Once upon a time, in India, Prince Ajatashatru was a close companion of Devadatta, and each trusted the other’s words completely.
Devadatta said to Ajatashatru:
“You should kill your father, the great king, and become the new king. I shall kill the Buddha and become the new Buddha.”
Following Devadatta’s advice, Ajatashatru seized his father, King Bimbisara. He built a chamber in a remote place, surrounded by seven walls, and imprisoned him there. He securely locked the doors and stationed strong guards at the gate.
He ordered them:
“Do not allow anyone to enter.”
He gave the same command to all ministers and nobles, permitting no one to visit the king. He planned to have his father killed within seven days.
The queen mother, Vaidehi, wept bitterly.
“I have given birth to an evil child filled with wicked thoughts. I have borne a son who would kill his own father.”
Vaidehi prepared a mixture of butter and honey, mixed it with barley flour, secretly brought it to the imprisoned king, and spread it on his body. She also modified her necklace so that it could conceal drink inside and secretly carried it to him.
King Bimbisara consumed the barley mixture. He then washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, joined his palms in reverence, and turned toward Vulture Peak in the distance. With tears in his eyes, he bowed and prayed:
“O Shakyamuni Buddha, save me from my suffering. Though I have encountered the Buddha’s teaching, I am about to be killed by my son, whose views are false and evil. Is Maudgalyayana there? Please show compassion and bestow upon me the Eight Precepts, that they may become merit for my next life.”
Hearing this, the Buddha was moved by compassion and sent Maudgalyayana and Purna Maitrayaniputra.
The two arhats flew through the sky like falcons and came to King Bimbisara. They bestowed the precepts and preached the Dharma. They did this every day.
One day Ajatashatru asked the guards:
“Is my father still alive?”
They replied:
“Yes, he is still alive. His face remains bright and healthy, and there is no sign of death. Queen Vaidehi secretly prepares butter and honey and applies it to his body. She also brings him drink hidden inside her necklace. Moreover, the great arhats Maudgalyayana and Purna descend from the sky every day to preach the Dharma and bestow the precepts. We cannot stop them.”
Purna (from Shiko Munakata’s Two Bodhisattvas and the Ten Great Disciples of Shakyamuni).
Hearing this, Ajatashatru became furious.
“My mother Vaidehi is the accomplice of a criminal! She has conspired with those evil monks, Maudgalyayana and Purna, and has kept that wicked old king alive until today!”
He seized his mother, drew his sword, and prepared to cut off her head.
At that moment Minister Jivaka, the Buddha’s physician, who was serving as a minister, addressed the king:
“Why would Your Majesty commit such a terrible crime? The Vedas say: ‘Since the beginning of history, eighteen thousand kings have killed their fathers in order to seize the throne.’ Yet no one has ever murdered his own mother. Great King, think carefully. Abandon this evil deed.”
The king was greatly frightened, fearing that he would fall into hell in a future life. He threw away his sword and spared his mother.
Not long afterward, King Bimbisara died.
At that time the Buddha was staying in the Sala Grove beside the Hiranyavati River at Kushinagar, preaching the teachings of the Great Nirvana Sutra.
Minister Jivaka said to King Ajatashatru:
“You have committed one of the gravest sins. You will surely fall into hell. Recently, however, the Buddha has been teaching the doctrine of the eternal Buddha-nature in the Sala Grove at Kushinagar, benefiting all living beings. You must go there at once and repent your crime.”
Ajatashatru replied:
“I killed my father. The Buddha surely thinks ill of me. He will not even wish to see me.”
Jivaka answered:
“The Buddha welcomes not only those who do good, but also those who commit evil. He loves all beings equally, as though they were his own children. Great King, go to him.”
The king said:
“I have committed a grave offense. I shall fall into Avici Hell. Even if I meet the Buddha, my sin will not disappear. Besides, I am already old. What good would it do to expose my shame before him now?”
Jivaka replied:
“If Your Majesty does not meet the Buddha now, when will the sin of killing your father ever be erased? How many lifetimes would it take? If you fall into Avici Hell, you may never escape. That is precisely why you must go to the Buddha now.”
Jivaka urged him repeatedly.
At that moment, a ray of light from the Buddha emerged from the Sala Grove and shone upon Ajatashatru.
The king said:
“It is said that at the end of the world three suns and moons will appear and illuminate the earth. Is this the end of the world? Moonlight is shining upon me.”
The minister replied:
“Listen, Great King. Parents with many children devote special care to the one who is gravely ill. You bear the heavy sin of killing your father. Is that not like being that gravely ill child? The Buddha loves all people as his own children. This light shines because he wishes to save you.”
The king said:
“Then I shall try visiting the Buddha. You must come with me. I bear a great sin. As I travel, the earth itself may split open and cast me into hell. If that happens, I shall seize you and have you executed.”
So Ajatashatru set out with Jivaka to visit the Buddha.
The king departed with fifty-two thousand chariots adorned with banners bearing spears and covered by royal canopies. Five hundred great elephants carrying treasures followed behind him. Countless ministers accompanied the procession.
At last he arrived at the Sala Grove and approached the Buddha.
The sala tree (Shorea robusta), known in Buddhism as the twin sala trees.
The Buddha looked at him and asked:
“Are you Ajatashatru?”
At that very moment, the king attained the First Fruit, the first stage of enlightenment, and received a prediction that he would attain Buddhahood in a future life.
The Buddha said:
“I had not intended to admit you into the Buddha Way. Yet now you have come before me. Therefore, you have entered it.”
Even Ajatashatru, who had killed his own father, attained the First Fruit merely by seeing the Buddha, cutting off attachment to the temptations of this world of suffering and desire.
Thus it is said that the merit gained from beholding the Buddha is beyond measure.
King Ajatashatru worshiping the Buddha (Indian Museum, Kolkata).
[Translation]
Shinichi Kusano / Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using chatGPT and Gemini to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Commentary]
Shinichi Kusano / Siro Inuzuka
This story is told in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, one of the principal scriptures of Pure Land Buddhism. In that text, the Buddha reveals the Pure Land to the despairing Queen Vaidehi and teaches her how to contemplate it.
King Bimbisara ruled the powerful kingdom of Magadha in central India. Several centuries later, Magadha would unify much of the Indian subcontinent.
The Sutta Nipata, one of the oldest Buddhist scriptures, describes how King Bimbisara offered military and financial support to Shakyamuni before his enlightenment, when he was still a wandering ascetic. His offer included an elephant corps, one of the most powerful weapons of the age, comparable in strategic importance to modern nuclear weapons. In other words, Bimbisara offered military assistance and economic support to a prince of a small state who would later become the Buddha.
King Bimbisara welcoming the Buddha.
Shakyamuni declined the offer, but Bimbisara later became one of his most devoted patrons. The support of such a powerful kingdom undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the early Buddhist community.
In time, however, Bimbisara was overthrown in a coup led by his son Ajatashatru.
In this story, the Buddha is in Kushinagar, the place traditionally known as where he entered Parinirvana. The latter half of the story is based on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, which describes the Buddha’s final passing into Parinirvana.
The Buddha’s Parinirvana (Hosenji Temple, Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture)
●Japanese
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