Buddha’s Most Important Disciple: Maudgalyāyana

Did you know Maudgalyāyana, one of the most important disciples of Buddha, is believed to have supernatural and psychic powers through which he could travel outside his body, do mind-reading and even communicate with ghosts? Interesting, right? He is often seen standing by the left side of Buddha along with his childhood friend Sariputra. To find out more about this great figure, read the following.

Statue of Maudgalyayana (image source: wikipedia)

Maudgalyāyana, also known as “Mahamaudgalyayana”, was one of the Buddha’s two most important pupils, after Sariputra who had great psychic powers.

The lives of Sariputra and Maudgalyāyana are intertwined. Both Maudgalyāyana and Sariputra are believed to be born and died on the same day. They came into contact with Buddhist doctrine through passages that are well-known in the Buddhist community. Their friendship had endured after they assisted one another in discovering the essence of the spiritual life.

Maudgalyāyana, whose birth name was Kolita, was born in a Brahmin family in the village of Kolita, near Nalanda, in Magadha. When they were young, both Kolita and Upatisya, who later came to be known as Sariputra, became interested in spiritual life. In Buddhist writings, they are shown as the two disciples who travel with the Buddha and play complementary roles as teachers. They initially accepted the agnostic Sanjaya Bellathiputta's teachings, but didn’t get satisfied and decided to go their separate ways. They promised that whoever discovers the ambrosia of the spiritual life first shall report it.

Later, Sariputra met S. Asvajit, a student of the Buddha, who recited to him a summary of the Buddha's teachings known as the ‘Ye Dharma’ verse. This action inspired Sariputra to pursue the path of a stream-enterer. He gave the details to Maudgalyāyana who immediately decided to follow the same path. The two disciples along with Sanjaya and five hundred others, travelled to Veuvana to get their monastic ordination. Upatisya and Kolita were given the names Sariputra and Maudgalyayana respectively, at the moment of their ordination. The day after they were ordained, the Buddha named them as his major followers.

They frequently appear as the bodhisattva's companions in the Jatakas. Some other monks however found it offensive that the Buddha accorded them such honour just after they received their ordination. Buddha responded to the criticism by stating that seniority in the monkhood is not the primary factor in such an appointment and claims that both disciples had aspirations to serve as his chief disciples in past lifelines.

Maudgalyāyana attained enlightenment in a village called Kallavala which is in Magadha. According to Pali tradition, Maudgalyāyana was an arhat who would no longer take rebirth. The Buddha is credited with foretelling the future Buddhahood of his followers Mahkasyapa, Subhuti, Mahakatyayana, and Maudgalayana in the Lotus Sutra's Chapter 6 (Bestowal of Prophecy). Maudgalyāyana is also frequently listed among the ‘four great disciples' and the ‘eight arhats’ in traditional lists.

While Sariputra became Buddha’s wisest disciple, Maudgalyāyana became the one with the greatest psychic powers which he achieved through deep meditation. Several verses in the Theragatha and other sutras in the Samyutta Nikaya are among the teachings in the Pali Canon that are attributed to Maudgalyāyana. His skills included the ability to travel outside his body into different realms of existence, communicate with ghosts and gods, and perform mind-reading to distinguish between falsehoods and truths.

He frequently used his ability to read minds in his teaching methods in order to provide his students sound guidance that will help them fast achieve spiritual fruition. He uses many of his psychic feats for portraying the Buddha as a great teacher. The Buddha had a lot of faith in Maudgalyāyana as a teacher. Buddha’s son Rahula was also trained under him.

Maudgalyāyana plays a key role in bringing the monastic community back together after Devadatta caused a rift in many early Buddhist canons. Maudgalyāyana is also linked to stories about the creation of the first Buddha image.

According to various accounts in the Pali Canon, he uses his telepathic abilities to correct not only monks but also devas and other entities. Maudgalyāyana speaks to the dead to explain to them their terrible circumstances and help them comprehend their own suffering so they may be freed from it or learn to accept it. Similarly, Maudgalyāyana is seen speaking with devas and brahmas (heavenly creatures) and inquiring of the devas as to what actions led to their rebirth in heaven. Thus, Maudgalyāyana’s meditative insights and psychic abilities serve not only his own interests but also those of the general public.

Even then, as the well-known story of his demise shows, Maudgalyāyana's unparalleled superhuman abilities were not enough to defeat the law of cause and effect or the influence of his own prior crimes.

It is believed that while going through Magadha, Maudgalyāyana was brutally murdered at the age of 84. He was attacked and left to die. Some sources claim that religious cult members stoned him to death, while others claim that robbers were responsible. Just before passing away, Maudgalyāyana regained his strength and flew into the Buddha's presence. There, he paid his respects to the Buddha and entered Nirvana at his feet.

People ponder why Maudgalyāyana did not defend himself and why such a brilliant, enlightened monk would die in such a manner. The Buddha claimed that because Maudgalyāyana had committed one of Buddhism's Five Cardinal Sins in his previous life—murdering his parents— he faced such a horrific death. He was forced to accept the consequences because there was no way to avoid it and he had to pay the price. Further, even superhuman abilities, according to the Buddha, will be of little or no value to oneself in avoiding their Karma.

According to a Pali Jataka narrative, the Buddha ordered the gathering and storage of Maudgalyāyana’s ashes in a stupa near the Veluvala's entrance. While in some other accounts such as Dharmaguptaka and Mūlasarvāstivāda, it is claimed that Anthapindika requested Buddha to construct a stupa in honour of Maudgalyāyana. Also, on the recommendation of Upagupta Thera, emperor Ashoka reportedly paid a visit to the shrine and made an offering.

However, a significant archaeological discovery was made somewhere else. In the nineteenth century, both at the Satdhra Stupa and the Sanchi Stupa in India, archaeologists Alexander Cunningham and Lieutenant Fred. C. Maisey found bone parts in caskets with the names of Maudgalyāyana and Sariputra carved on them.

Maudgalyāyana, like many other famous arhats, frequently makes an appearance in the Mahayana sutras, sometimes simply named as a member of the audience and other times taking on a more important role. In the Tripitakas, Buddha presents Maudgalyāyana’s life as an example for monks to follow and he also stated that in the future it would be difficult to find a person as great as Maudgalyāyana. Maudgalyāyana, thus, left a lasting impression on Buddhist beliefs and influenced the subsequent generations.