Uttara
1. Uttara.- A thera. He was the son of an eminent brahmin of RÄjagaha (of SÄvatthi, according to the ApadÄna). He became proficient in Vedic lore and renowned for his breeding, beauty, wisdom and virtue. The king’s minister, VassakÄra, seeing his attainments, desired to marry him to his daughter; but Uttara, with his heart set on release, declined, and learnt the Doctrine under SÄriputta. Later he entered the Order and waited on SÄriputta.
One day SÄriputta fell ill and Uttara set out early to find a physician. On the way he set down his bowl by a lake and went down to wash his mouth. A certain thief, pursued by the police, dropped his stolen jewels into the novice’s bowl and fled. Uttara was brought before VassakÄra who, to satisfy his grudge, ordered him to be impaled. The Buddha, seeing the ripeness of his insight, went to him and placing a gentle hand, “like a shower of crimson gold,†on Uttara’s head, spoke to him and encouraged him to reflection. Transported with joy and rapture at the Master’s touch, he attained sixfold higher knowledge (abhiññÄ) and became Arahant. Rising from the stake, he stood in mid-air and his wound was healed. Addressing his fellow-celibates, be told them how, when he realised the evils of rebirth, he forgot the lesser evil of present pain (Thag.vv.121-2; ThigA.i.240ff).
In the time of Sumedha Buddha, he bad been a sorcerer (vijjÄdhara). Once, while flying through the air, he saw the Buddha at the foot of a tree in the forest and, being glad, offered him three kanikÄra flowers.
By the Buddha’s power, the flowers stood above him forming a canopy. The sorcerer was later born in TÄvatiṃsa, where his palace was known as KanikÄra.
He was king of the gods one hundred and five times, and king of men one hundred and three times.
According to the ApadÄna (quoted in ThigA.), he became an Arahant at the age of seven. This does not agree with the rest of the story and is probably due to a confusion with some other Uttara.
Uttara is probably to be identified with TīṇikpikÄrapupphiya of the ApadÄna. Ap.ii.441ff. Ras.i.52f.
2. Uttara.- A thera. He was the son of a brahmin of SÄketa. While on some business at SÄvatthi, he saw the Twin Miracle and, when the Buddha taught the KÄlakÄrÄma Sutta at SÄketa, he entered the Order. He accompanied the Buddha to RÄjagaha and there became an Arahant (Thag.vv.161-2; ThagA.i.283f).
During the time of Siddhattha Buddha he had been a householder and became a believer in the Buddha. When the Buddha died, he called together his relations and together they paid great honour to the relics.
He is evidently identical with DhÄtupÅ«jaka of the ApadÄna (ii.425).
It is probably this thera who is mentioned in the Uttara Sutta (A.iv.162ff).
3. Uttara.- A devaputta who visits the Buddha at the Anjanavana in SÄketa. He utters a stanza, and the Buddha, in another stanza, amplifies what he has said. S.i.54.
4. Uttara.- A thera. At the time of the Vajjian heresy, he was the attendant of the Elder Revata and had been twenty years in the Order. The Vajjians of VesÄli went to him and, after much persuasion, succeeded in getting him to accept one robe from them.
In return for this he agreed to say before the Saá¹…gha that the PÄcÄ«naka Bhikkhus held the true Doctrine and that the PÄtheyyaka monks did not. Thereafter Uttara went to Revata, but Revata, on hearing what he had done, instantly dismissed him from attendance upon him. When the VesÄli monks were informed of the occurrence, they took dependence (nissaya) from Uttara and became his pupils. Vin.ii.302-3; Mhv.iv.30.
5. Uttara.- An Arahant. He, with Sona, was sent by Asoka, at the conclusion of the Third Council, to convert SuvaṇṇabhÅ«mi. They overcame the female demon and her followers, who had, been in the habit of coming out of the sea to eat the king’s sons, and they then recited the BrahmajÄla Sutta. Sixty thousand people became converts, five hundred noblemen became monks and fifteen hundred women of good family were ordained as nuns.
Thenceforth all princes born in the royal household were called Sonuttara. Mhv.iv.6; 44-54; Sp.i.68f; Mbv.115; The Dipavaṃsa speaks of Sonuttara as one person (viii.10).
6. Uttara.- A brahmin youth (Uttara-mÄnava), pupil of PÄrÄsariya. He once visited the Buddha at KajaligalÄ in the Mukheluvana and the Buddha taught him the Indriya-bhÄvanÄ Sutta (M.iii.298ff).
Perhaps it is this same mÄnava that is mentioned in the PÄyÄsi Sutta. When PÄyÄsi RÄjañña was converted by KumÄra Kassapa, he instituted almsgiving to all and sundry, but the gifts he gave consisted of such things as gruel and scraps of food and coarse robes. Uttara, who was one of his retainers, spoke sarcastically of PÄyÄsi’s generosity, and on being challenged by PÄyÄsi to show what should be done, Uttara gave gladly and with his own hands excellent foods and garments. As a result, after death, while PÄyÄsi was born only in the empty SerisakavimÄna of the CÄtummahÄrÄjika world, Uttara was born in TÄvatiṃsa. D.ii.354-7; see also VvA.297f. where the details are slightly different.
7. Uttara.- A youth of Kosambī, son of a minister of King Udena. When his father died, the youth was appointed by the king to carry out certain works in the city which his father had left unfinished.
