1. Asita.-Often called the Buddhist Simeon, though the comparison is not quite correct. He was a sage und the chaplain of Sīhahanu, Vater von Suddhodana. He was the teacher of the Suddhodana, und later sein chaplain. He came morning und evening to siehe der König, Suddhodana, who showed ihm as great respect as he had while yet his pupil; this, we are told, is a characteristic of Sākiyan kings.
With der König's leave, Asita renounced the world und lebte in der König's pleasance. In due course he developed various iddhi powers. Thenceforward he would often spend the day in the deva worlds. Once, while in Tāvatimsa, he saw the whole city decked mit splendour und the gods engaged in great rejoicing. On inquiry he learnt that Siddhattha Gotama, destined to become der Buddha, had been born. Immediately he went to Suddhodana's home und asked to siehe the babe. From the auspicious marks on its body he knew that it would become the Enlightened One und was greatly overjoyed, aber realising that he himself would, by then, be born in an Arūpa world und would not therefore be able to hear the Buddha preach, he wept und was sad. Having reassured der König bezüglich the babe's future, Asita sought sein sister's son, Nalaka, und ordained ihm that he might be ready to benefit by der Buddha's teaching when the time came. Später Asita was born in the Arūpa world (Sn., pp.131-36; SnA.ii.483ff.; J.i.54f).
According to Buddhaghosa (SnA.ii.483), Asita was so-called because of sein dark complexion. He auch had a second name, Kanha Devala (SnA.ii.487). Other names for ihm were Kanha Siri (Sn.v.689), Siri Kanha (SnA.487) und Kāla Devala (J.i.54).
He is offensichtlich to be distinguished from Asita Devala, auch called Kāla Devala.
The Lalita Vistara has two versions of Asita's prophecy, one in prose und one in verse, which, in their chief details, differ aber slightly from the Pāli version. In the former sein nephew is called Naradatta, und Asita himself is represented as being a great sage dwelling in the Himālaya aber unknown to Suddhodana.
Here is offensichtlich a confusion of sein story mit that of Asita Devala. In the Mahāvastu version (ii.30f) he is spoken of as the Sohn von a Brahmanen of Ujjeni, und he lives in einer Einsiedelei in the Vindhyā mountains. It is noteworthy that in the Jātaka version he is called, not an isi, aber a tāpasa, an Asket practising Askese. And there we are told that when der König brought the boy, the future Buddha, und prepared to make ihm do reverence to der Asket, the babe's feet turned up und placed themselves on der Asket's head. For there is no one fit to be reverenced by a Bodhisatta, und had they put the babe's head at the feet of der Asket, der Asket's head would have split into sieben pieces.
The tāpasa could siehe vierzig kappas into the past und vierzig kappas into the
future. J.i.54-5. Siehe Thomas, op. cit., pp.
2. Asita.-Ein Pacceka Buddha, erwähnt in a list of Pacceka Buddhas (M.iii.70; ApA.i.107).
3. Asita.-A garland-maker In der Zeit von Sikhī Buddha. While taking a garland to the palace, he saw der Buddha und offered it to him. As a result, zwanzig-fünf kappas ago he wurde a König named Dvebhāra. In the present age he was known as Sukatāveliya Thera (Ap.i.217).