King Kalābu - Revision history

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	{{~~Orphan~~\|~~date=January 2014~~}}		{{Short description\|Mythical king in Buddhism}}
	{{tone\|date=April 2019}}		{{tone\|date=April 2019}}
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2024}}
			{{Use Indian English\|date=July 2024}}

	'''King Kalābu''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{IAST\|Kalāburāja}}), also known as ''King Kalinga'', ''King Kalabha'' or ''King Kali'' is a mythical king in Buddhism. His name is extant in both [[Southern Buddhism]] and [[Northern Buddhism]]. In Chinese he is known as 歌利王 (''Gēlì wáng''), sometimes rendered 迦蓝浮王 (''Jiālánfú wáng'') or 卡拉補王 (''Kǎlābǔ wáng'').		'''King Kalābu''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{IAST\|Kalāburāja}}), also known as ''King Kalinga'', ''King Kalabha'' or ''King Kali'' is a mythical king in Buddhism. His name is extant in both [[Southern Buddhism]] and [[Northern Buddhism]]. In Chinese he is known as 歌利王 (''Gēlì wáng''), sometimes rendered 迦蓝浮王 (''Jiālánfú wáng'') or 卡拉補王 (''Kǎlābǔ wáng'').

	==~~Jātaka literature~~==		==[[Jataka tales\|Jataka]] tales==
	King Kalābu appears in the ''Kṣāntivādi Jātaka'' ([[Sanskrit]]; [[Pali]]: Khantivādī Jātaka).<ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j3/j3014.htm</ref>The Sanskrit word ''kṣānti'' (Pali: ''khanti'')<ref>https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/khanti/index.html</ref> means "tolerance" while ''vādi'' is a modified form of the word ''vāda'' which means "teaching" or "view'.		King Kalābu appears in the ''Kṣāntivādi Jātaka'' ([[Sanskrit]]; [[Pali]]: Khantivādī Jātaka).<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j3/j3014.htm\|title = The Jataka, Vol. III: No. 313.: Khantivādi-Jātaka}}</ref> The Sanskrit word ''kṣānti'' (Pali: ''khanti'')<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/khanti/index.html\|title=Khanti, Khamti: 8 definitions\|date=21 June 2008}}</ref> means "tolerance" while ''vādi'' is a modified form of the word ''vāda'' which means "teaching" or "view".

	The name "Kṣāntivādin" or "Kṣāntivāda" describes the protagonist of the story: an ascetic who excelled at tolerance in face of the brutal atrocities inflicted upon him by King Kalābu. The Pali version of the tale reveals that King Kalābu was a past birth of [[Devadatta]], the enemy of the Buddha, and that Kṣāntivādin was the Buddha himself in that life.		The name "Kṣāntivādin" or "Kṣāntivāda" describes the protagonist of the story: an ascetic who excelled at tolerance in face of the brutal atrocities inflicted upon him by King Kalābu. The Pali version of the tale reveals that King Kalābu was a past birth of [[Devadatta]], the enemy of the Buddha, and that Kṣāntivādin was the Buddha himself in that life.
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	The story runs as follows:		The story runs as follows:

	:King Kalābu was ruling the kingdom of [[Varanasi]] (modern Benares). One day he set off for sport and recreation with his harem. After playing, the king fell asleep on the lap of one of his concubines. The other members of the harem went off to enjoy the scenery of the garden.		:King Kalābu was ruling the kingdom of [[Varanasi]] (modern Benares). One day he set off for sport and recreation with his harem. After playing, the king fell asleep on the lap of one of his concubines. The other members of the harem went off to enjoy the scenery of the garden.

