Buddha's India (Map)

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Note: To this point this is just a place to store information on this subject. No order or degree of completion is claimed! Only the most prominant (or curious) of locations and ideas concerning the state of the territories and time covered by the idea "Buddha's India" will be included here. This really needs to be a volume unto itself. One authored by someone other than myself!

Buddha's India

Table of Place Names

Place Name	Description
Ceti, Cetiya	One of the 16 Provinces. DPPN: The people of Ceti seem to have had two distinct settlements: one, perhaps the older, was in the mountains probably the present Nepal...the other, probably a later colony, lay near the Yamuna, to the east, in the neighbourhood of and contiguous to the settlement of the Kurus...this part of the country corresponds roughly to the modern Bundelkhand and the adjoining region. It was here that the first lie was told by the king: Apacara.^[1] Residence of Anuruddha.
Gay¤ (Bodhi-Gay¤)	The town now associated with the Buddha's enlightenment -- in fact it was three g¤vutas (5-1/4 miles) from the Bodhi-tree, located on the Nera¾jar¤ River, fifteen yojanas (105 miles) from Benares. It was between the Bodhi-tree and Gaya that the Buddha first spoke to a human being (Upaka) after his enlightenment.
Isipatana	Outside Benares (Today known as Saranath). Location of The Deer Park, the place where Gotama taught The DhammaCakkappavattana Sutta, the first sutta, to the five friends who first accompanied him into homelessness.
Jetavana	The Jeta Grove in Anathapindika's Park in Savatthi. Purchased from Prince Jeta as a residence for the Buddha by the wealthy banker An¤thapi¼Àika's for the price of covering it's surface with gold coins. Prince Jeta in turn spent the sum in the construction of a Gate for the Park, and Anathapindika spent twice the amount again in the construction of residences and landscaping. In all the amount said to have been spent in establishing the Park was 72 crores -- as I understand it the coin used was the Kah¤pa¼a which was square, was of a fixed weight of about 146 grains, and was usually made of copper or silver, but my recollection was that the Jetavana was paid for in gold. So, depending on which metal was used, and taking into consideration the fact that copper, at the time would have been considered much more valuable than it is today and silver and gold would not have been subjected to the manipulation of central banks as it is today (Tuesday, April 01, 2003 12:22 PM), the price of the Jetavana would have been about $80,280,000,000 if the Kah¤pa¼awas made of gold; $105,840,000 if made of silver; and $1,080,000 if made of copper.
Kapilavatthu	Capital city of the S¤kyan clan, location of Lumbin¨vana, birthplace of Gotama. The country was a republic, governed by a sort of parlament or council of chiefs, ruled over by an elected "king" (we might say president); at the time of the Buddha's birth this king was the Buddha's father, Suddhodana. Location of the delivery of the Sekha Sutta,^[5] the Madhupi¼Àika Sutta,^[6] the 121. Mah¤su¾¾ata Sutt,^[7] The Greater Discourse on Voidness, and the Dakkhi¼¤vibha¸ga Sutta^[8]
Kamm¤sadhamma	A town of Potters in Kuru-land. The place where the M¤gandiya Sutta, Man¤nid¤na Sutta, Mah¤SatipaÂÂh¤na Sutta, and £ne¾jasapp¤ya Suttas were delivered.
Kosamb¨	Capital city of the Vaµsas. It's kings during the Buddha's time were Parantapa and his son Udena whom we hear of in connection with the Magandiya Sutta in the story of S¤mavat¨. DPPN gives the route from Mahissati to R¤jagaha as: Ujjeni, Gonaddha, Vedisa, Vanasavhya, Kosambi, S¤keta, S¤vatthi, Setavy¤, Kapilavatthu, Kusin¤r¤, P¤v¤, Bhoganagara and Ves¤li.
Kuru Land	see: Kurus; below.
KuS¤vat¨	KuS¤vat¨ was the name of a famous city mentioned as the capital of Southern Kusala in post-Buddhistic Sanskrit plays and epic poems. In the Mah¤bh¤rata it is called KuSavat¨. It is said to have been so named after KuSa, son of R¤ma, by whom it was built; and it is also called KuSasthal¨ (RD-BI)
Kusin¤r¤	Where in the Upavattana of Kusin¤r¤, in the S¤la Grove of the Mallians, between the twin S¤la trees, the utter passing away of the Tath¤gata took place. 'The place, £nanda, at which the believing man can say, "Here the Tath¤gata passed finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to remain behind!" is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe. [DN.16.5.20] "This Kusin¤r¤, £nanda, was the royal city of king Mah¤-Sudassana, under the name of Kus¤vat¨, and on the east and on the west it was twelve leagues in length, and on the north and on the south it was seven leagues in breadth." (See: BS.1.5.42)
Lumbini	Birthplace of the Buddha. From the Times of India THURSDAY, AUGUST 01, 2002 10:30:38 AM: BHUBANESWAR: Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism who attained enlightenment 2,500 years ago, was born not in Nepal but in Orissa, researchers here claim. The Buddha, they say, was born at a village that was earlier known as Lumbini near Kapileswar village on the outskirts of this city and not at the famous Lumbini in Nepal, noted archaeologist Chandrabhanu Patel says. Patel, who is also head of the Orissa Museum, bases his claim on the findings of a research team led by him that examined rocks, inscriptions and other materials found in excavations. Orissa has a host of ancient Buddhist sites, including Ratnagiri, Udaygiri, Lalitgiri, Kuruma, Brahmavana, Langudi and Ganiapali. Excavators have found large domes, monasteries, sculptures and other objects of archaeological importance at these sites. The team's finding is based on research carried out at these venues. Kalinga, as