Maudgalyāyana

Role: monkey · First appears: Chapter XXIV

In Chapter XXIV, Maudgalyāyana lived in harmony with The Buddha Bhagavant, Śāriputra, and Ānanda. After some time, the four animals compared their ages and showed reverence according to seniority; Maudgalyāyana, the monkey, honoured the hare and the partridge.

In the dense forest, the animals gave up harming living creatures and taking what had not been given, followed lawful paths, spoke only well-considered words, and ate non-intoxicating fruits. Once established in the five vows, they confirmed the animals of Kāśi in them too. Their harmless way of life brought rain and sustained the forest’s seeds, flowers, and fruit trees. At Vārāṇasī, the Rishi told the king that the four animals’ power had brought prosperity to the realm.

Relationship record

Life events

• The four animals investigated their ages and began showing reverence according to seniority.(Chapter XXIV)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “Thereupon the elephant began to pay honour to all the others, and the monkey to the hare and the partridge, and the hare to the partridge. In this way they showed each other reverence according to their respective ages.”
• The animals renounced harming living creatures and began eating only lifeless plant matter.(Chapter XXIV · 📍 the dense forest)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “So they took to giving up what possessed life, and partaking of what was lifeless.”
• The animals renounced taking what had not been given and fed only on unpossessed food.(Chapter XXIV)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “So they took to giving up what was possessed, and feeding on the previously unpossessed.”
• The animals gave up unlawful unions and followed only lawful paths.(Chapter XXIV)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “So they followed the lawful paths and gave up those which were unlawful.”
• The animals stopped speaking at random and uttered only well-considered words at the right time.(Chapter XXIV)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “So they no longer spoke at random, but uttered merely well-considered words at the right time.”
• The animals gave up intoxicating fruits and began eating only non-intoxicating fruits.(Chapter XXIV)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “So they began to partake of only the non-intoxicating fruits, giving up those which intoxicate.”
• The four animals confirmed the living creatures of the animal world in the five vows.(Chapter XXIV · 📍 the Kāśi land)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “Then they confirmed in the five vows all the living creatures of the animal world, as many as there were of them in the Kāśi land.”
• The animals’ harmless conduct brought regular rain and sustained the earth’s seeds, flowers, and fruit trees.(Chapter XXIV · 📍 the dense forest)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “As they did each other no harm, and lived in the dense forest according to their knowledge and pleasure, their influence brought it about that the deity sent rain from time to time, and the earth was constantly provided with seeds, flowers, and fruit-trees.”
• The Rishi told the king that the four animals’ power, not the people’s, had brought prosperity to the realm.(Chapter XXIV · 📍 Vārāṇasī)
  • With: The Buddha Bhagavant Śāriputra Ānanda
  • “The Rishi replied, ‘O great king, it is not your power which has brought this about, nor yet that of your wives, princes, ministers, warriors, towns-people, or country-folk. But there are four living creatures in your realm whose power has done so.’”

Chapter XXIV

• friends with The Buddha Bhagavant “As they had become attached to each other, they lived together in harmony and full content, and spent their time joyfully, without fear or strife.”
• friends with Śāriputra “As they had become attached to each other, they lived together in harmony and full content, and spent their time joyfully, without fear or strife.”
• friends with Ānanda “As they had become attached to each other, they lived together in harmony and full content, and spent their time joyfully, without fear or strife.”

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Extracted from the original text of Tibetan Tales, Derived from Indian Sources. Made with Rho MD.