	:While they were roaming around, they came upon an ascetic meditating under a tree. They approached him and initiated conversation. He preached the [[Dhamma]] (law of morality) for them and the audience became immersed in his talk, forgetting about the king. Meanwhile, the king woke up and proceeded to ask his concubine where the other women-folk were. She answered that they were listening to the teachings of an ascetic. The king flew into a rage and departed to look for the ascetic. When he saw that all the women were entranced by the ascetic's sermon, he could not quell his anger. He questioned the ascetic:		:While they were roaming around, they came upon an ascetic meditating under a tree. They approached him and initiated conversation. He preached the [[Dhamma]] (law of morality) for them and the audience became immersed in his talk, forgetting about the king. Meanwhile, the king woke up and proceeded to ask his concubine where the other women-folk were. She answered that they were listening to the teachings of an ascetic. The king flew into a rage and departed to look for the ascetic. When he saw that all the women were entranced by the ascetic's sermon, he could not quell his anger. He questioned the ascetic:

	:"What are you teaching?", asked the king.		:"What are you teaching?", asked the king.

	:The ascetic replied, "I am teaching tolerance."		:The ascetic replied, "I am teaching tolerance."
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	:The ascetic calmly responded, "Your Majesty, tolerance is not in my bodily parts but it is in my heart. Though you can harm my body, my mind is immovable."		:The ascetic calmly responded, "Your Majesty, tolerance is not in my bodily parts but it is in my heart. Though you can harm my body, my mind is immovable."

	:The king had no limit to his anger. He himself stomped on the ascetic's chest, forcing blood to gush from his mouth. Yet, the ascetic remained unmoved. The king's general, who had invited the ascetic to come to the city, came to know about this pathetic situation and ran to the scene.		:The king had no limit to his anger. He himself stomped on the ascetic's chest, forcing blood to gush from his mouth. Yet, the ascetic remained unmoved. The king's general, who had invited the ascetic to come to the city, came to know about this pathetic situation and ran to the scene.

	:Seeing the ascetic in this terrible state, he applied some ointment and begged him not to curse the kingdom. The ascetic claimed that he had no ill-will towards the king, but that instead he wished that the king would live for a long time.		:Seeing the ascetic in this terrible state, he applied some ointment and begged him not to curse the kingdom. The ascetic claimed that he had no ill-will towards the king, but that instead he wished that the king would live for a long time.

	This is the story of the past as told by the Buddha. At the end the Buddha declared that this was his perfection of tolerance.<ref>https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalabu/index.html</ref>		This is the story of the past as told by the Buddha. At the end the Buddha declared that this was his perfection of tolerance.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalabu/index.html\|title=Kalabu, Kalābu: 1 definition\|date=12 April 2009}}</ref>

	== Moral: Tolerance in this life ==		== Moral: Tolerance in this life ==
			{{Unbalanced section\|date=September 2022}}
	Once we examine the attitude the Buddha held about the criticism brought against him, his teaching, and community by some of his contemporaries; the [[Kshanti\|perfection of tolerance]] he carried throughout his many lives of spiritual practice can be better understood. A similar rhetoric used with King Kalābu was applied when the Buddha came to know that [[Suppiya]], an ascetic outside the Buddhist [[Sangha]], criticized the Buddha. Here, the Buddha's admonition reminds us of his previous perfection of tolerance. The discourse from the [[Brahmajāla Sutta]] reports the Buddha's words as follows:		Once we examine the attitude the Buddha held about the criticism brought against him, his teaching, and community by some of his contemporaries; the [[Kshanti\|perfection of tolerance]] he carried throughout his many lives of spiritual practice can be better understood. A similar rhetoric used with King Kalābu was applied when the Buddha came to know that [[Suppiya]], an ascetic outside the Buddhist [[Sangha]], criticized the Buddha. Here, the Buddha's admonition reminds us of his previous perfection of tolerance. The discourse from the [[Brahmajāla Sutta]] reports the Buddha's words as follows:

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	==Mahayana literature==		==Mahayana literature==
	An alternate version of the Jātaka appears in the [[Mahāvastu]].<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Jones \|first1=J. J. \|title=Sacred Books of the Buddhists \|publisher=London: Luzac & Co \|isbn=0860133923 \|edition=Vol. 3 \|url=https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofbud19londuoft \|chapter=The Mahāvastu}}</ref>		An alternate version of the Jātaka appears in the [[Mahāvastu]].<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Jones \|first1=J. J. \|title=Sacred Books of the Buddhists \|publisher=London: Luzac & Co \|isbn=0860133923 \|edition=Vol. 3 \|url=https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofbud19londuoft \|chapter=The Mahāvastu\|year=1895 }}</ref>