Orissa was known in that period, formed an important geographical niche between northern and southern India and maintained close trade and cultural ties with Myanmar, Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean islands. The turning point in Buddhist history came with Emperor Asoka's conquest of Kalinga in 261 B.C. The emperor, who later converted to Buddhism, is said to have sent his children to propagate Buddhism in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. A stone pillar inscription of Asoka discovered at Kapileswar in 1928 and now in Ashutosh Museum at Kolkata points to the Buddha's birthplace being in Orissa, Patel said. "Our scholars who read and deciphered the inscription found that it carries six lines in Prakrit language and Asokan Brahami script that say that in the 20th year of his coronation Asoka worshipped at Kapileswar as Lord Buddha was born here," Patel said. While historians say that Buddha was born at Lumbini in Nepal, Patel said, a village near Kapileswar named Lembei could well be his birthplace. The ancient name of this village was Lumbini, he claimed. The inscription says that Asoka exempted Lumbini village from all taxes in 240 B.C. because the Buddha was born there, Patel claimed. A broken portion of Ashoka pillar nine feet high and 12 feet in girth was found in the Bhaskareswar temple located four kilometres from Kapileswar. Broken bells and replicas of Asoka's famous four-lion emblem recovered from these areas are also currently at the state museum, he said. Legend has it that the Buddha entered his mother's womb as a white elephant. At Dhauli, seven kilometres from Kapileswar, Ashoka carved out the statue of an elephant along with his edict. Patel said researchers also found four sculptures of Ashoka in Kapileswar temple premises representing four stages of his transformation from a king to a sage. Patel discounted the ancient inscriptions in Nepal identifying that kingdom as the Buddha's birthplace. He said Asoka had not installed those inscriptions. Patel claimed the Buddha's relics in gilded stone caskets were found during an excavation at Lalitgiri in Orissa's Jajpur district in 1985. Archaeologists had said the stone casket contains the ashes of the Buddha, who was cremated when he attained Nirvana at the age of 80.
M¤gadha	Land of the M¤gadhas. One of the main kingdoms of Buddha's India. It's capital was R¤jagaha. Kings of the time were Bimbis¤ra and his son Aj¤tasattu. Boundaries were the River Campa on the east, the Vindhy¤ mountains on the south, the River So¼a on the west and the River Ganges on the north. S¤riputta and Moggall¤na were Magadhas. Other places in Magadha: Ekan¤l¤, N¤lakag¤ma, Sen¤¼ig¤ma, Kh¤numata, Andhakavindha, Macala, M¤tul¤, AmbalaÂÂhik¤, P¤Âig¤ma, N¤land¤ and S¤lindiya.
Mall¤	One of the 16 provinces, with two major kingdoms whose capitals were P¤v¤ and Kusin¤r¤.
N¤land¤	A place that became famous as a center for Buddhist studies. 1 league from R¤jagaha; the journey between R¤jagaha and N¤land¤ is the scene of the Brahmajala Sutta, first sutta of the Digha Nikaya.
N¤lag¤ma	Birth- and death-place of Sariputta.
P¤v¤	A city of the Mallas near Kusin¤ra where The Buddha ate his last meal, a gift from Cunda the Smith. Location for the Sangiti Sutta.
R¤jagaha	The capital of Magadha, one of the six great cities. During the Buddha's time ruled over by Bimbis¤ra and later his son Aj¤tasattu. S¤riputta and Moggall¤na entered the Sangha here during the Buddha's first visit. The location of Vulture's Peak, the Banyan Grove, Robbers' Cliff, Sattapa¾¾i cave on the slope of Mount Vebh¤ra, Black Rock on the slope of Mount Isigili, S¨tavana Grove in the mountain cave Sappasondika, Tapoda Grove, Bambu Grove, the Squirrels' Feeding Ground, J¨vaka's Mango Grove, and the Deer Forest at Maddakukkhi. The £Â¤n¤Âiya, Udumbarika, Kassapas¨han¤da, J¨vaka, Mah¤sakulad¤y¨, and Sakkapa¾ha suttas were delivered here.
S¤vatthi	Capital of Kosala, located on the River Aciravat¨. The Buddha spent twenty-five years in S¤vatthi and more suttas (844 according to Woodward)^[2] were delivered there than in any other single location. It was in S¤vatthi that the Buddha performed the miracle called "The Twins."^[3]
ThullakoÂÂhita	A Kuru township
Tudig¤ma	Ruled over as by a king, by the Brahman Todeyya
UkkaÂÂha	A Kosalan township. Ruled over as if by a king by the brahman Pokkharas¤ti. Location of the Subhagavana where the M¬lapariy¤ya Sutta was delivered.
Uruvelakappa-town	A Malla town, location for the delivery of Kindred Sayings, IV, The Salayatana Book, #11: Lucky, pp 232ff., #12: Rasiya, ppp234; V, The Great Chapter, Kindred Sayings on the Faculties, vi, #1: Sala PTS, Woodward trans., and Gradual Sayings, IV: The Book of the Nines, The Great Chapter, x #41: Tapusa, pp293 PTS, E.M. Hare "Now what is the cause, what is the reason my mind does not leap up, calm down, stand upright and bend towards letting go even though I understand it to be "The Peace"? It is because the danger of pleasures is not seen by me, not made a big deal of, the advantage of giving up is not experienced by me!"
Ves¤li	Capital city of the Licchavis, a clan of the Vajjians. Location for the delivery of the Ratana Sutta. and Vesali Sutta. It was here that at the request of Ananda, Mahapajapati's plea that women be allowed to join the order was granted.^[4] It was here also, that Gotama renounced the remainder of his lifespan and determined that he would die at the end of three months. According to PDPN: "At the time of the Buddha, Vesali was a very large city, rich and prosperous, crowded with people and with abundant food. There were seven thousand seven hundred and seven pleasure grounds, and an equal number of lotus ponds."

