出身貴族但少欲知足，佛陀成道後第三年出家，是佛弟子中的頭陀第一。一次，佛陀為大眾說法，他因長年修苦行以致鬚髮長垂、衣著破陋，比丘都投以輕蔑的眼光，佛陀卻分半座予他，並且讚歎其修持苦行的功德。佛陀入滅後，繼承佛陀的衣缽，召集第一次經典結集。後以法付囑阿難陀尊者，始入雞足山入定，等待彌勒佛出世。

Mahakasyapa was one of the Buddha’s earliest disciples, entering the monastic order three years after the Buddha had attained enlightenment. Mahakasyapa was born into a Brahmin family, the aristocracy. Even before he became a disciple of the Buddha, he was known for his noble bearing. He was aloof to worldly desires and material pursuits. When his parents pressured him into marrying, he and his wife agreed to have a celibate relationship and slept in separate beds. Later on, Mahakasyapa overheard the Buddha propagating the Dharma at the Bamboo Grove Monastery. At the moment, faith arose and he became a Buddhist.
After the Buddha entered final nirvana, Mahakasyapa inherited the Buddha’s robes and alms bowl and organized the First Buddhist Council. Afterwards, he handed the Dharma transmission to Ananda and travelled to Kukkutapada Mountain, where he entered a deep state of meditative concentration to await the arrival of Maitreya Buddha. Among the Buddha’s disciples, he was known as foremost in austerities.

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