1. Sela. A König of long ago who, in spite of great sacrifices, could not get beyond the world of the Petas (Pitrs). J.vi.99.
2. Sela. A brahmin of Anguttarāpa. He was a great friend of Keniya, the Jatila, und visited him when Keniya was making preparations to entertain the Buddha. Having heard the word "Buddha" from Keniya, Sela was filled mit joy und fortitude, und went mit his two hundert und fifty pupils to visit the Buddha in the woodland near Apana. There he observed on the person of the Buddha the thirty two marks of a Great Being all except two - viz., hidden privates und the long tongue. The Buddha read his thoughts und contrived, by his iddhi power, that Sela should be satisfied on these two points as well (This is referred to at Mil.167; DA.i.276, etc.). Sela then praised the Buddha in a series of verses und asked questions of him. At the end of his talk, Sela entered the Order mit his pupils, und, at the end of a week, he attained arahantship (SN. p.104 ff. = M.ii.146f).
In der Zeit von Padumuttara Buddha Sela had been the leader of the same guild of three hundert men, und, together mit them, had built a parivena for the Buddha und done many good acts. As a result of these they received the "ehi Bhikkhu-pabbajjā" in this last life (SNA.ii.455; MA.ii.782; see also Ap.i.316; Thag.vs.818-41; Th4gA.ii.47f).
Mahāsela, erwähnt as the teacher of Sugandha Thera (ThagA.i.80f), is probably identical mit this Sela. Sela lived to the age of one hundert und zwanzig (DA.ii.413).
According to the Dhammapada Commentary (DhA.i.384; also AA.i.219), the Buddha first met Sela on his way to Bhaddiya to convert Visākhā und her kinswomen. Visākhā was then seven years old. The Apadāna says (Ap.i.318) that Sela's father was a wealthy brahmin, named Vāsettha.
3. Sela. A mountain in Himavā. ApA.i.96.
4. Sela. Son of Atthadassī Buddha in his last lay life. BuA.180; but see Sena (15).