Pāli Dictionary

Vacchagotta2

Person

ヴェーナーガプラで仏陀に会った遊行者で、なぜ仏陀の肌が贅沢な寝床で眠ったかのように輝いているのかと尋ね、答えを聞いて信奉者になることを表明した。同名の別の遊行者と同一人物の可能性がある

A wanderer (paribbājaka). He is mentioned in the Aṅguttaranikāya (A.i.180 f ) as visiting the Buddha at Venāgapura, where he was at the head of the brahmins. He is possibly to be identified with Vacchagotta (1). In this context, however, he is called Venāgapurikā. Vacchagotta (1) was a native of Rājagaha, but seems to have travelled widely, for we find him visiting the Buddha at Vesāli (M.i.481), at Sāvatthi (M.i.483; S.iii.257), and at Ñātika (S.iv. 401), in addition to his visits to Rājagaha (M.i.489). The Commentary (AA.i.410), moreover, explains Venāgapura ka by “Venāgapuravāsī,” which may mean that he merely lived at Venāgapura and was not necessarily a native of that place. Vacchagotta’s question was as to how the Buddha looked so shining and his colour so clear? Was it because he slept on a luxurious bed? The Buddha answered that his bed was luxurious and comfortable, but from quite a different point of view. At the end of the discourse, Vacchagotta declares himself a follower of the Buddha.

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