Returning to the banyan tree, the Buddha is disinclined to teach; Sahampati Brahma makes a request
Having stayed at the rajayatana or ket tree for seven days, in the fifth week the Buddha moved back to the ajapala nigrodha, or goatherds' banyan tree.
While he was staying there, the Buddha reflected on the truth (dhamma) that he had been enlightened to. Realizing how subtle and profound it was, he felt disinclined to teach, wondering whether there would be anyone who could understand his teaching. Thus, part of him was inclined to contentment [merely with his own enlightenment], to not bothering to teach others.
The compiler of the texts dealing with the Buddha's story have devised an allegory at this point, relating how the thoughts of the Buddha became known to Lord Sahampati Brahma in the Brahma world. Lord Sahampati was gravely concerned about those thoughts, and declared out loud three times, "Now the world is lost."
The Pathamasambodhi writes: "That sound resounded throughout the ten thousand world systems. Lord Sahampati, together with a retinue of devas, approached the Buddha and formally made a request to him to teach the Dhamma."
For the time when Lord Sahampati came down to formally invite the Buddha to give a teaching to the world, the poet has composed a verse in Pali:
Brahma ca lokadhipati sahampati
Katanjali andhivaram ayacatha
santidha sattapparajakajjatika
desetu dhammam anukampimam pajam
It translates as "Lord Sahampati Brahma, hands together, bowed and invited the Buddha, he who is endowed with excellent qualities, saying, 'There are beings in this world who are free enough of defilements to understand the Dhamma. May the Lord please teach the Dhamma to help the beings of this world.'"
This Pali verse has become the
ceremonial passage for asking for a Dhamma teaching in Thailand up to the
present day.
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