Back to: Introduction
Buddha
I take refuge in the Buddha.
Truly it is my vow that together with multitudinous beings, I will understand
(with my whole being) the great path and give rise to the unsurpassed heart.
The historical Buddha
The reason we study the life of any person is because that life has captivated, educated, inspired or motivated us to discover our shared humanity. The life of the historical Buddha is no different. Although born as Siddhartha Gautama, he will later become better known as Sakyamuni Buddha. Whereas his life is sometimes portrayed in fantastic terms, sharing the humanity that was his life and helping us to explore the potential of our own is why the life story of the Buddha continues to be told as it is handed down from generation to generation with reverence. We find the story immediately captivating because the hero of the story is a man who was born into royalty but gives up everything that most of us blindly strive for—power, fame and fortune—in order to achieve happiness. This approach of his is educational because it forces us to reflect on the things we either don’t want to see because of denial or fail to see because we take life for granted. His life story inspires us because we discover that our lives can make a difference through the choices that we make. Finally, in coming to understand that we can achieve the same state of acuity and understanding, calm and gentleness that emanated from the Buddha we are motivated to seek out the path leading us towards wisdom and compassion ourselves. It is a story that makes us want to become a Buddha.
The Buddha’s underlying humanity and the potential for our own lives is shared within the life story of Sakyamuni Buddha. Because of this we will explore the stories surrounding the Buddha’s birth, his search for meaning, his enlightenment, and his death. Through these stories of his life—birth, his search for meaning, enlightenment, and death—we are reminded that the Buddha physically and emotionally experienced the same suffering that we continue to create and experience and was ultimately able to overcome them. These stories also help us to see how deeply revered the Buddha was. It is through this reverence that the Buddhist tradition has continued to try to help all people to understand their potential in becoming a Buddha themselves. Each of the sections that describe these major life events of the Buddha will begin with an English translation of how these events have been recorded in the sacred Buddhist scriptures (found in italics) and will be followed with a brief discussion of how we might understand the significance of the event in our lives.
Following these traditional stories of the Buddha’s life, we will continue our exploration with a discussion of how the Buddha’s Enlightenment was understood to continue to exist by introducing the concept of the “Three Bodies of the Buddha” and by introducing the ideal of Amida Buddha or how Buddhism helps us to see that wisdom and compassion is part of an achievable human ideal.
The Life of Sakyamuni Buddha: Birth
One day in the last month of her pregnancy, the queen decided that she would like to pass the spring day in a flower garden. Receiving permission from the king and attended by a retinue of ladies-in-waiting, who had herself driven to the Lumbini Grove. The trees were abloom with beautiful flowers that gave off pleasant fragrances; the deep green grasses were like the tail feathers of a peacock and swayed like soft fine silk blown by the wind. The queen took a pleasant stroll; she leaned on the limb of an asoka tree which drooped down because of the weight of its flowers. At that moment, the Bodhisattva was born, suddenly and yet peacefully. Immediately after birth he took seven steps in each of the four directions and proclaimed, “In heaven above and on earth below, I am the most honored one. I shall dispel the suffering that fills the world.”
The divine beings residing in space praised the virtues of the mother, Queen Maya. The Naga king rained down cold and warm water and bathed the body of the Bodhisattva. The great earth trembled and shook with joy. Shortly thereafter, the infant was received by the queen, and since everything proceeded without difficulty, the prince was named Siddhattha (Whose Goal Is Achieved)[1].
The story of Sakyamuni Buddha’s birth is shared during the observance of his birthday. The date of his birth is given as April 8. The story of the Buddha’s birth captivates us by bringing us into a world where the entire world is abloom with life; the flowers, the sky and even the earth itself are alive. Every element of the story shares in the life that is introduced in the birth of this child, the human child that will become a Buddha. To help us understand that this human child will become a Buddha, we are told the fantastic story of how the infant took seven steps in each of the four directions and then made his proclamation. This aspect of the story is especially intriguing to us. It is something that we find ourselves so unaccustomed to; it is something so unbelievable, that we might dismiss it outright. However, we should keep in mind that these stories are also meant to educate us and not simply to entertain or captivate us.
