In Buddhist texts, Sumedha is a previous life of Gotama Buddha (Pāli; ) in which he declares his intention to become a Buddha. Buddhist texts describe that this takes place when Gotama Buddha is still a Buddha-to-be (, ). Traditions regard Sumedha's life as the beginning of the spiritual journey leading up to the attainment of Buddhahood by Gotama in his last life, a journey which takes place through many lifetimes. Born in a brahmin family, Sumedha begins to live as an ascetic in the mountains. One day he meets Dīpankara Buddha () and offers his own body for him to walk over. During this sacrifice, he makes a vow that he also will be a Buddha in a future lifetime, which is confirmed by Dīpankara through a prophecy.
The encounter between Sumedha and Dīpankara Buddha is the oldest Buddhist story known which deals with the path of a bodhisatta, and the story has been described as the Theravādin interpretation of this ideal. It is the most detailed story of a previous life of the Buddha, and is one of the most popular stories in Buddhist art. It is depicted in many Theravādin temples and is at least alluded to in innumerable Buddhist works. Sumedha's story has often been raised by Theravāda Buddhists as an example of selfless service.
Origins
Sumedha's life is described in the Pāli Buddhavaṃsa and Jātaka, the latter being based on the former. The Sanskrit textual traditions relate Sumedha's life as well. The Sanskrit tradition accounts are very similar to those of the Pāli, which has led Indologists Kenneth Norman and Richard Gombrich to argue that the accounts can be dated back to pre-sectarian Buddhism, possibly as early as a century after the Buddha. On the other hand, Buddhist studies scholar Jan Nattier argues that Dīpankara Buddha's absence in the earliest Pāli discourses (, ) indicates that traditions about Dīpankara only became current several centuries after the Buddha. Buddhist studies scholar Naomi Appleton states parts of the biographical material were "fixed no later than the sixth century CE".
Chinese Buddhist pilgrims such as Faxian (337 422 CE) identified the place where Sumedha would have met Dīpankara Buddha as Nagarāhāra (Afghanistan), now called Nangarhar. Faxian reported a shrine for Dīpankara there: apparently, it was important for Gandhāran Buddhists to claim that their country was the origin of Gotama Buddha's spiritual life. Since most of the depictions of Sumedha's account have been found in the area northwest of India, especially Gandhāra, it has been suggested that the story developed there. However, the motif of the spreading of hair has also been found in the Ajantā and Nālandā areas, and there is some evidence that the story was common in Ajantā.
Buddhist studies scholar Karen Derris has pointed out that the Buddhavaṃsa has received relatively little scholarly attention, due to mainstream scholars' focus on early Pāli texts and being prejudiced against mythological accounts of later origin.
Accounts Early life
In the Pāli texts, Sumedha is said to have lived four "incalculable eons" and a hundred thousand normal eons ago. In what most texts describe as Gotama Buddha's own memories, an account is given of Sumedha's life, in the voice of the first person. Sumedha is born in Amaravatī in a brahmin family of noble birth. After having grown up, he realizes that life is full of suffering such as sickness and death, and he sets out to find a "state beyond death". He realizes he cannot take his wealth in the afterlife and therefore donates it all, becoming a type of ascetic wearing matted hair (). He begins to live on the Dhammaka mountain, in the Himalayas. He starts to observe strict discipline, choosing only to live under trees and live on fruits. The texts say that his self-cultivation helps him to attain "the highest knowledge" and develop "great yogic power" like flying. He is depicted as being so immersed in yogic practice, that he does not notice the portents that a Buddha has arisen in the world.
Encounter with Dīpankara Buddha One day, while traveling to the city of Rammavatī, he sees people preparing a road for Dīpankara Buddha to travel on, Dīpankara being the first of twenty-four Buddhas that Sumedha will meet before becoming a Buddha himself. Being joyful on hearing the word buddha, Sumedha takes responsibility for a part of the road which has not been done yet, but he does not manage to finish it in time for Dīpankara. Since he does not want to use his psychic powers to repair the road, Sumedha prostrates himself in the mud in front of Dīpankara Buddha and his following as a human bridge. He spreads his hair, his deer skin and bark garment on the mud to cover it fully. Later texts would come to see this is an advanced stage in the development of Gotama, the Buddha-to-be, in that he fully dedicates himself to Buddhahood, not only in mind and in speech, but also physically. In this manner, he pays homage to Dīpankara Buddha and helps him and the monks to cross the mud unsullied. This is regarded as a sacrifice of Sumedha's life, in that it entails many monks walking over him, and him possibly dying in the process. While doing so, Sumedha then pronounces a specific vow (; ) that in the future he too will become a Buddha.
Before walking over Sumedha's body, Dīpankara stops before him and makes a prophecy (, ) that Sumedha's wish will come true in a future lifetime: he will then become the Buddha called Sākyamuni (). Dīpankara also mentions several details of the future Buddha's life, such as the names of his parents and main disciples. When Dīpankara makes this statement, many devotees who believe they cannot yet attain enlightenment under Dīpankara vow that they will attain it under the next Buddha, Sākyamuni. After the prediction, with Sumedha still lying in the mud, Dīpankara Buddha and his following of monks circumambulate around Sumedha, and in some stories offer flowers, as a sign of respect and to celebrate Sumedha's future Buddhahood. Meanwhile, deities are depicted as approving of the prophecy, like a "divine chorus that give notice of his pending buddhahood", a subservient role typical for Buddhist cosmology. The text reveals that many of the onlookers later become followers of Gotama Buddha in his final lifetime, after his enlightenment, according to the wish they made. Specifically, they are reborn as the disciples called the Kassapa Brothers (), and their followers. The motif that people who formerly encountered Dīpankara Buddha become enlightened under another Buddha Gotama indicates that each Buddha is regarded as continuing upon the work left unfinished by the previous Buddhas.
