buddha daily wisdom image

vv.16 Vimanavatthu

Sirima’s MansionThe Snake Chapter

Vangisa Bhante:

Devata, your chariot is very beautiful. The divine horses that pull it are very powerful and fast, and they are decorated with various ornaments. These horses travel down through the sky. Just as horses obey their driver, these horses take you to wherever your mind wishes to go. You have received five hundred chariots. Is this not the result of a powerful act of merit?

While you sit in the chariot decorated with ornaments, you shine like a fire which provides bright light. Devata, you are extremely beautiful. From which heavenly world did you come here to visit the Supreme Buddha?

Devata:

Bhante, the heavenly world that I came from is a great place even amongst the other heavenly worlds. There the gods create whatever divine pleasures they wish for and delight in their creation. I am a goddess from that heaven and I too have created various wonderful things according to my wish. I have come from that heaven to pay homage to the Supreme Buddha.

Vangisa Bhante:

Devata, you possess psychic powers and your body illuminates all the directions. Surrounded and respected by many gods, you are traveling through the sky. Tell me where you lived before you were born as a goddess. Whose teaching did you follow? Are you a follower of the Supreme Buddha? What kind of meritorious actions did you do in the past?

Devata:

In the human world there once was a beautiful city called Rajagaha surrounded by five mountains. I was a queen of the famous king Bimbisara. I was very talented in dancing and singing. Everyone knew me as Sirima.

The Supreme Buddha is a great teacher. He is very skilled at training gods and humans. My great teacher, the Supreme Buddha, taught me the Four Noble Truths. He taught that suffering and the cause of suffering are impermanent. He taught me the end of suffering, Nibbana, which is unconditioned and unchanging. And he taught me the Noble Eightfold Path which is a straight and excellent way leading to the end of suffering.

Having learned about the bliss of Nibbana from the unsurpassed teacher, the Supreme Buddha, I had great confidence in that teaching. I kept the precepts well and led a very restrained life.

I recognized the true way to Nibbana and understood clearly the teachings of the Supreme Buddha. I developed concentration through serene meditation. That concentration became a key factor of my practice.

I realized the Four Noble Truths. I am free from doubt in the teachings. Many gods honor me and I enjoy many wonderful things here.

I am a follower of the wisest teacher, the Supreme Buddha, and I am headed to Nibbana. Through the realization of the Four Noble Truths, I have reached the first stage of enlightenment, the fruit of stream entry. I have escaped from all bad destinations.

I came to worship my great teacher, the Supreme Buddha. The sight of virtuous monks is also pleasing to me and I worship them happily.

The most supreme, matchless trainer of beings, the Supreme Buddha, has cut off all cravings and delights in Nibbana. The Blessed One is compassionate to all beings. Even just seeing the Buddha is delightful. My happiness is beyond words. I pay homage to my great teacher, the Supreme Buddha.

- Translator: Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera