Who is your favorite great disciple?

Textual analysis and comparative discussion on early Buddhist sects and scriptures.
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Wizard in the Forest
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Wizard in the Forest »

Sariputta, Angulimala, Khema, Dharmadinna, and Moggallana.
"One is not born a woman, but becomes one."- Simone de Beauvoir
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Ceisiwr »

Is this restricted to people who met and knew him or modern disciples as well?
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Wizard in the Forest
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Wizard in the Forest »

It's in the early Buddhism so I thought direct disciples.
"One is not born a woman, but becomes one."- Simone de Beauvoir
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tiltbillings
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by tiltbillings »

Nanda
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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tiltbillings
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by tiltbillings »

And Bahiya.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Prasadachitta
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Prasadachitta »

Dhammadina
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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bodom
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by bodom »

gabrielbranbury wrote:Dhammadina
I was just reading this sutta today
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at
Baranasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. Then the lay follower
Dhammadinna, together with five hundred lay followers,
approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down
to one side. Sitting to one side, the lay follower Dhammadinna
then said to the Blessed One: “Let the Blessed One, venerable
sir, exhort us and instruct us in a way that may lead to our
welfare and happiness for a long time.”

"Therefore, Dhammadinna, you should train yourselves thus:
‘From time to time we will enter and dwell upon those
discourses spoken by the Tathagata that are deep, deep in
meaning, supramundane, dealing with emptiness.’ It is in such a
way that you should train yourselves.”

“Venerable sir, it is not easy for us – dwelling in a home
crowded with children, enjoying Kasian sandalwood, wearing
garlands, scents, and cosmetics, receiving gold and silver – from
time to time to enter and dwell upon those discourses spoken by
the Tathagata that are deep, deep in meaning, supramundane,
dealing with emptiness. As we are established in the five training
rules, let the Blessed One teach us the Dhamma further.”
“Therefore, Dhammadinna, you should train yourselves thus:
‘We will possess confirmed confidence in the Buddha... in the
Dhamma... in the Sangha.... We will possess the virtues dear to
the noble ones, unbroken... leading to concentration.’ It is in
such a way that you should train yourselves.”

“Venerable sir, as to these four factors of stream-entry taught by
the Blessed One, these things exist in us, and we live in
conformity with those things. For, venerable sir, we possess
confirmed confidence in the Buddha, the the Dhamma, and the
Sangha. We possess the virtues dear to the noble ones,
unbroken... leading to concentration.”

“It is a gain for you, Dhammadinna! It is well gained by you,
Dhammadinna! You have declared the fruit of stream-entry.”
~ S 55.53, (Bhikkhu Bodhi trans.)
:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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Prasadachitta
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Prasadachitta »

bodom wrote:
gabrielbranbury wrote:Dhammadina
I was just reading this sutta today
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at
Baranasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. Then the lay follower
Dhammadinna, together with five hundred lay followers,
approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down
to one side. Sitting to one side, the lay follower Dhammadinna
then said to the Blessed One: “Let the Blessed One, venerable
sir, exhort us and instruct us in a way that may lead to our
welfare and happiness for a long time.”

"Therefore, Dhammadinna, you should train yourselves thus:
‘From time to time we will enter and dwell upon those
discourses spoken by the Tathagata that are deep, deep in
meaning, supramundane, dealing with emptiness.’ It is in such a
way that you should train yourselves.”

“Venerable sir, it is not easy for us – dwelling in a home
crowded with children, enjoying Kasian sandalwood, wearing
garlands, scents, and cosmetics, receiving gold and silver – from
time to time to enter and dwell upon those discourses spoken by
the Tathagata that are deep, deep in meaning, supramundane,
dealing with emptiness. As we are established in the five training
rules, let the Blessed One teach us the Dhamma further.”
“Therefore, Dhammadinna, you should train yourselves thus:
‘We will possess confirmed confidence in the Buddha... in the
Dhamma... in the Sangha.... We will possess the virtues dear to
the noble ones, unbroken... leading to concentration.’ It is in
such a way that you should train yourselves.”

“Venerable sir, as to these four factors of stream-entry taught by
the Blessed One, these things exist in us, and we live in
conformity with those things. For, venerable sir, we possess
confirmed confidence in the Buddha, the the Dhamma, and the
Sangha. We possess the virtues dear to the noble ones,
unbroken... leading to concentration.”

“It is a gain for you, Dhammadinna! It is well gained by you,
Dhammadinna! You have declared the fruit of stream-entry.”
~ S 55.53, (Bhikkhu Bodhi trans.)
:anjali:
This must be before she went forth and became fully awakened. Obviously she was a powerful influence within her community.

Thanks Bodom.

Gabe
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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legolas
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by legolas »

Wind wrote:That's easy. Ananda. His hard work gave us the Suttas. :smile:
Being an ardent sutta enthusiast, I agree. The depth of Ananda's gift to the world is mind blowing. He also gets my vote because he comes across as so human, a link between the highest and the rest of the masses. I suppose this is due to Ananda not becoming an arhant for so long yet still sustaining a mind of love, the tears at the Buddha's death are also a reminder to me that you can still be well on the path and still be overwhelmed at times.
nobody12345
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by nobody12345 »

I like all the disciples of the Buddha.
Each disciple has unique quality that inspires me and moves me.
However, I believe that I owe the greatest debt to Ananda.
Without him, many of the great discourse of our kind teacher would have been lost forever.
:anjali:
Individual
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by Individual »

Gautama
The best things in life aren't things.

The Diamond Sutra
rowyourboat
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by rowyourboat »

Maha-kassapa- because he is said to be in a cave somewhere and his bones (dhathu) is going to assemble with those of the next Buddha for the final rapturous sermon!
With Metta

Karuna
Mudita
& Upekkha
pt1
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by pt1 »

Sariputta - for transmitting the abhidhamma
Upali - for transmitting the vinaya
Anuruddha - for being there for the monks and devas at time of the Buddha's demise, for urging Ananda to attain arahatship so he could attend the first council and actually recite all the suttas, and for being in charge of transmitting the anguttara.

Best wishes
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cooran
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by cooran »

Well said pt1! :twothumbsup:
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
---It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
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adeh
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Re: Who is your favorite great disciple?

Post by adeh »

Ananda
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