The Middle Country

"It lies in the middle, on this side of the town Kaja¾gala on the east, beyond which is Mah¤-S¤la, and beyond that the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the river Salalavat¨ on the southeast, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the town Setakannika on the south, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the Brahmanical town Th¬na on the west, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the hill Us¨raddhaja on the north, beyond which are the border districts."

The Four Major Kingdoms

Buddhist India, T.W. Rhys Davids, pp.3:
In those parts of India which came very early under the influence of Buddhism, we find . . . four kingdoms of considerable extent and power . . .
1. The kingdom of Magadha, with its capital at R¤jagaha (afterwards at P¤Âaliputta), reigned over at first by King Bimbis¤ra and afterwrds by his son Aj¤tasattu.
2. To the north-west there was the kingdom of Kosala -- the Northern Kosala -- with its capital at S¤vatthi, ruled over at first by King Pasenadi and afterwards by his son ViÀ¬Àabha.
3. Southwards from Kosala was the kingdom of the Vaµsas or Vatsas, with their capital at Kosambi on the Jumna, reigned over by King Udena, the son of Parantapa.
4. And still farther south lay the kingdom of Avanti, with its capital Ujjeni, reigned over by King Pajjota.

The Five Great Rivers

The Sixteen Provinces of Buddhist India

PED: The 16 provinces of Buddhist India are comprised in the so²asa mah¤-janapad¤ (Miln 350) enumd at A I.213=IV.252 sq.=Nd2 247 (on Sn 1102) as follows: Ang¤, Magadh¤ (+K¤ling¤, Nd2] K¤s¨, Kosal¤, Vajj¨, Mall¤, Cet¨ (Cetiy¤ A IV.), Vaµs¤ (Vang¤ A I.), Kur¬, Pa¾c¤l¤, Majj¤ (Macch¤ A), S¬rasen¤, Assak¤, Avant¨, Yon¤ (Gandh¤r¤ A), Kamboj¤. Cp. Rhys Davids, B. India p. 23.

