Thirukkural and Buddhism

[Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan]

In a message dated 2/13/2000 11:43:56 PM Central Standard Time, 
aklujkar at UNIXG.UBC.CA writes:

> Why is walking taken as meaning sitting/seating?  Is there any account of
>  the Buddha walking on lotuses? In Jain literature one finds the word
>  pu.spa-caara.na, which is explained as ' a .rddhi accepted in Jainism; when
>  a person, typically a saaadhu, has this extraordinary capability, he can
>  walk over flowers without touching them -- without causing the suffering of
>  jiivas in them' (Siddhantashastri, Balchandra. 1970æs. Jain Lak‡a†åvali, 
p.
>  II.718.)

In the Tamil Jain tradition, arukan2/arukakkaTavuL, the Jain divinity, is 
supposed to have walked on the flower. It is seen in the cilappatikAram line 
forming part of a arukakkaTavuL nAmAvali 

malar micai naTantOn2 malar aTi allatu (cil. 10.204)

The section also praises arukan2 as eNkuNan2 (one of eight guNas) and 
pakavan2. 

Regards
S. Palaniappan