Uruvela Kassapa is a matted-hair ascetic (an ascetic who wears his hair coiled in a knot) who worships the fire god, living on the bank of the Nerañjarā (the river beside Uruvelā) at the head of five hundred disciples. The Buddha asks to stay in his fire-hut, subdues the venomous nāga inside, and afterwards displays all manner of . Finally the Buddha tells Kassapa directly that he is not an (one completely liberated) and is not on the way to becoming one; Kassapa and his five hundred disciples throw their fire-worship implements into the Nerañjarā, go forth and receive . The texts of every major school record this event. Taishō Canon
More sources (9)
Pali Canon
Different Accounts
Kassapa's age: the Chinese Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Buddha biographies Taizi ruiying benqi jing and Zhong benqi jing say he was one hundred and twenty; the Buddha biography Zhongxu mohedi jing says three hundred; in the Fangguang da zhuangyan jing Kassapa says he has tended the sacred fire for eighty years. Taishō Canon
More sources (1)
More differences between accounts (3)
Supernormal powers: the Pali Vinaya says the Buddha displayed three thousand five hundred supernormal powers in all; the kinds and order of the powers differ in every source.
The timing of the great sacrifice: the Pali Vinaya says only “a great sacrifice”; the Buddha biography Taizi ruiying benqi jing says the king of Magadha with his officials and people came to Kassapa's place to celebrate the festival for seven days; the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says “tomorrow's festival gathering”.
Order of going forth: the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama says the five hundred disciples went forth first and Kassapa afterwards; the Chinese Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya says Kassapa consulted his disciples and they went forth together. The Chinese Shi'er you jing places the conversion of the three Kassapa brothers in the third year. Taishō Canon
Dating
Year 2 after the Awakening, the Buddha aged thirty-six, in the winter before the ; the Pali Vinaya states that it was the cold season of winter snows, and the later commentaries say the Buddha stayed at Uruvelā for three months after the rains retreat ended; known only to fall within those three winter months.
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
Recorded by four schools: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition, the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (Sifen lü), the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya (Wufen lü) and the Chinese Saṅghabhedavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. Attested across multiple schools.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Stated in the canonical text (the text itself gives the time); commentarial dating (the canonical texts give no date; later commentaries record it). Time precision: month only.
Sources
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 1:15.1.1–20.19.5
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.793b–796b
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.108a–109b
- 大正藏大正藏 T24 no.1450 p.131a–133c
- 大正藏大正藏 T02 no.125 p.619b–622a
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.185 p.480c–482c
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.186 p.530c–532a
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.187 p.611b
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.189 p.646a–649c
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.190 p.840c
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.191 p.958a
- 大正藏大正藏 T04 no.192 p.31b
- 大正藏大正藏 T04 no.196 p.149c–151c
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1444 p.1027a
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D1 nga 56a1–65b6
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.185 p.482c
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.187 p.613a
- 大正藏大正藏 T03 no.185 p.482b
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.109a
- 大正藏大正藏 T04 no.195 p.147a
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D1 nga 56a2
- 藏譯（德格版）德格版 D1 nga 65b1–65b6