T.W.Rhys Davids: Buddhist India pp 23 ff:
1. The Angas dwelt in the country to the east of Magadha, having their capital a Champ¤, near the modern Bhagalpur. Its boundaries are unknown. In the Buddha's time it was subject to Magadha, and we never hear of its having regained independence. But in former times it was independent, and there are traditions of wars between these neighbouring countries. The Anga raja in the Buddha's time was simply a wealthy nobleman, and we only know of him as the grantor of a pension to a particular brahmin.
2. The Magadhas, as is well known, occupied the district now called Behar. It was probably then bounded to the north by the Ganges, to the east by the river Champa, on the south by the Vindhya Mountains, and on the west by the river Sona. In the Buddha's time (that is, inclusive of Anga) it is said to have had eighty thousand villages and to have been three hundred leagues (about twenty three hundred miles) in circumference.
3. The K¤sis are of course the people settled in the district around Benares. In the time of the Buddha this famous old kingdom of the Bh¤ratas had fallen to so low a political level that the revenues of the townships had become a bone of contension betdween Kosala and Magadha, and the kingdom itself was incorporated into Kosala. Its mention in this list is historically important, as we must conclude that the memory of it as an independent state was still fresh in men's minds. This is confirmed by the very frequent mention of it as such in the J¤takas, where it is said to have been over two thousand miles in circuit. But it never regained independence, and its boundaries are unknown.
4. The Kosalas were the ruling clan in the kingdom whose capital was S¤vatthi, in what is now Nepal, seventy miles north-west of the modern Gorakhpur. It included Benares and S¤keta; and probably had the Ganges for its sosuthern boundary, the Gandhak for its eastern boundary, and the mountains for its northern boundary. The S¤kiyas already achkowledged, in the seventh century B.C., the suzerainty of Kosala.
It was the rapid rise of this kingdom of Kosala, and the inevitable struggle in the immediate future between it and Magadha, which was the leading point in the politics of the Buddha's time. These hardy mountaineers had swept into their net all the tribes between the mountains and the Ganges. Their progress was arrested on the east by the free clans. And the struggle between Kosala and Magadha for the paramount power in all India was, in fact, probably decided when the powerful confederation of the Licchavis became arrayed on the side of Magadha. Several successful invasions of K¤s¨ by the Kosalans under their kings, Vanka, Dabbasena, and Kaµsa, are referred to a date before the Buddha's time. And the final conquest would seem to be ascribed to Kaµsa, as the epithet "Conqueror of Benares" is a standing addition to his name.
5. The Vajjians included eight confederate clans, of whom the Licchavis and the Videhans were the most important. It is very interesting to notice that while tradition makes Videha a kingdom in earlier times, it describes it in the Buddha's time as a republic. Its size, as a separate kingdom, is said to have been three hundred leagues (about one hundred miles) in circumference. Its capital, Mithit¤, was about thirty-five miles north-west from Ves¤li, the capital of the Licchavis. There it was that the great King Janaka ruled a little while before the rise of Buddhism. And it is probable that the modern town of Janak-pur preserves in its name a memory of this famous rajput scholar and philosopher of olden time.
6. The Mallas of Kusin¤ra and P¤v¤ were also independent clans, whose territory, if we may trust the Chinese pilgrims, was on the mountain slopes to the east of the S¤kiya land, and to the north of the Vajjian confederation. But some would place it south of the S¤kiyas and east of the Vajjians.
7. The Cetis were probably the same tribe as that called Cedi in older documents, and had two distinct settlements. One, probably the older, was in the mountains, in what is now called Nepal. The other, probably a later colony, was near Kosambi to the east and has been even confused with the land of the Vaµs¤, from which this list makes them distinct.
8. Vaµs¤ is the country of the Vacchas, of which Kosambi, properly only the name of the capital, is the more familiar name. It lay immediately to the north of Avanti, and along the banks of the Jumna. 9. The Kurus occupied the country of which Indraprastha, close to the modern Delhi, was the capital; and had the Panch¤las to the east and the Matsyas to the south. Tradition gives the kingdom a circumference of two thousand miles. They had very little political importance in the Buddha's time. It was at Kamm¤ssa-dhamma in the Kuru country that several of the most important Suttantas -- the Mah¤ SatipaÂÂh¤na, for instance, and the Mah¤ Nid¤na -- were delivered. And RaÂÂhap¤la was a Kuru noble.
10. The two Pa¾c¤las occupied the country to the east of the Kurus, between the mountains and the Ganges. Their capitals were Kampilla and Kanoj.
11. The Macchas, or Matsyas, were to the south of the Kurus and west of the Jumna, which separated them from the Southern Pa¾c¤las.
12. The S¬rasenas, whose capital was Madhur¤, were immediately south-west of the Macchas, and west of the Jumna.
13. The Assakas had, in the Buddha's time, a settlement on the banks of the Godh¤vari. Their capital was Potana, or Potali. The country is mentioned with Avanti in the same way as Anga is with Magadha, and its position on this list, between S¬rasena and Avanti, makes it probable that, when the list was drawn up, its position was immediately north-west of Avanti. In that case the settlement on the Godh¤vari was a later colony; and this is confirmed by the fact that there is no mention of Potana (or Potali) there. The name of the tribe is also ambiguous. Sanskrit authors speak both of A.smak¤ and of A.svak¤. Each of these would be Assak¤, both in the local vernacular and in P¤li. And either there were two distinct tribes so called, or the Sanskrit form A.svak¤ is a wrong reading, or a blunder in the Sanskritisation of Assak¤.
14. Avanti, the capital of which was Ujjeni, was ruled over by King Ca¼Àa Pajjota (Pajjota the Fierce) referred to above. The country, much of which is rich land, had been colonised or conquered by Aryan tribes who came down the Indian valley, and turned west from the Gulf of Kach. It was called Avanti at least as late as the second century A.D., but from the seventh or eighth century onwards it was called M¤tava.
15. Gandh¤r¤, modern Kandahar, was the district of Eastern Afghanistan, and it probably included the north-west of the Panjab. Its capital was Takkasil¤. The Kinig of Gandh¤r¤ in the Buddha's time, Pukkus¤ti, is said to have sent an embassy and a letter to King Bimbis¤ra of Magadha.
16. Kamboj¤ was the adjoining country in the extreme north-west, with Dv¤raka as its capital.

