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to beat him and the other two bhikkhus with large sticks. The bhikkhus were outnumbered and unable to defend themselves from the
blows. Moggallana’s two disciples were beaten and left by the side of the road. They cried out for help but it was too late. Venerable
Moggallana let forth a cry that shook the forest. When other bhikkhus ran out of the monastery, Moggallana was dead and the assassins
had disappeared.
Venerable Moggallana’s body had already been cremated by the time the Buddha returned to Vulture Peak. An urn with his ashes had
been placed just outside the Buddha’s hut. The Buddha asked about Venerable Sariputta and was told that since Moggallana’s murder, he
had remained in his hut with the door closed. Sariputta and Moggallana had been like brothers, as close as a form and its shadow. The
Buddha had not yet stopped to rest after his travels, but he proceeded at once to Sariputta’s hut to console him.
As they walked to Sariputta’s hut, Ananda reflected on how sad the Buddha must feel. How could he avoid feeling heartbroken when
two of his closest friends had just died? The Buddha would console Sariputta, but who would console the Buddha? As if to answer
Ananda’s hidden thoughts, the Buddha stopped, looked at him, and said, “Ananda, everyone commends you for studying hard and
possessing a phenomenal memory, but don’t think that is enough. It is important to look after the Tathagata and the sangha, but it is not
sufficient. Whatever time remains you, devote your efforts to breaking through birth and death. Learn to look at birth and death as mere
illusions, like the stars one sees in one’s eyes after rubbing them.”
Venerable Ananda bowed his head and continued walking in silence.
The next day, the Buddha suggested a stupa be built for the Venerable Moggallana’s relics.