Ānanda was one of the closest relative of Buddha and at the same
time was the servant who attended him for 25 years. In addition, he
was so clever that he could memorize all the 84,000 sutras and thus
took an essential role in the first samgīti. Later, he followed Mahākāśyapa
to become the head of Buddhism. It means that Ānanda
could become the most influential disciple in the fundamental
Buddhism, even more than Śāriputra, the best disciple who entered
into Nirvana earlier than Buddha. That is to say, the range of
Ānanda was much wider than that of Śāriputra in the fundamental
Buddhism.
Therefore, the exact understanding on Ānanda will give us
more precise viewpoint on the fundamental Buddhism. In this
paper, an approach to the age of Ānanda was made. When the
age of Ānanda is acquired more clearly, we can deduce the more
correct understanding about the relationship between Buddha and
Ānanda and the various aspects related with Buddhist history in the
fundamental Buddhist era.
Moreover, when the age of Ānanda is acquired exactly, we
can find out Buddha’s position among his younger cousins and
the situation of Devadatta’s samha-bheda in old age of Buddha
more clearly. It also enables the more reasonable approach to the
relationship among Buddha’s disciples, especially that between
Mahā-Kāśyapa and Ānanda, and to the period between the first
and the second samgīti as well.
But, the age of Ānanda has so many confused elements in itself
that it is not easy to approach it. For Ānanda, it is recorded in the
Vinaya Pitaka that he made the pabbajja when Buddha returned
to Kapila-vastu after his acquisition of Great Wisdom. But it is also
recorded in a Buddhist document that he was born on the day of
Buddha’s acquisition of Great Wisdom. Thus, the difference of age
between two records is not small. Therefore, in this research, this
kind of problem is sublated and the synthetic result for Ānanda’s
age is sought.
Ānanda was one of the closest relative of Buddha and at the same
time was the servant who attended him for 25 years. In addition, he
was so clever that he could memorize all the 84,000 sutras and thus
took an essential role in the first samgīti. Later, he followed Mahākāśyapa
to become the head of Buddhism. It means that Ānanda
could become the most influential disciple in the fundamental
Buddhism, even more than Śāriputra, the best disciple who entered
into Nirvana earlier than Buddha. That is to say, the range of
Ānanda was much wider than that of Śāriputra in the fundamental
Buddhism.
Therefore, the exact understanding on Ānanda will give us
more precise viewpoint on the fundamental Buddhism. In this
paper, an approach to the age of Ānanda was made. When the
age of Ānanda is acquired more clearly, we can deduce the more
correct understanding about the relationship between Buddha and
Ānanda and the various aspects related with Buddhist history in the
fundamental Buddhist era.
Moreover, when the age of Ānanda is acquired exactly, we
can find out Buddha’s position among his younger cousins and
the situation of Devadatta’s samha-bheda in old age of Buddha
more clearly. It also enables the more reasonable approach to the
relationship among Buddha’s disciples, especially that between
Mahā-Kāśyapa and Ānanda, and to the period between the first
and the second samgīti as well.
But, the age of Ānanda has so many confused elements in itself
that it is not easy to approach it. For Ānanda, it is recorded in the
Vinaya Pitaka that he made the pabbajja when Buddha returned
to Kapila-vastu after his acquisition of Great Wisdom. But it is also
recorded in a Buddhist document that he was born on the day of
Buddha’s acquisition of Great Wisdom. Thus, the difference of age
between two records is not small. Therefore, in this research, this
kind of problem is sublated and the synthetic result for Ānanda’s
age is sought.