[Verse 1]
In ancient times, a king divine,
Varuna's faith began to shine.
Atthadassī, the Buddha bright,
Revealed the path of wisdom's light.
When the Buddha passed away,
His faithful heart still found a way.
With music, dancing, flowers bright,
He honored the Bodhi Tree with light.
[Chorus]
Play the music, let it rise,
Let devotion touch the skies.
Underneath the Bodhi Tree,
May our hearts find purity.
Every flower, every song,
Every act of kindness strong.
Faith and wisdom lead the way,
Toward the peace that never fades.
[Verse 2]
To Nimmānarati he was born,
Where heavenly music greeted dawn.
Sixty thousand instruments played,
A joyful gift his faith had made.
Through human lives and heavenly skies,
He learned where true liberation lies.
The fires of greed and hate were gone,
Delusion faded with the dawn.
[Chorus]
Play the music, let it rise,
Let devotion touch the skies.
Underneath the Bodhi Tree,
May our hearts find purity.
Every flower, every song,
Every act of kindness strong.
Faith and wisdom lead the way,
Toward the peace that never fades.
[Bridge]
Fourfold wisdom, eight liberations,
Six higher knowledges attained.
Through the Dhamma's realization,
Freedom from rebirth remained.
[Final Verse]
Music fades as years go by,
But truth remains beneath the sky.
Let kindness be the song we sing,
Let wisdom be our offering.
[Outro]
Beneath the Bodhi Tree we pray,
May wisdom guide us every day.
Beyond all suffering, beyond all pain,
May peace and freedom ever reign.
The Story of Venerable Ekāsaniya Thera
The Merit of Honoring the Bodhi Tree with Music
Background and Life Story
The story of Venerable Ekāsaniya Thera is recorded in the Khuddaka Nikāya, Apadāna, Mahāparivāravagga, Number 114, in Volume 32 of the Pali Canon.
In a former life, during the time of Buddha Atthadassī, he was born as a divine king named Varuṇa.
Varuṇa was deeply devoted to the Buddha. Together with his followers, vehicles, and attendants, he honored the Buddha with fragrant offerings, flowers, and music.
After Buddha Atthadassī had passed away, Varuṇa and his followers continued to express their reverence by organizing a grand musical offering at the sacred Bodhi tree, the tree associated with the Buddha's enlightenment.
They brought various musical instruments and performers. Music, dancing, and the sounds of ceremonial bells filled the surroundings. Their celebration was intended as an offering to the sacred Bodhi tree, as though they were paying homage directly to the Buddha himself.
After completing the offering, Varuṇa sat in a cross-legged posture near the Bodhi tree and passed away there.
Because of his joyful and faithful mind, he was reborn in the Nimmānarati heaven, the celestial realm of delight in one's own creations.
According to his recollection, sixty thousand celestial musical instruments surrounded him throughout his various existences in the human and heavenly realms.
Yet his greatest achievement was not heavenly pleasure or worldly prosperity. He eventually extinguished the three fires of the mind and freed himself from the cycle of rebirth.
He also recalled that, five hundred aeons after the present aeon, there would be thirty-four Universal Monarchs bearing the name Supāhu, endowed with the seven treasures of a Universal Monarch.
Finally, Venerable Ekāsaniya declared that he had realized the four analytical knowledges, the eight liberations, and the six higher knowledges.
He concluded:
"I have fulfilled the Buddha's teaching."
The Life of Venerable Ekāsaniya Thera
According to the commentary, he had accumulated wholesome deeds throughout many previous lives.
During the time of Buddha Atthadassī, he was born as the divine king Varuṇa. He worshipped the Buddha with fragrant offerings, flowers, and music.
After the Buddha's final passing, he continued his devotion through a musical offering at the Great Bodhi Tree.
As a result of this wholesome deed, he was reborn in the Nimmānarati heaven. Later, he experienced happiness and prosperity in both heavenly and human existences, including the fortune of a Universal Monarch.
During the dispensation of Buddha Gotama, he was born into a respectable family. When he reached adulthood, he entered the monastic order and attained arahantship not long afterward.
Looking back upon his former deeds, he understood the results of his past actions and joyfully recited his life story.
The Dhamma Teachings
The story offers six important lessons:
Faith and devotion: Sincere faith in the Buddha provides a foundation for spiritual development.
Respectful offerings: The value of an offering lies not merely in its material worth, but in the wholesome intention behind it.
Recollection of the Buddha: Remembering the Buddha's enlightenment inspires wisdom, purity, and compassion.
Wholesome intention: Good deeds become meaningful through the intention that motivates them.
Extinguishing the three fires: Greed, hatred, and delusion must be overcome to attain liberation.
Freedom from rebirth: The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice is liberation from suffering and the cycle of existence.
The story teaches that music and art can become meaningful expressions of faith and devotion. However, the highest achievement of Buddhism is not the accumulation of heavenly pleasures, but the purification of the mind and the realization of Nibbāna.
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