	In the [[Diamond Sutra]], the Buddha refers to King Kalābu and the sage of forbearance as follows:		In the [[Diamond Sutra]], the Buddha refers to King Kalābu and the sage of forbearance as follows:

	"Subhūti, the [[Pāramitā]] of [[Kshanti\|Forbearance]] that the Tathāgata speaks of is not a pāramitā of forbearance. Why? Subhūti, this is like in the past when my body was cut apart by the Kalirāja: there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life. In the past, when I was being hacked limb from limb, if there were notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life, then I would have responded with hatred and anger. Remember also that I was the [[Ṛṣi]] of Forbearance for five hundred lifetimes in the past. Over so many lifetimes there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life.<ref>http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T08_0235</ref>		"Subhūti, the [[Pāramitā]] of [[Kshanti\|Forbearance]] that the Tathāgata speaks of is not a pāramitā of forbearance. Why? Subhūti, this is like in the past when my body was cut apart by the Kalirāja: there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life. In the past, when I was being hacked limb from limb, if there were notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life, then I would have responded with hatred and anger. Remember also that I was the [[Ṛṣi]] of Forbearance for five hundred lifetimes in the past. Over so many lifetimes there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life."<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T08_0235 \|title=Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra \|website=www.lapislazulitexts.com \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118045044/http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T08_0235 \|archive-date=2013-01-18}}</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==
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	=== External links ===		=== External links ===
	''Dictionary of Pãli Proper Names'', G.P.Malalasekera, Vol.1,p. 536,709 ({{ISBN\|81-206-1823-8}})		''Dictionary of Pãli Proper Names'', G.P.Malalasekera, Vol. 1, p. 536, 709 ({{ISBN\|81-206-1823-8}})
	{{Buddhism topics}}		{{Buddhism topics}}

>Arjayay: Duplicate word removed

2019-06-10T09:59:12Z

Duplicate word removed

New page

{{Orphan|date=January 2014}}
{{tone|date=April 2019}}
'''King Kalābu''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{IAST|Kalāburāja}}), also known as ''King Kalinga'', ''King Kalabha'' or ''King Kali'' is a mythical king in Buddhism. His name is extant in both [[Southern Buddhism]] and [[Northern Buddhism]]. In Chinese he is known as 歌利王 (''Gēlì wáng''), sometimes rendered 迦蓝浮王 (''Jiālánfú wáng'') or 卡拉補王 (''Kǎlābǔ wáng'').

==Jātaka literature==
King Kalābu appears in the ''Kṣāntivādi Jātaka'' ([[Sanskrit]]; [[Pali]]: Khantivādī Jātaka).<ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j3/j3014.htm</ref>The Sanskrit word ''kṣānti'' (Pali: ''khanti'')<ref>https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/khanti/index.html</ref> means "tolerance" while ''vādi'' is a modified form of the word ''vāda'' which means "teaching" or "view'.

The name "Kṣāntivādin" or "Kṣāntivāda" describes the protagonist of the story: an ascetic who excelled at tolerance in face of the brutal atrocities inflicted upon him by King Kalābu. The Pali version of the tale reveals that King Kalābu was a past birth of [[Devadatta]], the enemy of the Buddha, and that Kṣāntivādin was the Buddha himself in that life.

===Narrative===
The story runs as follows:

:King Kalābu was ruling the kingdom of [[Varanasi]] (modern Benares). One day he set off for sport and recreation with his harem. After playing, the king fell asleep on the lap of one of his concubines. The other members of the harem went off to enjoy the scenery of the garden.

:While they were roaming around, they came upon an ascetic meditating under a tree. They approached him and initiated conversation. He preached the [[Dhamma]] (law of morality) for them and the audience became immersed in his talk, forgetting about the king. Meanwhile, the king woke up and proceeded to ask his concubine where the other women-folk were. She answered that they were listening to the teachings of an ascetic. The king flew into a rage and departed to look for the ascetic. When he saw that all the women were entranced by the ascetic's sermon, he could not quell his anger. He questioned the ascetic:

:"What are you teaching?", asked the king.