One day, while on his way to the forest to fell timber, he saw MahÄ Kaccana and, being pleased with the thera’s demeanour, went and worshipped him. The thera taught him, and the youth invited him and his companions to a meal in his house. At the conclusion of the meal Uttara followed MahÄ KaccÄna to the vihÄra and asked him to have his meals always at his house. He later became a Stream-winner and built a vihÄra. He persuaded most of his relations to join in his good deeds, but his mother refused to help and abused the monks. As a result she was born in the peta-world. (See UttaramÄtÄ). PvA.140ff.
8. Uttara.- A brahmin youth. When Erakapatta, king of the NÄgas, offered his daughter’s hand to anyone who could answer his questions — hoping thereby to hear of a Buddha’s appearance in the world — Uttara was among those who aspired to win her. The Buddha, wishing for the welfare of many beings, met Uttara on his way to the NÄga court and taught him the proper answers to the questions. At the end of the lesson, Uttara became a Stream-winner. When he repeated the answers before the NÄga maiden, Erakapatta was greatly delighted and accompanied him to the Buddha, who taught him and to the assembled multitude. DhA.iii.230ff.
9. Uttara.- A pupil of BrahmÄyu. He was sent by his teacher from MithilÄ to Videha, to find out if the Buddha bore the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. Having made sure of the presence of all the thirty-two marks on the Buddha’s person, he dogged the Buddha’s footsteps for seven months, in order to observe his deportment in his every posture. At the end of that period, he returned to BrahmÄyu and reported what he had seen (M.ii.134ff; SnA.i.37). Buddhaghosa says (MA.ii.765) that Uttara became known as BuddhavÄ«maṃsaka-mÄnava on account of his close watch over the Buddha.
10. Uttara.- A youth, evidently a personal attendant of Pasenadi. The Buddha taught him a stanza to be recited whenever the king sat down to a meal. The stanza spoke of the merits of moderation in eating. DhA.iv.17; but see S.i.81-2 for a different version of what is evidently the same incident. There the youth is called Sudassana.
11. Uttara.- A royal prince to whom KonÄgamana Buddha taught at SurindavatÄ« on the full-moon day of MÄgha. He later became the Buddha’s leading disciple (aggasÄvaka). Bu.xxiv.22; BuA.215; J.i.43.
12. Uttara.- Younger brother of Vessabhū Buddha. The Buddha taught his first discourse to Uttara and Sona at the Aruna pleasaunce near Anupama. Later Uttara became the Buddha’s leading disciple. Bu.xxii.23; BuA.205; J.i.42; D.ii.4.
13. Uttara.- Son of Kakusandha Buddha in his last birth. Bu.xxiii.17.
14. Uttara.- The name of the Bodhisatta in the time of Sumedha Buddha. He spent eighty crores in giving alms to the Buddha and the monks and later joined the Order. J.i.37-8; Bu.xii.11.
15. Uttara.- A warrior (khattiya), father of Maá¹…gala Buddha. Bu.iv.22; J.i.34.
16. Uttara.- Son of Padumuttara Buddha in his last birth (Bu.xi.21). He was the Bodhisatta. SA.ii.67; DA.ii.488; but see J.i.37 and Bu.xi.11, where the Bodhisatta’s name is given as the Jatiḷa Ratthika.
17. Uttara.- Nephew of King KhallatanÄga of Sri Lanka. He conspired with his brothers to kill the king, and when the plot was discovered committed suicide by jumping on to a pyre. MT.612.
18. Uttara.- A banker, a very rich man of SÄvatthi. He had a son, designated as Uttara-seá¹á¹hiputta, whose story is given in the Vattaka JÄtaka. J.i.432ff.
19. Uttara.- The city in which Maá¹…gala Buddha was born. Bu.iv.22; J.i.34.
20. Uttara.- The city of King Arindama. Revata Buddha taught there to the king and the assembled multitude. BuA.133.
21. Uttara.- A township (nigama), near which Revata Buddha spent seven days, wrapt in meditation. At the conclusion of his meditation, the Buddha taught the assembled multitude on the virtues of nirodhasamÄpatti. BuA.133-4. This may be the same as No. 20.
22. Uttara.- One of the palaces occupied by Paduma Buddha before his Renunciation. Bu.ix.17.
23. Uttara.- A township of the Koliyans. Once, when the Buddha was staying there, he was visited by the headman PÄtaliya. v.l. Uttaraka. S.iv.340.
24. Uttara.- A nunnery built by King MahÄsena. Mhv.xxxvii.43.
25. Uttara.- A general of MoggallÄna I. Cv.xxxix.58.
26. Uttara. A meditation hall (padhÄnaghara) built by Uttara (25).
27. Uttara.- A minister of Sena I. He built in the Abhayuttara VihÄra a dwelling-house called Uttarasena. Cv.l.83.
28. Uttara.- A thera who, with sixty thousand others, came from the Vattaniya hermitage in the VindhyÄ forest to be present at the foundation ceremony of the MahÄ ThÅ«pa in AnurÄdhapura. Mhv.xxix.40; Dpv.xix.6.
29. Uttara.- A banker of UttaragÄma, father of UttarÄ (13). BuA.116.
30. Uttara.- An Äjivaka who offered eight handfuls of grass to Maá¹…gala Buddha for his seat. BuA.116.
31. Uttara. See BherapÄsÄna VihÄra.
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