The Mallas honour the Buddha's body for seven days. They intend to carry it out to the south for cremation, but eight Malla chiefs cannot lift the bier. Anuruddha says the gods have arranged otherwise: it is to pass through the city first and then go to the cremation ground; when the Mallas do this, the bier can be lifted. The Pali canon of the says it entered by the north gate and left by the east gate, to be cremated at the Makuṭabandhana shrine of the Mallas. Pali Canon
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Different Accounts
The gates: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition and the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra translated by Faxian have in by the north gate and out by the east; the Chinese Youxing jing has in by the east and out by the north; the Chinese Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Tibetan Vinaya have in by the west and out by the east. Taishō Canon
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More differences between accounts (2)
The Chinese Youxing jing, Dharmaguptaka Vinaya and Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Buddha biography Buddhacarita say the cremation ground was on the far bank of a river; the Pali canon of the Southern tradition does not mention a river.
The Chinese Fo bannihuan jing and Bannihuan jing say the seven days of honouring took place in a hall inside the city.
Dating
The Buddha has already passed away (aged eighty at his passing); this is still counted in Year 45 after the Awakening, after the ; days 1 to 7 after the passing, stated in the canonical text, known only to fall within those seven days.
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
The episode of “honouring for seven days” is recorded by five schools: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition, the Chinese Dīrgha Āgama, the Chinese Kṣudrakavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the Chinese Fo bannihuan jing and Bannihuan jing and the Chinese three-fascicle Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. Attested across multiple schools. The “moving of the bier as the gods intended” within it is recorded by four schools.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Stated in the canonical text (the text itself gives the time). Time precision: fixed to the day.
Sources
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Sv，§229
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D6 da 293a1–295a1
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D6 da 293a6
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D6 da 294a4–295a1
- Pali Canon巴利 DN 16:6.16.2
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.1 p.28a
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.5 p.173c
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.6 p.189a
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.7 p.206b
- 大正藏大正藏 T24 no.1451 p.400c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.966b
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1435 p.446a
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1425 p.490a
- 大正藏大正藏 T04 no.192 p.52a
- Pali Canon巴利 DN 16:6.13.5–6.16.2
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.1 p.27c–28a
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.5 p.173a
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.7 p.206a