The Life of Buddha

"The man who was to become known as 'the Buddha' was born around 563BCE in the foothills of the Himalayas, on the Northern Edge of the plain of the River Ganges. One of the earliest accounts of His life was recorded by a Sanskrit poet, Ashvagosha, during either the first or second century CE, and is known as the 'Buddhacarita', or 'Acts of the Buddha'. Many biographies followed, but no version of the Buddha's life and work was recorded anywhere close to the time in which he lived; some of the claims about His story, therefore, may well be embellished. The most popular version of events follows.

                                      

Childhood Years

The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama to a prominent family of the Sankya clan, who occupied the foothills of the Himalayas. Siddhartha's family lived in the capital city, Kapilavastu. Some accounts of Siddhartha's early life state that his father, Suddhodhana, was king of the Shakayas, but he may simply have been am important citizen.

Before Siddhartha was conceived, His mother, Mahamaya, dreamed that she was visited by a marvellous white elephant. When she gave birth, she experienced no pain at all, and it is said that streams of water poured from the heavens to wash her and her baby. Then the newly born infant rose up of his own accord and strode northwards with seven sturdy strides, announcing 'I am the chief of the world, I am the best in the world, I am the first in the world. This is my last birth. There is now no existance again.' Just one after the birth, Mahamaya died, and Siddhartha was entrusted to her sister, Mahapajapati.

Shortly after this, an elderly sage called Asita visted Suddhodhana's palace. When he saw the infant Siddhartha, he immediately recognised that he was looking on a child destined to be a great spiritual leader. Asita, wept, telling Suddhodhana that his tears were not of sorrow for the child, but pity for himself, for he knew that he would not live long enough to experience the child's teachings.
Suddhodhana was delighted that his child was destined for leadership of a high order, but he wanted a son who would find greatness as a warrior or political leader, not as a saint. To ensure the boy's mind would not turn towards religion, he resolved to educate him in such a way that he would never encounter the painful or ugly side of life. He reasoned that if Siddhartha had all he could wish for, he would not be prompted to look beyond the pleasures surrounding him.

So Siddhartha enjoyed a luxurious upbringing in Kapilavastu, hermetically protected from the outside world. As a youth, He was everything His father hoped for: handsome, intelligent and a master of many sports. When he grew into manhood, he married a beautiful young woman, Yasodhara, who bore him a son, Rahula.
But by the time He was approaching His thirteen year, Siddhartha began to question what happened beyond the city walls. He struck an agreement with His groom, Channa, and together they went on four secret excursions. On the first, they encountered an old man; on the second, a sick one; and on the third, a corpse bring prepared for cremation. Siddhatha's view of the world was suddenly and irrevocably shattered. For the first time in His life, He began to grasp the true facts of human condition: everyone - rich, powerful, poor or sick - is susceptible to illness, old age and death. And then...? He knew that He could not stay in Kapilavstu and ignore what He had seen. He had to find out more.

                                                 

Siddhartha's Search

On the fourth expedition with Channa, Siddhartha saw a sadhu, a wandering sage, dressed in rags. When Channa told Him that this sadhu was one of the holy men who seek to unravel the mysteries of life by rejecting the comforts of the material world, Siddhartha decided that this was the path He must follow. He arranged with Channa to escape from Kapilavastu by dead of night. The two men rode to the border of the Shakya kingdom, and Siddhartha crossed the river into the neighbouring kingdom of Magadha, where He soon encountered another sadhu. Siddhartha cut off his long black hair and gave His clothes to the sadhu in return for the sadhu's thin, saffron robe. Then He set out to find a teacher.

Siddhartha found His way to two of the most distinguished spiritual leaders of the day, Alara Kalama and Uddha Ramaputra. But although the two men were able to teach Him many helpful meditation practices, He did not feel that either had helped Him to resolve the heart of His problem. So he decided to focus on a life of strict asceticism, in the hope that if He subjected His body to the most extreme forms of suffering, He would be able to overcome suffering itself. He lived with five companions who were also intent on prsuing the ascetic path; He slept on beds of thorns and starved Himself until He could touch his backbone through the skin of His belly. But still He did not solve His problem. He also realised that if He continued such extreme practices, He risked dying before finding a solution. But what were His options? He had rejected a life of material luxury and had not made the progress He hoped for with a life of renunciation and poverty.

As He struggled with His dilemma, Siddhartha overheard the instructions of a fisherman who was teaching the lute to young boy. 'If you wind the strings too tight, they will snap,' the fisherman explained, 'wheras jf you leave them too loose, the lute will not play. But when the strings are just right - not too loose and not too tight - you can start to make music.'

Listening to these instructions, Siddhartha realised that there was another path available to Him: the Middle Way. But when He told His five companions that He intended to renounce fasting and try another nethod, He was scorned by them. So He set out on the next stage of His search alone. At a place called Bodh Gaya, in the modern Indian state of Bihar, He made Himself a cushion of grass beneath the branches of a bodhi tree. He resolved to sit in meditation here until He found an answer to the problem of suffering.

