After the Buddha returned from the Nāga realm, the devas (heavenly beings) wished to express their own reverence for him. They decided to honour the Buddha by creating magnificent white umbrellas and canopies in the sky.

Soon, remarkable formations resembling enormous white umbrellas began appearing across the vast blue heavens. On the ground, wide stretches of land were beautifully covered with white sand and flowers. Even the mighty River Ganges, extending across a distance of one league, was adorned with a blanket of flowers in five different colours.

These extraordinary sights filled the monks with wonder. Their usual conversations about meditation and spiritual practice gradually gave way to discussions about the miraculous events unfolding before them.

Seeing this, the Buddha decided to share a story from one of his previous lives, when he was a Bodhisatta named Saṅkha.

A Son’s Search for Wisdom

Long ago, in the ancient city of Takkasilā, there lived a Brahmin named Saṅkha. He had a sixteen-year-old son named Susīma, who was eager to pursue his education.

One day, Susīma approached his father respectfully and expressed his wish to travel to Bārāṇasī to continue his studies.

Pleased with his son’s determination, Saṅkha gave him a thousand pieces of gold and sent him on his way with a blessing. He also arranged for Susīma to study under an old childhood friend who was a respected teacher.

Upon reaching Bārāṇasī, Susīma presented the gold to his teacher and devoted himself wholeheartedly to his studies. He was exceptionally gifted and learned quickly, mastering the entire curriculum in a remarkably short time.

However, there was one problem. While studying the Vedas, he discovered that the final and important section of a particular text was missing. Even his teacher admitted that he did not know the complete teaching.

Susīma asked whether anyone else might possess this knowledge.

His teacher suggested that he seek out the Paccekabuddhas living quietly in the Deer Park at Isipatana.

The Path to Paccekabuddha-hood

Susīma made his way to the Deer Park and approached the Paccekabuddhas with his question.

They confirmed that they knew the complete text. However, there was one condition: to receive this knowledge, he would have to renounce his worldly life and become a monk.

Susīma did not hesitate. He willingly gave up his former life and entered the monastic path.

Although the Paccekabuddhas could not teach him insight meditation directly, they carefully instructed him in the principles of good conduct and disciplined living.

Susīma practised diligently. Through his accumulated merits and spiritual perfections from previous lives, his practice quickly matured. In time, he attained Paccekabuddha-hood, becoming an enlightened being who realised the Dhamma independently, without a Buddha to guide him.

Yet, his life was destined to be short. Because of unwholesome karma from a distant past, he soon passed away.

The people of Bārāṇasī honoured him by gathering his relics and enshrining them in a stūpa near the city gates.

A Father’s Grief and an Offering of Devotion

Back in Takkasilā, months turned into years, but Saṅkha heard no news from his beloved son.

Growing increasingly worried, the elderly Brahmin eventually decided to travel to Bārāṇasī himself in search of Susīma.

Upon arriving, he noticed a crowd gathered around a newly constructed stūpa. Some people were weeping, while others stood quietly in reverence.

Curious, Saṅkha approached them and asked whether they knew anything about his son.

A stranger gently broke the heartbreaking news. His son Susīma had become an enlightened Paccekabuddha, but had since passed away. His sacred relics were now enshrined in the stūpa before them.

Overwhelmed by grief, Saṅkha wept bitterly. He beat the ground with his hands and mourned the loss of his only son.

It was a heartbreaking moment for a father who had travelled so far, only to discover that he would never see his son again.

After his grief had subsided, however, Saṅkha turned his attention towards the stūpa.

He began clearing away the tangled grass and roots surrounding it. He then took out the white sand he had carried in his shoulder cloth and carefully spread it across the ground.

Using water from his clay jug, he sprinkled the area to settle the dust. He gathered wild flowers and scattered them around the stūpa as an offering.

Finally, he took his shoulder cloth, fashioned it into a small streamer, and tied it to his travelling umbrella. Raising the umbrella above the stūpa, he offered it as a symbol of his deep reverence for his son’s spiritual attainment.

Having completed these humble acts of devotion, Saṅkha continued on his journey.

The Connection Between Past and Present

After finishing the story, the Buddha turned to the assembled monks and revealed the connection between the past and present.

The Brahmin Saṅkha, he explained, was none other than the Buddha himself in a previous life.

The extraordinary sights that had appeared following his return from the Nāga realm were connected to those simple offerings made by Saṅkha long ago.

The white sand, the flowers covering the land and river, the rain that settled the dust, and the magnificent white umbrellas stretching towards the heavenly realms were all the fruits of those humble acts of devotion.

What began with a grieving father, a handful of flowers, a little water, some white sand and an ordinary travelling umbrella had blossomed into magnificent offerings across lifetimes.

The Buddha then reminded the monks of an important principle: a wise person is willing to let go of lesser pleasures when they recognise the greater happiness that comes from pursuing what is truly worthwhile.

Reflections: The Fruits of Devotion and the Greatness of Liberation

There is something particularly touching about this story.

Long before attaining Buddhahood, he was a Bodhisatta and an ordinary father who experienced the pain of losing his beloved son. His grief is something we can all understand. Regardless of our background or beliefs, the loss of someone we love is never easy.

Yet, what makes this story especially meaningful is how Saṅkha chose to honour his son.

He did not have precious jewels, elaborate decorations or magnificent treasures to offer. Instead, he gave what he could: he cleared the surroundings, spread white sand, sprinkled water, offered flowers and raised a humble umbrella above the stūpa.

These were simple acts, but they were performed with a heart filled with reverence.

The story also reminds us that Susīma’s greatest achievement was not his scholarly knowledge or mastery of the Vedas. It was his attainment of liberation. His father recognised and honoured this spiritual accomplishment, even though it meant that he had lost his son to death.

There is another beautiful lesson here about the nature of merit. We sometimes imagine that making merit requires grand ceremonies, expensive offerings or elaborate religious activities. But Saṅkha’s story reminds us that even the simplest offering can become a meaningful expression of devotion when performed with a sincere heart.

Consider the contrast: a little white sand, a few wild flowers and a humble umbrella offered beside a stūpa eventually became the inspiration for extraordinary celestial displays across the heavens.

But perhaps the most important message lies beyond the miracles themselves.

The Buddha did not share this story simply to impress the monks with the wonders of his previous lives. He wanted to redirect their attention towards something far greater: the path to liberation.

Miracles may inspire wonder, and beautiful offerings may bring joy, but neither should become the ultimate goal of our spiritual practice.

The true purpose of following the Dhamma is to gradually free ourselves from greed, hatred and delusion, and ultimately realise Nibbāna.

As the monks reflected on the Buddha’s words, their attention returned to what truly mattered. Rather than remaining captivated by extraordinary events, they renewed their focus on meditation and the path towards liberation.

And perhaps this is the lesson we can take away from Saṅkha’s story: devotion can begin with something as simple as a handful of flowers, but the highest aspiration of our spiritual journey should always be liberation.

May all be well and happy.