Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

The verses that conclude this chapter introduce with the example of Aṅkura a paragon who had taken a vow to generate wholesome future kamma for him by performing wholesome acts. Aṅkura, who uttered the verses presented in this lesson, had been a righteous and upright man by nature. But when he came in contact with a formerly related person, who got rebirth² as a powerful yakkha or peta and realized the results of the peta’s previous wholesome acts Aṅkura took a respective determination to achieve an even more wholesome rebirth. Even so Aṅkura was not a peta³ himself. This account is related in the selection of the Khuddakanikāye, Petavatthupāḷi, the stories about petas due to this very incident. Ankara was from the Khattiyā-caste, born into a royal family with eleven children, - ekādasa khattiyā ahesuṃ - ten brothers and one sister, who by their skills in warfare had gained dominion about the whole – sakalajambudīpe - of Jambudīpa. After dividing their empire into equal parts the brothers noticed that they had forgotten to give equal share to their sister. Aṅkura then announced that he was happy to renounce his part on her behalf and to live as a trader.

On one of his trading tours on his way to Kamboja along the uttarāpatha⁴, the high road to the North of those days, with a fellow trader, both leading a huge caravan of about 500 carts each, they got lost in the desert where the above mentioned powerful yakkha dwelled. Out of compassion to his former benefactor Aṅkura, the yakkha showed them the way to his Banyan tree where he resided and there he provided all animals and men with ample shade, food and drink. Recognizing the ability of this yakkha Aṅkura's partner tried to persuade Aṅkura that they should take the help of this yakkha either with his consent or by force to find their way out of the desert, return to Dvāraka quickly because this yakkha would fulfil all their ambitions that they had gone for towards Kamboja: - ‘‘Yassa atthāya gacchāma, kambojaṃ dhanahārakā⁵; ayaṃ kāmadado yakkho, imaṃ yakkhaṃ nayāmase. Imaṃ yakkhaṃ gahetvāna, sādhukena pasayha vā; yānaṃ āropayitvāna, khippaṃ gacchāma dvāraka’’nti. -

Honestly upset with these cruel and unwholesome intentions Aṅkura uttered those stirring verses expressing empathy, peace and harmony towards one’s fellow beings and environment. To convince his partner to stay morally genuine and sincere he used the expression: ‘mittadubbho⁶ hi pāpako’ – ‘betraying a friend thus is wicked indeed’.

The commentary specifies this term: “Mittadubbhoti mittesu dubbhanaṃ tesaṃ anatthuppādanaṃ⁷. Pāpakoti abhaddako mittadubbho. Yo hi sītacchāyo rukkho ghammābhitattassa⁸ purisassa parissamavinodako⁹, tassāpi nāma pāpakaṃ na cintetabbaṃ, kimaṅkaṃ pana sattabhūtesu.” – “Injuring a friend: injuring a friend means causing them harm. It would be wicked: Injuring a friend would be wicked. Because a tree has given coolness and shade to man by dispelling his fatigue, one should not even think of performing anything wicked towards it, how much less towards a living being.”

His partner could not be convinced and maintained his antagonistic ignorant¹⁰ attitude – samūlampi taṃ abbuhe, attho ce tādiso siyā - in spite of further warning words by Aṅkura.

Aṅkura later had the chance to enquire with the peta about this enormous strength of his arm that granted all desires! He was informed that the peta in his previous life as a tailor, even though poor and unable to support others, happily with joy in his heart he showed with his right hand the way to any needful mendicant where he was to get support. Alone this good volition resulted in the strength of fulfilling desires. When Aṅkura heard this his good intention was stirred: - “So hi nūna ito gantvā, anuppatvāna dvārakaṃ; dānaṃ paṭṭhapayissāmi, yaṃ mamassa sukhāvahaṃ. Dassāmannañca¹¹ pānañca, vatthasenāsanāni ca; papañca udapānañca, dugge saṅkamanāni cā’’ti¹². He fulfilled this vow to excess, was reborn in the world of the tāvatiṃsadeva – the realm of the thirty-tree goods¹³. There he lived a happy life in splendour but at a visit of the Buddha in the Tāvatiṃsadeva-world he expressed the knowledge that he had gained¹⁴: Giving needs to be done with consideration – not just to give but how and whom to give were essential.

This chapter opened with reference to the verses from the Dhammapada¹⁵:
This short historical account of Aṅkura presents a stirring example how wholesome determination and the performance of respective action can create a good kammic base and destine good future existence:

Pecca so labhate sukhanti yo khantimettānuddayasampanno¹⁶ ‘‘yathāhaṃ sukhakāmo dukkhappaṭikūlo, evaṃ sabbepī’’ti cintetvā sampattaviratiādīsu¹⁷ ṭhito vuttanayena kenaci daṇḍena sabbānipi bhūtāni na hiṃsati na bādhati, so puggalo paraloke manussabhūto manussasukhaṃ, devabhūto dibbasukhaṃ, ubhayaṃ atikkamanto nibbānasukhaṃ labhatīti¹⁸. – ‘He will attain happiness thereafter’: A person, being established in tolerance, loving kindness and compassion considers thus: ‘As I myself am desiring happiness and loath misery so likewise do all’ – and steadfast in abstaining he doesn’t hurt any being with a stick; nor harm or afflict any, will attain happiness as a human being or heavenly happiness in the heavenly fileds or even, if going beyond the happiness of Nibbāna.
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