THE MIRACLES UNDER THE MANGO TREE

The story is about the Buddha being challenged by rival teachers to perform a miracle, in order to prove his powers.

The Buddha had previously forbidden the sangha, his followers, from using their supernatural powers to perform miracles, in order to avoid being seen as performing cheap magic tricks. The rival teachers, who did not follow the Buddha, saw this as an opportunity to expose the Buddha as powerless. However, the Buddha accepted the challenge and agreed to perform the miracle on the full moon day of the eighth month, under a mango tree in Savatthi.

When they heard this, the misbelievers uprooted all the mango trees, so the Buddha would have no place to perform his miracle. However, on the day, the Buddha went to the King’s garden, and befriended the gardener, Ganda. 

Ganda gave the Buddha a ripe mango. The Buddha ate the mango, and placed the seed on the ground. Ganda poured water over the Buddha’s hands to wash off the mango juice, and the water fell upon the seed. The seed grew suddenly into a huge tree full of fruit, called the Gandamba Tree. 

The Buddha then performed the Twin Miracle, standing on top of the jewelled walkway he created in midair around the mango tree. Water streamed out of his upper body, while flames burned from his lower body. The Buddha then alternated the water and the flames, back and forth, creating a rainbow of six colours. Then, the Buddha left the fires burning brightly upwards, illuminating the heavens for all to see. 

The Buddha then preached the Dhamma from the jewelled walkway, creating several versions of himself along the walkway, sitting, standing, and lying down. (As depicted in this mural) He preached for sixteen days, appearing individually to each person present. When he was finished, the Buddha’s mother was reborn as a deva, and he went to the heavens to preach the Dhamma to her.