Highways (Trade Routes)

1. North to South-west. S¤vatthi to PatiÂÂh¤na (Paithan) and back. The principal stopping places are given^[1] (beginning from the south) as M¤hissati, Ujjeni, Gonaddha, Vedisa, Kosambi, and S¤keta.

2. North to South-east. S¤vatthi to R¤jagaha. It is curious that the route between these two ancient cities is never, so far as I know, direct, but always along the foot of the mountains to a point north of Ves¤li, and only then turning south to the Ganges. By taking this circuitous road the rivers were crossed at places close to the hills were the fords were more easy to pass. But political considerations may also have had their weight in the original choice of this route, still followed when they were no longer of much weight.^[2] The stopping places were (beginning at S¤vatthi), Setavya, Kapilavastu, Kusin¤r¤, P¤v¤, Hatthi-g¤ma, Bha¼Àagama, Ves¤li, P¤taliputta, and N¤land¤. The road probably went on to Gaya, and there met another route from the coast, possibly at T¤mralipti, to Benares.^[3

3. East to West. The main route was along the great rivers, along which boats plied for hire. We even hear of express boats. Upwards the rivers were used along the Ganges as far west as Sahaj¤ti,^[4 and along the Jumna as far west as Kosambi.^[5 Downwards, in later times at least, the boats went right down to the mouths of the Ganges, and thence either across or along the coast to Burma.^[6 In the early books we hear only of the traffic downward as far as Magadha, that is, to take the farthest point, Champ¤. Upwards it went thence to Kosambi, where it met the traffic from the south (Route 1), and was continued by cart to the south-west and north-west.

Besides the above we are told of traders going from Videha to Gandh¤ra,^[7 from Magadha to Sov¨ra,^[8 from Bharukaccha round the coast to Burma,^[9 from Benares down the river to its mouth and thence on to Burma,^[10 ffrom Champ¤ to the same destination.^[11 In crossing the desert west of R¤jput¤na the caravans are said^[12 to travel only in the night, and to be guided by a "land-pilot," who, just as one does on the ocean, kept the right route by observing the stars. The whole description of this journey is too vividly accurate to life to be an invention. So we may accept it as evidence not only that there was a trade route over the desert, but also that pilots, guiding ships or caravans by the stars only, were well known.

