The Legacy of Venerated Ānanda (vegan): Wisdom, Memory, and Devotion, Part 1 of 2

Many bhikshus wondered about Ānanda’s past merits that enabled Him to remember all the teachings of the Worshipped Shakyamuni Buddha (vegan) flawlessly. Our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) told the story during a lecture in 2015.

“The bhikshus approached the Buddha and asked… ‘Praise to the World Honored One! Ānanda bhikshu, in a former life, what has He done to earn so much merit that nowadays He could remember everything like this? Please, tell us.’ So, the Buddha said, ‘Excellent, I will tell you. This was a long, long, long time ago. There was a bhikshu who had adopted a sami (sramanera),’ you know, sami (sramanera), in Sanskrit also? Meaning novice, a novice monk, a young boy who came in learning to be a monk. ‘Every day, He made him learn the sutras by heart, very diligently on time, and never failed. If this sami (sramanera) recited the sutras, the teaching and all that, according to the time schedule, then the bhikshu was very happy. If not, then He was upset and sometimes reprimanded him, scolded him.’ […]”

One day, after a difficult alms round, with little food, the sami returned late and missed his recitation schedule. The next day, while begging for food and crying, a wealthy person asked why he was upset. The sami explained, ‘My Master is very strict. If I follow the recitation schedule, He’s happy. If not, He scolds me. Begging for food isn’t always predictable, and sometimes I can’t return on time to complete my tasks.’

“[…] So the rich, noble gentleman said, ‘Oh, so from today then, you just come to my house. We always have enough food. I will always give ample food for you and your Master. So, you never have to worry about food anymore; then you can have time and concentration to recite the Buddha sutras.’ Wow, that’s very nice! So since then, he always goes there and has everything he needs, and Master and disciple, very, very happy, happy, happy! Happy ending!

And then the Buddha reminded the assembly thus: ‘Bhikshu, you should know the Master of the sami (sramanera) at that time is the Buddha Stable Light.’ You know, that's the name. ‘And the sami (sramanera) at that time is the past reincarnation of myself. The noble gentleman who offered food every day to the Master and disciple, that was Ānanda.’”

In many Buddhist scriptures, Ānanda often plays the role of requesting the Buddha to deliver lectures to the public. Numerous sutras begin with dialogues between the Buddha and Ānanda. For instance, the “Śūraṅgama Sūtra,” one of the most influential Buddhist texts, came into being through Ānanda’s encounter and entanglement with a maiden named Mātaṅga while He was going for alms. They had been husband and wife in their past 500 lifetimes, and Mātaṅga’s mother attempted to use sorcery to compel Ānanda to marry her daughter. Fortunately, the Buddha sent the Worshipped Manjushri Bodhisattva (vegan) to rescue Ānanda by reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Subsequently, Mātaṅga was taught by the Buddha, ordained as a bhikshuni, and attained Arhat status. This is how the Śūraṅgama Sūtra came into existence.

In the first 20 years of the Buddha’s ministry, He had several personal attendants, but none were permanent. By the time the Buddha reached around 53 years of age, He realized the need for a dedicated, permanent attendant, as His previous attendants had not performed their duties satisfactorily, and His need for reliable assistance grew more pressing with age. During His tending the Buddha, the Venerated Ānanda proved that He was well-qualified for the job. Not only did He care for the Buddha with devotion, but He also greatly contributed to the internal harmony of the sangha.