ABSTRACT
1. In old time, when Buddha was residing at Râjagriha, he sent a Rahat called Sumanta (Su-man-teh) to the country of Ki-pin (Cophen, i.e., Gandhâra) with some personal relics (hair and nail) for a tower-temple (i.e., a temple connected with which was a relic tower or stûpa) in the Southern Mountains, where 500 Rahats constantly dwelt, and every morning and evening burnt incense and conducted worship. At this time there were in the same mountains 500 monkeys, who having seen these men at their prayers, immediately agreed between themselves to erect by the side of a neighbouring deep stream a relic tower of stone and wood in honour of Buddha. This they did, and above it placed the surmounting pole (Tee) 1 with banners and flags. Here they came to worship every morning and evening, even as the religious men of the neighbouring monastery did. Now it happened about this time, owing to the sudden rising of the river, that these monkeys were caught by the torrent, and being unable to escape were drowned. In consequence of their good deeds, however, they were born as Devas in the Trayastriñśas Heaven, where they had palaces, and clothes, and food according to their new condition. Reflecting, then, on their former lives, they saw that they had been the monkeys who were lying drowned in the valley, and accordingly they descended to earth, and collecting scented wood and other necessaries, they made a funeral-pyre on which to burn the 500 bodies. Being observed by some heretical Brahmans who dwelt in the neighbourhood, practising their austerities, and having been asked by them the reason of their conduct, they explained the whole matter, in consequence of which the Brahmans were induced to go to Buddha to learn his system of religion—accompanied by the Devas. Arrived there, Buddha explained that the 500 monkeys who were drowned and reborn in Heaven had in a former birth been Brahman heretics, who had made ridicule of, and laughed at the conduct of a Shaman, who dwelt in those same mountains, and because of his activity in ascending and descending the crags whilst engaged in building a sacred tower, had called him “Monkey-foot”. For this they had been born as 500 monkeys; but because of their good deed in erecting the small tower beside the stream, they had been now born as Devas. And then Buddha added these stanzas:
“Lightly to laugh at and ridicule another is wrong; he who has thus acted will certainly receive as his reward abundance of tears, according to the guilt or aggravation of his conduct.”
