The Jeta Grove belonged to King Prasenajit’s son, Prince Jeta, whose name, “war victor,” was given him in commemoration of King Prasenajit’s victory in a war with a neighboring country, which occurred on the day his son was born.

The Benefactor Of Orphans And The Solitary refers to an Indian philanthropist of the time who was much like King Wen of the Chou Dynasty in China. King Wen’s first goal was to benefit widowers, widows, orphans, and the solitary, meaning elderly, childless couples. His government was beneficent and humane, and tended solely to the good of the country. The benefactor mentioned here in the sutra was an elder named Sudatta, “good benefactor,” one of King Prasenajit’s great ministers.

The flower garden belonged to Prince Jeta until Sudatta bought it for the exorbitant price of one square inch of gold for every square inch of ground! The Elder Sudatta made the purchase following his Invitation to the Buddha to come to Sravasti to speak dharma. The following are the events which resulted in his purchase of the garden.

It all began when Sudatta went to Rājagṛha on business and stayed with a friend named Shan Tan Now. One night during his visit at Shan Tan Now’s home, his friend arose in the middle of the night and began to decorate his home. He brought out arrays of adornments and arranged them to perfection, working on into the night until his home was most elegant. The Elder Sudatta heard the commotion and arose to see what was happening. “Friend, what is the great occasion for making your house so splendid? Have you invited the King? Is someone in your family to be married? Why all the preparations?”

“It is not the King I am expecting or a wedding. I have invited the Buddha to come to my house to receive a vegetarian offering,” replied his friend.

Sudatta had never before heard of the Buddha, and when his friend spoke the name, all the hairs on his body stood on end. “Strange,” he thought, “Who is the Buddha?” he wondered.

The Elder Shan Tan Now said, “The Buddha is the son of King Suddhodana. He cast aside his inheritance of the throne in order to leave the home life and practice the Way. He cultivated for six years in the Himalayas, and afterwards, under the Bodhi tree, he saw a star one evening, was enlightened to the Way, and became a Buddha.”

The Elder Sudatta’s foundation of good roots caused him immediately to voice his resolve to see the Buddha. His profound sincerity so moved Śākyamuni Buddha, who was staying in the Bamboo Grove, (about sixty or seventy miles southeast of Rājagṛha), that he emitted a light to guide Sudatta. Seeing the light, Sudatta thought it was dawn, and eagerly dressed and set out. It was actually the middle of the night and the city gates had not yet been opened, but when the Elder arrived at the city wall, the gates, due to the Buddha’s spiritual penetrations, were open and he passed through them and proceeded on his way to see the Buddha. Sudatta followed the directions given to him by his friend, and was guided by the Buddha’s light.

When he arrived at the vihara he didn’t know the correct procedure for greeting the Buddha. Again his deep sincerity evoked a response, and four gods transformed into bhikṣus, circumambulated the Buddha three times to the right, went before the Honored One, bowed three times, knelt, placed their palms together, and made their inquiries. The Elder Sudatta followed their example, and then knelt before the Buddha, who rubbed his crown and said, “Why have you come?”

Sudatta simply said, “Buddha, you are too good. I have never seen a Buddha before, and now I don’t want to leave you. Will you come and live near my home?”

The Buddha agreed saying, “All right, but do you have a place? The twelve hundred fifty disciples who constantly accompany me will need to be fed and housed. Do you have accommodations large enough for all of us?”

“I will find a place,” promised the Elder, and he returned home to begin an extensive search of the area which ended when he saw Prince Jeta’s flower garden. It was perfect in every respect, affording a good view, yet convenient to the city proper. The grounds themselves were charged with efficacious energy. Everything about it was first rate, except that it belonged to the Prince. Wondering how he would ever be able to buy it, Sudatta sent a messenger to make an offer.

“He has so much money he thinks he can buy my flower garden!” laughed the prince in amazement. “Very well,” he said in jest, “if he covers it completely with gold coins I will sell it to him! That’s my price.” Prince Jeta was assuming the Elder Sudatta could not possibly afford grounds which cost their area in gold. Never did he guess that Sudatta’s money and his desire to hear the dharma both were adequate. The Elder took gold coins from his family storehouses and covered Prince Jeta’s garden.

Prince Jeta was outraged. “Take back your coins! I have no intention of selling. It was just a joke. It never occurred to me you would actually be willing to pay such a price. My garden can’t be bought for any amount.”

The Elder quietly replied, “Now you say you won’t sell? You are heir to the throne, and an Emperor’s word should be reliable. A king doesn’t lie or speak recklessly. You had better sell, because if people can’t trust your word now, why should they believe you after you assume the throne?”

The Prince recognized his predicament. “Very well,” he said. “Since you used gold coins to cover it, you have purchased the ground. But you did not cover the trees. So the garden is your offering to the Buddha, and the trees are my offering. Do you have anything further to say?”

The Elder considered this and realized that it had principle. It was true that the tops of the trees had not been covered with gold, and if he refused to consent, the Prince might chop them down and then the garden would be far less beautiful. “All right, we will divide it.”

Therefore it is called “The Jeta Grove in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary.” The Prince’s name is mentioned first since he was royalty, and the Elder Sudatta, known as Anathapindada, “The Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary,” who held a ministerial position in the court, is mentioned second.