The newborn is said to have immediately taken seven steps in each of the four directions of East, South, West, and North. These directions, in this order, will be repeated in many of the other Buddha-Dharma stories. As a motif, these directions tell us that the Truth is neither static nor is it something that can change. Gravity, for example, influences everything including something as large and heavy as the planets as well as things that have no mass at all like light. Gravity, however dynamic it may seem, cannot change. It cannot, for example, behave like electromagnetism. Although the meaning behind the four directions as it relates to human life will be discussed again in the narrative of the prince’s search for meaning, in the birth narrative we are also told of how the child took seven steps in each of these four compass directions. These seven steps represent how the infant would transcend the six realms of suffering[2] and take the extra step into the awakened life that is the Buddha’s. At the end of his stroll of seven steps in each of the four directions, the infant child proclaims his future as the Buddha.
Although the proclamation made by the infant announces the future Buddhahood of Siddhartha, it also reveals the desire of the Buddha to help all of us to understand the potential we all share. For example, the three treasures begins by saying, “It is difficult to receive a human body; already, now, have I received it. It is difficult to hear the Buddha-Dharma; already, now, have I heard it.” This declaration is made to keep us from taking our lives for granted. This is done because if we take life for granted we cannot understand the potential of our humanity. The potential of our humanity, helping us to understand the meaning of our birth as a human being, is demonstrated by the words of the just born child: “In heaven above and on earth below, I am the most honored one. I shall dispel the suffering that fills the world.” Through this description of the birth of the Buddha we are given a grand vision of the meaning of human life: we are the ones, by having been born into the human realm, who have the power to dispel the suffering that is found in the world. It is this person, the person who would dispel suffering, a Buddha, who we call “the most honored one.”
To help us observe this story as representative of our shared humanity, the story of the Buddha’s birth is often accompanied by the ritual observance called Kanbutsu. As part of the ritual, an image of the baby Buddha in proclamation is placed within an altar that is decorated with flowers. The altar is often placed atop a stand that is fashioned after the white elephant that Queen Maya was said to have seen in her dream prior to giving birth to Siddhartha. Those who participate in the service are asked to come before this image and pour sweet tea over it thus recreating the scene described in the Sutra. In the ritual observance of the Buddha’s birth we become a part of the story by becoming the Naga King who bathes the body of the baby preparing the child for the journey that will become his life (see video). Through the ritual observance we learn that we share in the birth of the Buddha. First as part of the narrative, and then as a human being who has the potential to become a Buddha.
The story surrounding the future Buddha’s birth continues, however, and ends tragically with the death of the queen mother, Queen Maya, seven days after the birth of the prince. We are reminded that even the most noble within us are not able to escape the impermanent nature of our existence in this world. It is this fundamental quality of life that we most confront and overcome if we, like the Buddha, are to understand that my birth has great meaning.
The Life of Sakyamuni Buddha: Search for Meaning
As the prince’s mind engaged in
a profound struggle, his father the king, remembering the words of the sage Asita who had offered a prophecy regarding the prince,
worried profoundly that the prince might leave home to seek the path. One day,
he heard that the prince planned to leave the castle and visit the forest, and
he ordered his attendants to remove all foul and ugly things from the prince’s
view. He ordered the attendants to clean the roads, decorate the city, and
sweep and clean the garden. The prince, accompanied by his
attendants, left by carriage from the East Gate. On the road, he caught
sight of a man laboriously shuffling along. The man appeared to be a hunchback;
his hair was white; his body was emaciated; and he leaned on a cane. When the
prince asked the charioteer what manner of man he was, the charioteer answered,
“An old man.” The prince said, “Am I going to become like that man?” the
charioteer said, “All living beings, whether noble or ignoble, are unable to
escape this fate.” The prince became distressed, and thought of visiting the
garden vanished, so he immediately ordered the chariot to return to the palace.