Response to the prophecy
Sumedha makes his vow as a Buddha-to-be (, ) because of the concern he has with other living beings. The story relates that Sumedha could have attained personal enlightenment at the time of meeting Dīpankara, but chooses to strive to become a Buddha instead. Inspired by Dīpankara's example, he feels he has the duty to strive for the highest accomplishment, to become a Buddha. After the prophecy is made, Sumedha reflects on the qualities he needs to accomplish Buddhahood called the 'perfections' (; ), and concludes which are most important, beginning with the perfection of giving. With Sumedha having reflected on these perfections, an earthquake follows: in Buddhist studies scholar Kate Crosby's words, "the whole universe confirms the future success of his vow". This causes panic among the inhabitants, but Dīpankara explains to them there is no reason for dismay. The texts conclude with Sumedha returning to the Himalayas.
Sumedha continues his spiritual journey through many lifetimes, "millions of lifetimes and billions of years". Every time he meets another Buddha, he performs an act of devotion and renews his bodhisatta vow to become one himself. All the while, he develops his perfections further, as each of the Buddhas he meets inspires him to pursue Buddhahood further, and in the process, adds something unique to the Buddha-to-be's identity. Traditionally, the rest of the Jātakas are also understood to depict the period between Sumedha's bodhisatta vow and his eventual enlightenment as a Buddha. One of the more well-known tales of a previous life is that of Prince Vessantara (), part of the Jātaka collection, who famously gives his wealth, wife and children away to attain Buddhahood.
Other motifs In several Chinese Buddhist texts, as well as the Sanskrit Mahāvastu, Sumedha is called Megha. In several other Chinese and Sanskrit texts, including the Divyavadāna, he is called Sumati. The spelling Sumegha also occurs.
In the Pāli Apadāna and Āgamas, Sumedha receives (or buys) blue lotus flowers from a young brahmin girl called Sumittā; he later offers the flowers to Dīpankara Buddha, throwing them in the air. Sumittā takes a vow that she may be reborn as the wife of Sumedha in a future life, which is confirmed by a prediction by Dīpankara Buddha. Later, Sumittā is reborn as Yasodharā (), the wife of Prince Siddhattha who later becomes Gotama Buddha. In some versions of the story, Yasodharā only gives the flowers to Sumedha on the condition that he join her in pledging to be reborn as a couple in future lives. Yasodharā is depicted in many Gandhāran bas reliefs and statues, alongside Sumedha (and Dīpankara Buddha). In the Apadāna, the Divyāvadāna and the Mahāvastu, Sumedha also has a friend called Meghadatta or Mati. The texts relate that the friend does much bad karma and is reborn in hell for many lifetimes as a result. He is reborn in the time of Gotama Buddha as his disciple Dhammaruci ().
Medieval post-canonical Pāli texts from Burmese, Thai, Sinhalese and Khün vernacular traditions describe an even earlier period in the spiritual path of Gotama Buddha, relating about lives even prior to that of Sumedha, during which he not yet received confirmations of his vow from other Buddhas. In this "pre-Sumedha" narrative tradition, the encounter between Sumedha and Dīpankara is seen as an advanced stage on the spiritual path of Gotama Buddha, as opposed to a beginning. These narratives depict a more gradual process of development, and do not regard the beginning of the spiritual path of Gotama Buddha as a single, revolutionary event. Because of that, they offer a perspective which diminishes the importance of the encounter between Sumedha and Buddha Dīpankara. For example, the Paññāsa Jātaka collection that circulated in Southeast Asia relates about a previous life of Sumedha, in the time of a previous Buddha also called Dīpankara. In this lifetime, Sumedha already has the wish to become a Buddha, but cannot receive the prophecy from this Dīpankara Buddha, because in this lifetime Sumedha is a woman. This Dīpankara hears of the woman's wish, who is his stepsister, and lets her know that she will be able to receive the prediction later, when she is born as the male Sumedha during the time of the next Dīpankara. There is debate among scholars whether this story should be interpreted as empowering women to become bodhisattas, or affirming the status quo of women being unable to access the bodhisatta path.
Archaeologist Maurizio Taddei has noted that in many Gandharan art depictions, Sumedha's life is linked to that of Rāhula, the son of the Buddha. The Buddha giving his spiritual heritage to his son is compared to that of Sumedha allowing the Buddha Dīpankara to walk over him, and Dīpankara making the prophecy. Both the figure of Gotama Buddha giving his inheritance to his son, and the figure of Dīpankara Buddha giving his inheritance of Buddhahood to Sumedha are depicted with flames emitting from their bodies; both scenes are depictions of inheritance, filial and disciple piety; both may have been considered by fifth-century Buddhists to be representations of "eager youth".
Textual interpretation