In the solitary instance of a trading journey to Babylon (averu) we are told that it was by sea, but the port of departure is not mentioned.^[13 There is one story, the world-wide story of the Sirens, who are located in Tambapa¼¼i-d¨pa, a sort of fairy land, which is probably meant for Ceylon.^[14 Lank¤ does not occur. Traffic with China is first mentioned in the Milinda (pp. 127, 327, 359), which is some centuries later.

^[1]In S.N. 1011-1013.
^[2]Sutta Nip¤ta loc. cit., and D¨gha, 2.
^[3]Vinaya Texts, I. 81.
^[4]Ibid. 3. 401
^[5]Ibid. 3. 382
^[6]That is at Thaton, then called Suvanna-bh¬mi, the Gold Coast, See Dr. Mabel Bode in the S¤.sana Vamsa, p. 12.
^[7]J¤t. 3. 365
^[8]V.V.A. 370.
^[9]J¤t. 3. 188.
^[10]Ibid. 4. 15-17.
^[11]Ibid. 6. 32-35.
^[12]Ibid. I. 108.
^[13]Ibid. 3. 126. Has the foreign country called Seruma (J¤t. 3. 189) any connection with Sumer or the land of Akkad?
^[14]J¤t. 2. 127.

The Ten Sounds Of A Big City

The noise of elephants, and the noise of horses, and the noise of chariots; the sounds of the drum, of the tabor, and of the lute; the sound of singing, and the sounds of the cymbal and of the gong; and lastly, with the cry, "Eat, drink, and be merry!"

^[3]I hear tell this is a work of power only possible to Buddhas. It was apparently done numerous times by Gotama, but the most famous occasion was at the time when he laid down the rule that Bhikkhus were not to perform such feats in the presence of laymen. When the ajavikas heard of this rule they sensed an opportunity, and went around saying that they could match feat-for-feat any deed of the Bhikkhus. The Buddha, stating that this rule did not apply to himself, took up the challenge and stated that in seven days he would perform "The Twins" outside the city gates of S¤vatthi under a mango tree. Well then the Ajavikas went and uprooted every mango tree for a mile around the city, but this did not disturb the Buddha. On the day of the feat, he was given a mango to eat for lunch, and he instructed Ananda to plant the seed outside the city. Ananda did so, and the tree grew instantly to full height. This feat is performed by "Preaching while walking back and forth." It consists of presenting the body split into four sections (imagine a split-screen view of a body on your TV); the top two sections consist of one side showing the profile view and one side showing the facing view; the bottom two sections show the same, but on opposite sides. Multi-colored lights radiate out from the body, while each of the four sections alternate opposing displays of the four elements: the facing half of the upper portion, for example spewing fire from the mouth, while the profile side spews water from the ear.
During the performance of this feat several million individuals were apparently able to attain the state of Streamwinner, and it is after this event, so the story goes, that the Buddha went to the Tusita realm and preached the Abhidhamma to his mother. ...a story I simply cannot buy...and I don't have any trouble buying the story of the performance of this feat...I wonder if anyone has dealt with the issue as to whether or not the future Buddhas that wait their turn in Tusita are Streamwinners or Non-returners or whether they begin in their last birth on Earth, from scratch? Hum...to answer my own question, I believe it is a matter of doctrine that the idea of he Smmasambuddha depends on the bodhisatva discovering The Way for himself, unassisted. This means he must not even be a Streamwinner at the time of the Great Renunciation. This means that the Buddha would have been wasting his time teaching the Abhidhamma to his mother, and I do not think the Buddha's deliberately waste their time. They may teach someone who asks a question knowing that individual will not understand the answer, but I do not think they would go out of their way to teach someone that would not understand.

^[4]As I was looking up the Ratana Sutta which I found on Access to Insight, I noted that the Rules for female Bhikkhus, The Bhikkhuni Patimokkha The Bhikkhunis' Code of Discipline, Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, had just been placed on that site.

^[5]Majjhima Nik¤ya I: 53. Sekha Sutta, I.353; WP: The Disciple in Higher Training, 460; PTS: Discourse for Learners, II.18

^[6]Majjhima Nik¤ya I: 18. Madhupi¼Àika Sutta, I.108; WP: The Honey Ball, 201; PTS: Discourse of the Honey-ball, I.141; ATI: The Ball of Honey

^[8]Majjhima Nik¤ya III: 142. Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta, III.253; BD: Advantage: Giver (Discussion); WP: The Exposition of Offerings, 1102; PTS: Discourse on the Analysis of Offerings, III.300