The second time, the prince
left the city through the
King Suddhodana
heard about this and became increasingly distressed. With added severity, he
ordered his attendant to clean every part of the city. But when the prince left
the city through the West Gate, he chanced upon a procession of people grieving
mournfully and bearing a dead man on a bier. The prince sighed and asked,
“Alas, in the end, am I going to become like that man?” the charioteer
answered, “All living things must inevitably die.” Therefore
that day again the chariot was ordered back.
On the next occasion, when he
left the city through the North Gate, he met a man clothed in a saffron robe,
walking along with great dignity. His hair and beard were shaved off, and he
was carrying a begging bowl in his hands. When the prince asked the charioteer,
“What manner of man is he?” the charioteer answered, “A mendicant who seeks the
path.” The prince stepped off the chariot, bowed to the man and said, “What
kind of benefits are there for the mendicant?” The man answered, “Observing the
transiency of this world, old age, illness, and
death, I seek to liberate myself, and abandoning all my relatives, I practice
the path now in tranquil surroundings. Guided by the true Dharma, I now
restrain my five sensory organs, and with great compassion I protectively guard
all people without being stained by the defilements of this world; these are
the benefits of the mendicant.”[3]
In this part of the story of the life of the historical Buddha, we see again the repetition of the motif of the four directions. Again, in speaking of how the direction is both constant and in motion, the truth is seen as being constant while also being fluid. The constant that is being described in our human existence is the cycle of life we describe as old-age (aging), sickness (decline), and death that comes as a natural consequence of having been born. Like the birth story, however, we are also told of how human life can also ultimately be one that not only searches for the truth but is also able to realize and share that truth with all others. This aspect of seeing the dynamic and constant attributes of truth can also be found practiced in the ritual practice of the different Buddhist traditions, or the practice of circumambulation (see video). [video[A1] ]
Although this story tells us of a truth that all of us
share and experience, we are, nonetheless, captivated by this story because we
are also shown how even the wealth and power of a king—or the desire of our
parents to hide us from the suffering found in life—cannot protect us from this
truth. It helps us to see that the truth is not something to be protected from,
but something we must become awakened to. Ignorance, therefore, is not bliss.
It is, in fact, the very opposite: ignorance is the source of our suffering.
We discover that regardless of how we may try to dress up life, as the King attempted to do for his son, we cannot escape from the truth of old-age (aging), sickness (decline), and death. Although we typically see death as the end of our lives, this story teaches us, through the death of the queen mother, that the conditions for our death exist at birth. Where then do we find the motivation to continue on if this indeed is the story of our life? Whereas it is true that we cannot escape old-age, sickness, and death—the conditions of our human existence—we discover that these same conditions can also become the source for our search for the truth. No aspect of our human life, what we sometimes call the human struggle, necessarily ends in darkness. We discover that from these experiences a path that is also a part of what it means to be human opens up to us. We discover the motivation to understand and fully live our lives.
The Life of Sakyamuni Buddha: Enlightenment
It was this search for meaning, forged from the prince’s encounters with the human condition, which led him to carry-on and endure all sorts of self-inflicted hardships. He did this for six years including a complete and total fast that resulted in the following description (see photo 1 and photo 2).
His arms and legs became like withered
reeds, his buttocks like a camel’s back, and his spine like a braided rope. His
ribs protruded outward like the rafters of a broken-down shack, and the skin
covering his head became weather-beaten like a half-ripened gourd that had been
scorched by the sun. When he rubbed his stomach, he was able to grasp hold of
his spine, and when he rubbed his spine, he was able to grasp his stomach.[4]
Perhaps he believed that self-torment would somehow overcome his suffering like a backfire can be used to extinguish a forest fire that has otherwise become uncontrollable. Whatever the motive behind this approach, he ultimately abandoned it and discovered something “new” an approach he called the middle path. It was his explanation of this path that marks the beginning of a Buddha sharing his Enlightenment with others or what the tradition has come to call the turning of the Wheel of Dharma. He begins his 45 year career of sharing his understanding by seeking out and addressing five former friends who also practiced austerities with him. The prince, however, had a falling out with these five friends when he abandoned his practice of self-denial and received an offering of food from a maiden just prior to his Enlightenment. After convincing these five friends that he did not give up on his search for the Truth, and instead had awakened to that Truth he begins his explanation.
