The Disciples of the Buddha12
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Venerable Mahakasyapa, foremost in ascetic practices

◎The Disciples of the Buddha
  Who are the disciples of the Buddha? They are the monastic and lay practitioners of the Dharma. When the Buddha teaches, they listen attentively and carefully to the Buddha's every word. Like the illustrations below show, there is always a sense of harmony between the Buddha and his disciples.
  Since the beginning of Buddhism more than 2,500 years ago, Buddhists have spread to every corner of the world, in countries like India, China, Korea, and Japan. During the Buddha's time, there were the Venerables Mahakasyapa, Ananda, and Suddhipanthaka. As Buddhism spread east to China, there were the distinguished Masters such as Xuanzhuang and Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty. Of the Buddha's disciples, some were very eloquent or had extraordinary memory, while others were very good at translating the Buddha's teachings into local dialects. Since every one of the Buddha's disciples was quite special in his/her own talent, it is impossible to list them here one by one. The best that one can do is to carefully read some of their accomplishments and follow their footsteps in developing one's own ability.

◎The Happiest Ascetic

  Venerable Mahakasyapa of India was born into a wealthy family, but after having renounced home life to follow the Buddha, he was very adamant in his practice of asceticism (a life of contentment with very few desires) and nobody could convince him otherwise.
  One day, the Buddha told him, “You should not be so harsh on yourself in your practice of ascetic austerities since you are old now.” But Mahakasyapa replied, “To me, the practice of asceticism is the happiest thing in the world. I am without desires in my heart for anything material or worldly. Therefore, I am truly happy in my mind.” Accordingly, Mahakasyapa was praised by the Buddha for setting such a good example and was later given the title, “Foremost in Ascetic Practice.”
Venerable Ananda, who had a photographic memory and was foremost in hearing the most teachings.

Who Has the Most Extraordinary Memory?
  Venerable Ananda was the Buddha's cousin and of all the Buddha's disciples, he had the most dignified appearance and an amazing memory. After leaving home to follow the Buddha, he became the Buddha's attendant and could recite from memory every word of the Buddha's teachings. Thus, he earned the title “the Foremost in Hearing Many Teachings.”
  After the Buddha passed away, a council was held by his disciples to collect and establish his teachings. It was Ananda who recited the Dharma as spoken by the Buddha to compile the Sutra-Pitaka. He had contributed greatly to the transmission of the Dharma to the present day to benefit countless sentient beings.

Venerable Suddhipanthaka who had attained enlightenment by sweeping the floor attentively.


The Venerable Who Is Most Attentive in Sweeping the Floor

  Before he had successfully cultivated his wisdom for realizing and understanding the truth of all phenomena, Venerable Suddhipanthaka, one of the Buddha's Ten Chief Disciples, could not even remember the simplest teaching. Because of this shortcoming, he often cried the tears of sorrow. In an effort to comfort him, the Buddha taught him to recite the phrase “wipe off dust and wash away dirt,” but he still could not remember it.
   Then, the Buddha told him that he could repeatedly recite the phrase while sweeping the floor. Day after day, Venerable Suddhipanthaka followed the Buddha's instruction. Gradually, he understood the significance of it. Just as dust could be swept away with a broom, defilement could be eradicated by wisdom. Therefore, it is possible to cultivate and elevate one's wisdom and knowledge by means of attentively sweeping the floor.

Vimalakirti, a lay Buddhist practitioner of great wisdom.

Why Did the Flowers Adhere to the Body?
  Although Vimalakirti was a very wealthy man during the Buddha's time, he did not care to compare, dispute or discriminate regarding worldly or material matters. He was known as a person of wisdom for his achievements in practicing the Buddha's teachings.
  One day, Vimalakirti was ill and the Buddha asked Manjusri Bodhisattva to pay the elder a visit. Many of the Buddha's disciples also followed Manjusri Bodhisattva to Vimalakirti's house. As the Bodhisattva and the lay practitioner engaged in an insightful discussion of the Dharma, a celestial maiden listened to their discussion and was filled with joy. Moved by their wisdom, she scattered heavenly flowers over the assembly as offering to the Bodhisattvas and great disciples. However, something strange happened. As the flowers fell on Manjusri Bodhisattva and Vimalakirti, they immediately dropped off to the ground, but when they reached the great disciples, they did not fall off. No matter how hard they tried, the disciples were unable to remove the flowers from their bodies.
  Do you know why the flowers adhere to the other disciples and not Vimalakirti or the Manjusri Bodhisattva? It is because the Bodhisattvas have realized the immeasurable state of equanimity and the disciples have yet to do so. They still have differentiations and comparisons, which caused the flowers to adhere closely to their bodies. Therefore, it is very important for us to have equanimity in all of our interpersonal relationships by not making any distinction between beauty and ugliness or rich and poor.

Chan Master Bodhidharma, who sat facing a wall in meditation.

◎The Chan Master Who Sat Facing the Wall in Meditation for the Longest Time
  Chan Master Bodhidharma came to China from southern India by sea to transmit the Buddha's teachings on meditation (its methods and purposes). After a period of traveling around China, he came to Shaolin Temple on Mt. Song in Henan province. For nine years, he sat in meditation, facing the rock wall of a cave, contemplating the truth and waiting for the arrival of a person who can understand the essence of the Chan tradition.
  During this period, five attempts were made on the Chan Master's life, but he was not deterred. He refused to abandon his resolve to spread the teachings of the Buddha. It was not until the arrival of Chan Master Hui Ke, who came from a faraway place in search of the right Dharma that Bodhidharma decided to transmit the teachings to him and started the sinification process of Chan Buddhism. Therefore, Chan Master Bodhidharma is revered as the first patriarch of the Chinese Chan School for his role in transmitting the teachings from India to China.