Overstory

Abstract

Abstract This epilogue reflects on the career and character of the Buddha by presenting and analyzing an episode from the end of his life story. This recounts his feat of clearing away a great boulder blocking the road he is taking to get to Kuśinagarī which the Malla strongmen are having difficulty removing. The tale has many dimensions: it glorifies the Buddha, cataloguing his various extraordinary powers, among them the innate physical power he owes to his parents (mātāpaitṛkabala) that allows him to toss the rock high into the air; his supernormal powers (ṛddhi) that enable him to reduce the rock to dust particles; and the power of his wisdom (prajñā) that causes him to put it back together again. The tale also has doctrinal dimensions and may be seen as an allegorical summation of the dialectical pattern of the life of the Buddha as a whole.