Mahﾄ》issa
1. Mahﾄ》issa. A thera who lived in Bhaggari in Sri Lanka. He was an Arahant, and is mentioned as being among the last of those who took part in various assemblies that followed the departure of the Bodhisatta during different births, such as the Kuddﾄ〕aka Samﾄ“ama, Mﾅｫgapakkha, etc. J.vi.30.
2. Mahﾄ》issa. Called Vanavﾄ《ﾄｫ Mahﾄ》issa. He was a colleague of Alindakavﾄ《ﾄｫ Mahﾄ｝hussadeva of Sri Lanka, and witnessed Sakka and other deities waiting on the latter in recognition of his holiness. Mahﾄ》issa perceived only the radiance of the devas and questioned Phussadeva, who did not, however, give a direct answer. SNA.i.55f.; Vibhﾄ.352.
3. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Called Ambakhﾄ‥aka-Mahﾄ》issa. He lived at Ciragumba, and is mentioned as an example of a monk who refused to eat food which came to him as a result of signifying in words that he desired it. Vsm.43.
4. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. He lived in Cetiyagiri, and one day, while on his way to Anurﾄ‥hapura, saw a woman who was leaving her husband, having quarrelled with him. She was beautifully dressed, and seeing the Elder, smiled at him, in order to show her perfect teeth. The Elder looked at her, and acquiring the perception of 窶徼he foul窶 through thinking of the bones of her teeth, became an Arahant. The husband followed his wife and asked the Elder if he had seen her. The Elder replied, 窶廬 know not if it was man or woman, but I saw a lump of bones.窶 Vsm.20f., 194.
5. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Of Punnavallika. One full moon day, at evening, he went to the courtyard of the Mahﾄ Thﾅｫpa, saw the moonlight, and turning towards the shrine, entered into rapture, the Buddha being his object of thought. He habitually recalled this experience thenceforth until, one day, he was able to travel through the air to the Mahﾄ Thﾅｫpa. Vsm.143; DhSA.116.
6. Mahﾄ》issa. An Elder of the Mahﾄ〔araﾃｱjiya Vihﾄ〉a. He became an Arahant by developing ﾄ］ﾄ｝ﾄ］asati, and was thus able to limit his life term. Vsm.292.
7. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. While begging for alms in Kalyﾄ］igﾄ［a his mind was defiled by the sight of an 窶忖ncommon窶 form (visabhﾄ“arﾅｫpa, naked woman?). SNA.i.6f.
8. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. An incumbent of the Ma盪盧溝lﾄ〉ﾄ［a near Bhokkantagﾄ［a. He was a reciter of the Dhammapada. Sumanﾄ, wife of Laku盪盪ｭaka Atimbara, related the story of her past in the assembly of monks in association with this Thera. DhA.iv.51.
9. Mahﾄ》issa. A man of the Okkﾄ〔a race, father of Dappula I. His wife was Sa盪ghasivﾄ, and they had two other sons, Aggabodhi and Ma盪i-akkhika, and one daughter. Cv.xlv.38.
10. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Incumbent of Kotapabbata Viharﾄ and teacher of Asubhakammika Tissa. He was an Arahant, and heard, with his divine ear, the description given in the Lohapﾄ《ﾄ‥a by Cittagutta Thera of the marvels of the Mahﾄ Thﾅｫpa. Mahﾄ》issa told Cittagutta that the description was not full enough. MT. 552f.
11. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Incumbent of Kambugallaka Vihﾄ〉a. He was a colleague of Kupikkala Mahﾄ》issa, and interceded on behalf of Va盪ｭ盪ｭagﾄ［a盪ﾄｫ when that king窶冱 ministers wished to leave him. Later, the ministers appointed him to look after all the monasteries built by them. Mhv.xxxiii.76, 89ff.; MT. 619, 622.
12. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Incumbent of Kupikkala Vihﾄ〉a. When Va盪ｭ盪ｭagﾄ［a盪ﾄｫ was in hiding in the forest of Vessagiri, the Elder once provided him with a meal, and the king, out of gratitude, made him a grant of land (Mhv.xxxiii.49). Later, the ministers wanted to revolt against the king on account of his cruelty to Tanasﾄｫva, but the Elder and his colleague Mahﾄ》issa from Kambugallaka, prevented them from doing so (Mhv.xxxiii.76). When Va盪ｭ盪ｭagﾄ［a盪ﾄｫ built the Abhayagiri Vihﾄ〉a, he gave it into the charge of Mahﾄ》issa. Mhv.xxxiii.83.
13. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. An incumbent of the Mahﾄ」ihﾄ〉a. He was expelled by reason of his association with families. His pupil Bahalamassutissa thereupon seceded from the Mahﾄ」ihﾄ〉a and established a new sect in Abhayagiri. Mhv.xxxiii.95ff.
14. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Incumbent of Anurﾄ〉ﾄ［a. Vohﾄ〉ﾄｫka Tissa was so pleased with him that he ordered alms to be regularly given to him in the Mucelapa盪ｭ盪ｭana. Mhv.xxxvi.30.
15. Mahﾄ》issa Thera. Even when sixty years old he did not realise that he was a puthujjana. Then, one day, his pupil Dhammadinna of Tala盪gara came to him, asking for his company in a journey to Tissamahﾄ-vihﾄ〉a, where he had been asked to teach. Mahﾄ》issa greeted him, and in the course of conversation, Dhammadinna discovered that his teacher was under the false impression that he was an Arahant. Wishing to show him his error, he persuaded Mahﾄ》issa, by his psychic power, to create a pond, and in the pond a lotus, which a young girl was picking. At the sight of the girl, Mahﾄ》issa was possessed by lust, and realised that he was no Arahant. Dhammadinna withdrew, and that same day Mahﾄ》issa put forth effort and attained Arahantship. AA.i.25.
16. Mahﾄ》issa. An incumbent of Cittalapabbata. He was troubled by lustful thoughts and consulted his teacher. The Thera asked him to prepare a cell for him, which he did with great care. The Thera then asked him to occupy it for one night, since he had taken so much trouble over it. That night Mahﾄ》issa put forth effort and became an Arahant. AA.i.26.
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