On the second day of Tết (Lunar New Year), in Sankissa, the first light of dawn filtered through the branches and leaves of shimmering bamboo clumps and yellow bamboo groves. Footsteps could be heard echoing on the dike roads that wound through the villages. The vast fields are brightly blooming with yellow mustard flowers as if welcoming the foot-traveling Sangha to Sankissa in the early days of the Year of the Cat.
 
Sổ remained steadfast and determined, continuously following the group. He didn’t engage in playful antics with others and exuded a commanding presence, like that of an older sibling. Āloka, on the other hand, still loved to have fun despite his injured leg, which now only allowed him to move with three legs. He loved to playfully tease his four-legged friends along the way. Whenever Āloka paused for a rest, I also slowed down to encourage him to stay awake, knowing that if he closes his eyes and drifts off, I would have to search for him again.
 
We stopped at the Sankassa Vihāra temple to have lunch, rest, and take a bath while the sun was shining. The group leader had been in a lot of pain lately, so I offered to massage him. The monks jokingly told me to massage him hard so that he would stay put and not have to travel the next day. I didn’t know how I massaged him yesterday, but the next morning the group leader walked briskly through the long, dark, and rugged path. The entire group had to keep up with his pace despite the struggle to keep our tired feet going.
 
As night approached, we huddled together in the dark, surprised to hear spring raindrops tapping on our tiny tents. We hurriedly covered the canvas and put away our still-wet robes in case the rain worsened. Before I could fully prepare, the rain became heavier, and I was soaked. Inside the tent, which was my “nest,” I dried myself. I thought it was just a spring shower, with a few scattered drops marking the start of a new year. However, the rain persisted throughout the night, seeping into the tent through its roof, walls, and even the ground. I was busy the entire night using towels and a still-wet robe to prevent the tent from flooding.
 
I remained crouched, trying not to move for fear of getting the Saṅghāṭi (upper robe) I was covering wet. Despite my efforts, it became soaked. The whole group spent the night cold and damp. Some of the brothers coughed, some had runny noses, and others were shivering. Many monks, just like me, tossed and turned all night long.
 
The dawn arrived and the rain gradually faded away. The whole group tidied up the tent, dried their robes, and prepared to go to Saṅkissa (Saṅkassa), where the Buddha descended from the celestial realm of Tāvatiṃsa after preaching the Abhidhamma (Higher Teaching) for the liberation of His mother. Along the way, Venerable Sīlānanda and another monk from America came and offered alms-food to us. After that, the foot-traveling Sangha, with bare feet, holding their bowls, walked in the cold rain until we reached the destination. We paid homage and chanted the Three-refuge sutta at the place where the Buddha descended from the celestial realm of Tāvatiṃsa.
 
The story is as follows:
 
During His retreat in the Saṅkassa mountain range, the Buddha also followed the tradition of previous Buddhas and ascended to the Tāvatimsa deva realm to preach Abhidhamma to celestial beings and His mother.
 
Meanwhile, the Buddha sat on a throne beneath the Coral Tree (Paricchattaka). On His right were Yakkha Indaka and His mother Mahāmāyā, who had been reborn as male deity Māyādevaputta in the Tusita deva realm. On his left was Ankura and numerous celestial beings from ten directions gathered to listen to His sermons. After listening to the Dhamma, Māyādevaputta attained the first noble fruit (Sotāpanna).
 
Every day, at the time of His alms round, the Buddha created a duplicate of Himself to continue teaching the Abhidhamma in His place, and would stop the teaching at a predetermined point. Then, the Buddha would go to the Anotatta Lake to bathe and brush His teeth with a neem twig. After that, He would go to Uttara Kuru for alms and return to the shores of the Anotatta Lake for His meal. After eating, He went to the sandalwood forest to rest.
 
Elder Sāriputta, the General of the Dhamma, went to the sandalwood forest to learn the teaching. The Buddha said to the Elder, “Sāriputta… as I have preached this dhamma.” He only mentioned the subject and some guidance, but with his Analytical Knowledge (paṭisaṁbhida-ñāṇa), Elder Sāriputta was able to fully understand the dhamma that the Buddha had mentioned. This was His routine every day for three months.
 
After three months, the Buddha returned to the town of Saṅkassa from the Tāvatiṃsa realm, the Brahmā beings on His left and Sakka Indra, the king of heaven, on His right escorting Him down the three golden, ruby, and silver staircases. The staircases descended from the peak of Mount Meru to the gate of the town of Saṅkassa, where countless celestial beings offered Him flowers scattered in space and played wonderful melodic rhythms.
 
In the 3rd century BCE, Emperor Asoka erected a stone pillar to commemorate the place where the Buddha displayed his psychic power upon descending at the village gate of Sankassa (Saṅkissa, Samkasya). An elephant was engraved on top of the stone pillar.
 
(To be continued)

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Source: Dhammacetiya