A Study of Relationship between Nāga Sutta in Theravāda Tipiṭaka and Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra in Taishō Tripiṭaka

Abstract

This research article has the following objectives: 1) to study the essential contents of the Nāga Sutta in the Theravāda Tipiṭaka; 2) to study the essential contents of the Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra in the Taishō Tripiṭaka; and 3) to study the relationship of the essential contents between the Nāga Sutta in the Theravāda Tipiṭaka and the Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra in the Taishō Tripiṭaka. This is a documentary research analyzing the relationship of the essential contents from primary and secondary sources, which are compiled and presented descriptively. The research results found that: The Nāga Sutta is a sutta concerning an elephant king attending upon the Buddha. That is, during the time the Buddha resided in the Pālileyyaka forest, He referred to the elephant king that came to serve Him, exclaiming that both He and the elephant king had the same disposition, equally delighting in the forest. The Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra is a sutta concerning past lives and the question-and-answer dialogues between King Milinda and Venerable Nāgasena. The essential contents of the said sutta or scripture are divided into 2 parts: an introduction concerning the past-life stories of Venerable Nāgasena and King Milinda, illustrating their relationship up to the events that led to their encounter at the royal palace, classified into 3 lifetimes; and the main content concerning the dialogue of questions where King Milinda is the questioner, which can be classified into 67 questions. The relationship of the essential contents between the Nāga Sutta in the Theravāda Tipiṭaka and Introduction of the Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra in the Taishō Tripiṭaka consists of 7 points, namely: the relationship concerning the location, the relationship concerning the individuals mentioned in the first paragraph of the sutta, the relationship concerning the Buddha's solitary dwelling, the relationship concerning the elephants living with the elephant king, the relationship concerning the elephant king's departure from the herd to meet the Buddha, the relationship concerning the elephant king's attendance upon the Buddha, and the relationship concerning the Buddha's utterance to the elephant king.  From these relationship points, the solitary dwelling of the Buddha and the elephant king, as well as the elephant king's attendance upon the Buddha, are stories that reflect the knowledge for conflict resolution, namely: keeping distance, creating a safe zone, and supporting each other amidst differences. This can be applied in organizations or working groups to handle conflicts that arise.