Zwezarni Htun’s drawing Once in Nigrodarama, the Buddha shared a story about long life. Visiting Kapilavatthu, King Suddhodana, the Buddha’s father, invited him for lunch. The king mentioned rumors of the Buddha’s early death, but he didn’t believe them. The Buddha recalled a past tale about Maha-Dhammapala, a brahmin who practiced virtues in a family where no one died young. Culla-Dhammapala, the Boddhisatta, was born into this family and, when his teacher’s son died, remained unaffected, explaining it was normal in his family. To test this, the teacher tried to fake Culla-Dhammapala’s death with goat bones, but Maha-Dhammapala recognized the deception. The teacher then sought to learn from Maha-Dhammapala, understanding that following the ten virtues prevented early deaths. The story concluded with Culla-Dhammapala becoming the Buddha, and Maha-Dhammapala being the Buddha’s father. Ashin Sarana’s comment: Boddhisatta -> Bodhisatta, Culla-Dhammapala becoming the Buddha -> Culla-Dhammapala later becoming our Buddha Gotama.Kids’ drawing