                                        

Siddhartha's actions and resolve were watched with mounting alarm by Mara, lord of the demons and master of illusory world. Mara's role in the scheme of things is to tempt humans to believe that there is nothing beyond the repeating cycle of birth, death and rebirth. When he saw how close Siddhartha had come to breaking through the illusory viels that surrounded him, Mara staged an all-out assault. He sent armies of hideous demons, but Siddhartha was unmoved. He sent each of his seductive daughters, but Siddhartha was again unmoved. Finally, Mara had to admit defeat. Siddhartha had entered the state of samadhi, or enlightment, and in this state he made three crucial discoveries. First, he remembered his former lives; second, he understood the workings of karma and saw how those who acquire bad karma through evil actions are reborn in misery, while those who acquire good karma through generous actions are reborn in happiness. Finally, he gained mastery of all kinds of addiction: sensual desire, mortal life and ignorance.

In the terms of modern science, we could say that Siddhartha had experienced the manifest world as an outpouring of energy from a mysterious source. Once his mind was perfectly quiet and still, he could feel the presence of this energy eithin the depths of his own being and in all animate life forms around him. This, he understood, was his true nature. When Siddhartha came out of his final confrontation with Mara, he was no longer Siddhartha. He had become the Buddha, the Awakened One. Leaning forwarded, he touched the earth to bear witness to his achievement.
The Buddha's Ministry

The Buddha is said to have remained in meditation under the bodhi tree for several weeks. Blissful though he was, he felt sure it would be impossible to convey his discovery to others. Then he was visited by the HIndu god Brahma Sahampati, who told him that there were some people with 'just a little dust in their eyes'. The Buddha's sense of compassion was stirred and he agreed to help them see clearly.
The first people the Buddha sought out were the five astetics who had spurned him when he gave up his fight against hunger. As soon as he approached them, they could see at once that he had undergone a complete spiritual transformation. When he started to teavh them about the MIddle Way and the truths he had discovered, one of them, Kondanna, understood him at once. Kondanna became the first Buddhist monk, or bhikkhu. Soon afterwards the remaining four astetics were also ordained, and the first Buddhist community, or Sangha, was formed.

                                                

The Buddha was about thirty-five years old when He became enlightened. He continued to teach until His death at about eighty. During those years, He walked tirelessly across nothern India, teaching to whoever was willing to listen and drawing no distinction between race, caste, sex or vocation. He was apparently an inspiring figure, for many people who heard Him speak were immediately ready to give up their former lives and devote themselves to following Him. Before long, the number of mass conversions prompted the Buddha to set up a formal ordination procedure. This involved making three simple vows: 'I take my refuge in the Buddha, I take my refuge in the Dharma, I take my refuge in the Sangha'. These three concepts of Buddha, Dharma (teaching) and Sangha (order or comuunity) are collectively referred to as 'the three jewels'.

Later, the Buddha intoduced a more detailed monastic code. Like Him, His monks led a homeless life, wandering from place to place. As the message of Buddhism spread, more donations were offered to the monks, and many lay communities were established. The principle of exchange between lay people and monks has been a hallmark of Buddhism ever since: monks may receive food, shelter, clothing, medicine and other necessities, offering the teachings in return.

Inevitably, the Buddha found His way back to Kapilavastu. When He taught there, large numbers of people converted, among them His younger brother Nanda, and son Radulal. His cousin, Ananda, also converted to BUddhism and would be His faithful attendant during the latter part of His life.

During the fifth year of the Buddha's ministry, Suddhodhana died. The Buddha's aunt, Mahapajapati, asked Him to ordain Her. When He refused, she cut off her hair, put on saffron robes of the renunciate, and followed Him with a group of female companions. At last, the Buddha agreed to ordain her, but He laid down eight stringent requirements, one of which was that a nun - bhikkhuni - would always be junior even to a recently ordained monk, and must defer to Him. However, He is also recorded as having said to Ananda that both women and men have the same spiritual potential.

The rapid growth and high morale of the Buddist Sangha attracted the envy of other religious sects in India. However, the Buddha's ministry was characterized by tolerance and liberty and by exceptional skills as a peacemaker, both within the Buddhist community and with other religious sects. In fact, modern Hindus do not regard the Buddha as an outsider, but as a manifestation of the great god Vishnu, the preserver, who descends to the world in particularly difficult times to set things right.

                                       

The Final Year

The last year of the BUddha's life recorded in some detail and His death has become a myth in its own right. While the Buddha was visiting a town called Pava, He was given a meal by Cunda the smith that triggered His fatal illness. Despite the ravaging effects of the poison that was in the meal, He and His companions went on their way to the village of Kasinari, but He was so racked with pain by the time they reached the village outskirts that He had to stop and rest. As He left this life, it is said that the sala trees rained blossom, even though it was out of season, and that the gods of all the world systems gathered around Him in such a dense crowd that a hair could not be slipped between them. In every sphere of existence, there was grieving, among animals and gods as well as among humans. Even as He died, the Buddha continued to teach, and His last words were addressed to a local ascetic named Subhada : 'All created things are impermanent. Strive on mindfully.

'Reflections of Buddha: David Croswell