhamma. The instances were as follows.

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Once, when the Buddha was suffering from wind in the stomach, Ananda cooked a rice gruel for him, which had helped the Enlightened One when he had previous complaints of this sort. The Buddha admonished him thus: "It is not the proper way for ascetics, it is not proper monk's behavior, to prepare meals in the house." After the incident it was decreed an offense for a monk to cook for himself (Mv VI.17). Ananda adhered to this rule from then on, with full insight into its necessity as a part of true homelessness.

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Once Ananda went on alms-round without his double robe. Fellow monks drew his attention to the rule established by the Buddha, that a monk should always wear his three robes when going to the village. Ananda agreed wholeheartedly and explained that he had simply forgotten it. Since this and the former case concerned a simple disciplinary rule, the matter was thereby settled (Mv VIII.23). That someone like Ananda, who had a most extraordinary memory, could also forget something, was due to the fact that even a stream-winner is not yet perfect. The Buddha, however, required of the monks that they pay diligent attention to the small, everyday things of a monk's life, and that they base their higher spiritual exertions on the foundation of the discipline. This served to eliminate purely intellectual understanding and conceit.

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A different kind of criticism was leveled at Ananda in two instances by the venerable Maha Kassapa. Thirty disciples of Ananda had left the Sangha. Kassapa reproached Ananda that he had not guarded the young men sufficiently. He had gone on walking tours with them, without their having the senses well restrained, without having learned to be moderate in eating, and not having trained themselves in wakefulness. Therefore he was a "destroyer of corn,"[14] "a spoiler of the families."[15] His followers crumbled away. "This youngster is still uncontrolled." So did the venerable Maha Kassapa reprove him (SN 16.11).

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To this rather strong reproach, Ananda only replied that the gray hair had grown on his head in the service of the Sangha and yet Kassapa still called him a "youngster." It may be that in this instance Ananda had overrated his own strength and underrated the worldliness of his pupils. Ananda did not argue about the objective justification of the censure for his failure. After all he was not yet an arahant and was still subject to some defilements. He only objected to the generalization implied by the criticism. One may, however, assume that a saint, an arahant, like Kassapa, would have known which form of criticism would be most helpful to Ananda.

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The second incident with Kassapa had a different background. Ananda had asked Kassapa to accompany him to a nunnery and to teach there. After initial hesitation, Kassapa had agreed. After the discourse was over, a headstrong nun accused Kassapa that only he had been talking and had not let the wise Ananda utter a single word. It was, she said, as if the needle salesman had tried to sell his wares in the presence of the needle manufacturer. Ananda begged Kassapa to forgive her. But Kassapa replied that Ananda should show restraint, lest an inquiry into his behavior should be initiated (SN 16.10). This was meant by Kassapa to be a reproach that Ananda had been overzealous in his teaching, and had overlooked the danger of personal attachment. This criticism also will have benefited Ananda in the future. In any case, Kassapa blamed Ananda in both instances because of his love for him; there was always an excellent relationship between these two monks.

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Another monk, Udayi, once criticized Ananda in the following incident. Ananda had asked the Blessed One how far his voice would reach in the universe. The Lord had answered that the Enlightened Ones were immeasurable and could reach further than a thousandfold world system (with a thousand suns, a thousand heavens, and a thousand brahma[16] worlds), even further than a three-thousandfold world system. They could penetrate all those worlds with their shining splendor and reach all beings living there with their voice.

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Ananda was delighted with this description, so all-encompassing and transcending all horizons, and he exclaimed: "How fortunate I am, that I have such an almighty, powerful master!"

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Udayi objected: "What good does it do to you brother Ananda, that your master is almighty and powerful?" With these few words a strong reproach was uttered. Namely that Ananda always looked at the person of the Buddha only, and thereby forgot his real benefit, namely his own enlightenment. The Buddha immediately took sides with Ananda with the following words:

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That the Buddha made this prophecy in the presence of Ananda showed his confidence in him. He knew that his wide knowledge of the Buddha-word would not make Ananda negligent in his practice. This utterance also indicated that the Buddha found it useful to shield Ananda from reproach — self-inflicted and by others — by consoling him that his efforts and strivings would result in the highest attainment still in this lifetime. The Tathagata[17] could make such a declaration only in the case of one who inclined rather towards being extremely conscientious than too negligent.

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The only time that the Buddha admonished Ananda on his own accord was also the most important incident. The Buddha had instructed Ananda to oversee the distribution of cloth for robes to the monks. Ananda had accomplished this task very satisfactorily. The Buddha praised him for his circumspection and told the other monks that Ananda was very skilled in sewing; he was able to make several different kinds of seams. For a good monk it was necessary that he hemmed his robes, so that they did not fray at the edges, and one could not accuse him of carelessly handling and wasting the offerings of the laity (Mv VIII.12).

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Later, when the Buddha was residing near his hometown he saw numerous seats prepared in a monastery and asked Ananda whether many monks lived there.[18] Ananda confirmed this and added, "It is now time to prepare our robes, venerable sir." Ananda referred here to the Buddha's instructions that a monk should care for his robes properly. However, Ananda seemed to have arranged a sort of sewing circle, maybe to teach his fellow monks that commended art of making seams. This was probably how it came to the communal evening sewing hours. Ananda had not considered that from this a home-like conversational hour would result after the day's efforts and hardships. Therefore the Buddha gave this very emphatic injunction concerning the danger of mundane gregariousness for the monk:

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