No.211 - The story which shows benefits of Saranagamana (2)

The Story Which Shows Benefits of "Saranagamana" (2)

The Story of Saranagamana Thera

In the time of Amonadhassi Buddha ,there lived a man who looked after his blind arents in the town of Candavati.He comten-plated that all beings were being burned by the three fires of lust,anger and delusion and that a man who wished to perform meritorious deeds, should be able to liberate himself form these fires. As he had to look after his blind parents,he could not become a monk. So, he undertook three refuges from Revered Nisabha who was the chief disciple of Anomadassi Buddha. He maintained the three refuges till the end of his life-span which lasted for 100 thousand years at that time.

He was then reborn in the Tavatimsa celestial abode.He was born as the King of devas for 80 times as the universal monarch for 75 times, as ordinary human-king and ordinary deva-king for innumerable times.He was never reborn in the four lower abodes. In every existence he was honored wherever he went;he had great intellingence and great retinue:he enjoyed great wealth: he possessed fair complexion and good appearance: he was loved by others: he had steady and good friends: his reputation spread in all directions. Finally, he was reborn as a rich-mas’s son in Savatthi. At the age of seven, he was playing with his companions when they happened to be in a monastery and met an arahat . That arahat admonished them kindly and let them undertake the three refuges. As soon as the rich man’s son heard the word “Tisarana” , he recalled the saranagamana which he had maintained in the time of Anomadassi Buddha. At that moment, he attained arahatship.