Gautama Buddha Courtesy: S. Sankaran.
PREFACE:
v Gautama Buddha was the only son to Suddhodana,
the King of Kapilavastu in Magadha and Queen Maya.
v His mother gave birth on her way to her father’s
kingdom at Lumbini, a town in modern Nepal, in a garden beneath a sal tree and
she died thereafter. He was born more than 200 years before the reign of Maurya
King Asoka – 273-232 BCE. The infant was given the name Siddhartha meaning ‘he
who achieves his aim.’ His birth on the full moon of May to the clan of the
Shakyas, a warrior tribe, is widely celebrated in Buddhist countries as Vesak.
Before Siddartha Gautama’s birth, his mother dreamed of a white elephant
presenting her with a lotus flower. Royal astrologer had prophesied him to
become either a famous emperor or a world-renowned ascetic. The father, anxious
that his son should not take to the thorny path of a recluse, took
extraordinary precautions to avoid every situation, which would provoke such
thoughts in his son's mind.
v At the age of 16, he married Yasodhara, a cousin of the same age. Rahula, a son, was born to them. He spent 29 years as a Prince in Kapilavastu.
v At the age of 29, he left his palace in his chariot drawn by horse named Kanthaka and driven by charioteer Channa to meet his subjects. During that sojourn, he saw Old Man, Sick Man, Dead Man and also Ascetic Man. He was shocked and Channa explained to him that all would be suffering from old age, sickness and death and ascetic life was a solution. This awakened his spirits and determined to overcome old age, illness and death by living the life of an ascetic. One night, he left his palace in his chariot to become a mendicant. It was reported that Channa had become his disciple later on and his dutiful horse died immediately on leaving his master Siddhartha behind.
v After his long journey spending his time to learn under two hermit teachers – Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, he was not convinced and hence he moved on with a group of five companions led by Kondanna. At last, he sat under a papal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya and vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth. The five disciples had then left him alone. After 49 days of severe meditation, at the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment. From then on, he was known as the Buddha or Awakened one or Enlightened One. As Gautami, Suddhodhana’s second wife, brought him up, he was named Gautama Buddha. Later, his first five disciples and then another five –total ten main disciples joined Buddha to form Triple Gem – viz. Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
v At the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon enter Parinirvana or the final deathless state abandoning the earthly body. His last meal was an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. The last meal was either a mushroom delicacy or soft pork. On consuming the meal, the Buddha became very ill. He instructed his attendant Ananda to convince Cunda that the meal offered and eaten by him had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha.
v The Buddha’s final words were: ‘All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.’
v The Buddha’s body was cremated and the relics were in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, The Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka is the place where the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at present.
v Triple Gems were founded to guide and preserve human beings to follow Noble Four Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
v Noble Four Truths are to know nature of suffering, sufferings’ origin, sufferings’ cessation and way leading to cessation of sufferings.
v Noble Eightfold Path is to choose right things in view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, efforts, mindfulness and concentration.
v These principles lead to Nirvana – deathlessness.
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