:The ascetic replied, "I am teaching tolerance."

:"What is tolerance?"

:"The ability to stay unmoved in the face of atrocities either physical or verbal by others inflicted on oneself."

:"Then prove it."

:The king ordered his executioner to whip the ascetic. The ascetic was whipped terribly but he did not get angry.

:Seeing this, the king asked, "Are you still tolerant?"

:The ascetic calmly replied, "Yes, your Majesty."

:Then the king ordered his executioner to cut off his various bodily parts. The ascetic bled profusely.

:The king finally asked, "Do you still have tolerance?"

:The ascetic calmly responded, "Your Majesty, tolerance is not in my bodily parts but it is in my heart. Though you can harm my body, my mind is immovable."

:The king had no limit to his anger. He himself stomped on the ascetic's chest, forcing blood to gush from his mouth. Yet, the ascetic remained unmoved. The king's general, who had invited the ascetic to come to the city, came to know about this pathetic situation and ran to the scene.

:Seeing the ascetic in this terrible state, he applied some ointment and begged him not to curse the kingdom. The ascetic claimed that he had no ill-will towards the king, but that instead he wished that the king would live for a long time.

This is the story of the past as told by the Buddha. At the end the Buddha declared that this was his perfection of tolerance.<ref>https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalabu/index.html</ref>

== Moral: Tolerance in this life ==
Once we examine the attitude the Buddha held about the criticism brought against him, his teaching, and community by some of his contemporaries; the [[Kshanti|perfection of tolerance]] he carried throughout his many lives of spiritual practice can be better understood. A similar rhetoric used with King Kalābu was applied when the Buddha came to know that [[Suppiya]], an ascetic outside the Buddhist [[Sangha]], criticized the Buddha. Here, the Buddha's admonition reminds us of his previous perfection of tolerance. The discourse from the [[Brahmajāla Sutta]] reports the Buddha's words as follows:

"If, bhikkhus, others speak in dispraise of me, or in dispraise of the Dhamma, or in dispraise of the Sangha, you should not give way to resentment, displeasure, or animosity against them in your heart. For if you were to become angry or upset in such a situation, you would only be creating an obstacle for yourselves. If you were to become angry or upset when others speak in dispraise of us, would you be able to recognize whether their statements are rightly or wrongly spoken?"<ref>"Brahmajāla Sutta: The All-embracing Net of Views" (DN 1), translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.01.0.bodh.html .</ref>

==Mahayana literature==
An alternate version of the Jātaka appears in the [[Mahāvastu]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=J. J. |title=Sacred Books of the Buddhists |publisher=London: Luzac & Co |isbn=0860133923 |edition=Vol. 3 |url=https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofbud19londuoft |chapter=The Mahāvastu}}</ref>

In the [[Diamond Sutra]], the Buddha refers to King Kalābu and the sage of forbearance as follows:

"Subhūti, the [[Pāramitā]] of [[Kshanti|Forbearance]] that the Tathāgata speaks of is not a pāramitā of forbearance. Why? Subhūti, this is like in the past when my body was cut apart by the Kalirāja: there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life. In the past, when I was being hacked limb from limb, if there were notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life, then I would have responded with hatred and anger. Remember also that I was the [[Ṛṣi]] of Forbearance for five hundred lifetimes in the past. Over so many lifetimes there were no notions of a self, notions of a person, notions of a being, or notions of a life.<ref>http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T08_0235</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== External links ===
''Dictionary of Pãli Proper Names'', G.P.Malalasekera, Vol.1,p. 536,709 ({{ISBN|81-206-1823-8}})
{{Buddhism topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Kalabu}}
[[Category:Buddhist mythology]]
[[Category:Indian literature]]
[[Category:Jataka tales]]
[[Category:Indian folklore]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian monarchs]]