問曰：大德阿難名，以何因緣？是先世因緣？是父母作字？依因緣立名？
答曰：先世因緣，亦父母作名，亦依因緣立字。
問曰：雲何先世因緣？
答曰：釋迦文佛先世作瓦師，名大光明。爾時，有佛名釋迦文，弟子名舍利弗、目犍連、阿難，佛與弟子俱到瓦師舍一宿。爾時，瓦師布施草坐，燈明，石蜜漿，三事供養佛及比丘僧。便發願言：我於當來老、病、死、惱五惡之世作佛，如今佛名釋迦文；我弟子名字，亦如今佛弟子。以佛願故，得字阿難。復次，阿難世世立願，我在釋迦文佛弟子多聞眾中，願最第一，字阿難。復次，阿難世世忍辱除瞋，以是因緣故，生便端正。父母以其端正，見者皆歡喜故，字阿難。阿難者，秦言歡喜，是為先世因緣字。
待續
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Question: What are the causes and conditions for the Venerable Ananda receiving such a name? Was it as a result of causes and conditions from former lives? Was it a name given to him by his father and mother? Or was it as a result of [present life] causes and conditions that he was given this name?
Response:It was as a result of causes and conditions from former lives. It was also a name given to him by his father and mother. And it was also a name stemming from [present life] causes and conditions.
Question: What were the causes and conditions from former lives?
Response:In a former life, Śākyamuni Buddha was a potter named "Great Brilliance" (Prabhasa). At that time there was another Buddha also known as Śākyamuni who also had disciples named Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, and Ananda. The Buddha stopped with his disciples and spent a night at the abode of the potter.
At that time, the potter made gifts of three things: grass sitting mats, lamps for light and rock honey chutney. He presented them as offerings to the Buddha and the Bhikshu Sangha and then made a vow, saying, "In the future, may I become a Buddha in a world afflicted with aging, sickness, death, and the five evils. May I too have the name Śākyamuni and may my disciples' names also be the same as these." Because of this vow of the Buddha, Ananda is now so-named.
Additionally, in life after life Ananda made a vow, "May I be foremost in learning among the learned disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha and may my name be Ananda."
Furthermore, in life after life, Ananda cultivated patience and ridding himself of enmity. For this reason he was particularly handsome from birth. Because those who saw him were delighted on account of his handsomeness, his father and mother named him Ananda ["Rejoicing"]. These are the past life reasons for his name.
To be continued |