The World-honored One said to
them, “Mendicants, there are two extreme paths that the mendicant must avoid.
The first is a life of foolish pleasures, addicted to base desires. The second
is a life of foolish ascetic practices that mortify the self in vain.
Mendicants, the Buddha was enlightened by the Middle Path, which is free of
these two extreme paths, opens the eyes of the mind, deepens wisdom, and guides
all beings to quiescence, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana.
Mendicants, what is this Middle
Path? It is the Eightfold Noble Path, namely, right view, right thought, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and
right meditation.[5]
We are captivated by this
presentation of the Truth because of its simple honesty. He begins by saying
that what I did in the past was wrong. None of those things that I did, whether
it was the lifestyle of opulence or that of self-denial, led to happiness. We
are also compelled by this story because it is firmly based on the experiences
of the Buddha. He was not merely theorizing, but lived the life he was negating
and the life he was proposing. In this description he told his five friends
that Buddhahood is a real and achievable goal.
Further, he explains why he is addressing them. Although he was tempted to not
teach and simply receive Enlightenment for himself, he got up from his
meditative state and began to share his great awakening. Sharing the great
awakening is what a Buddha does and what a Buddha is: a Buddha “guides all beings to quiescence
(serenity or calm), wisdom,
enlightenment, and nirvana.” This definition of Buddhahood
will be emphasized by the Buddhist movement that will later call itself the
Mahayana or Larger Vehicle. It is the organizing principle of the school that
D.T. Suzuki, one of the leading individuals who through his writings and
lectures helped to popularize Zen Buddhism in the
The Life of Sakyamuni Buddha: Death
In the continued sharing of the life story of the Buddha as part of the doctrinal heritage of the tradition collectively known as Buddhism, it was mentioned that part of the reason for the telling of these stories is to remind us of the underlying humanity of the Buddha and to show us the potential for our own lives. As part of this story the Buddha takes time to talk about his impending death.
“O Ananda,
my body is old and decaying; and my journey is drawing to its close. I am
turning eighty years of age. Just like a worn-out cart, my body is neither
sturdy nor strong. Have I not taught you before that for birth and for death
there is a time, and that there is no one who once born is not bound to death?
Born in this world, I have discovered the path to nirvana and severed the root
of delusion. Therefore after I am gone be not negligent about this Dharma.
O Ananda, let yourself be your light and your refuge; seek no other refuge. Let the Dharma be your light and your refuge; seek no other refuge.[7]
This dialogue between the Buddha and Ananda is a dialogue similar to one that I’m sure many of us have heard if not actually participated in. It is a dialogue where a person shares the pains of what it means to grow old, “my body is old and decaying.” It is a conversation we have that is often also filled with the anxiety of perhaps no longer being able to escape the inevitability of our mortality or the great change we call death. Death is something we know, while at the same time we try to deny. This contradiction is often the source of our anxiety.
The great hope that the Buddha shares with us in this story, however, is found in the fact that the Buddha was completely settled about his own impending death. There is neither remorse nor anxiety in the Buddha. He imparts this settled nature of his by reminding us yet again of the humanity we share. The Buddha, too, cannot escape the truth of death. He cannot escape because like us he was “born in this world.” The difference, however, lies in the fact that unlike most of us, the Buddha has severed the root of delusion. He was able to see his life clearly, as it is. He reminds us that it was the Dharma that allowed him to see. Even during the last moments of his life sharing the Dharma is what brought him light whereas others would only see darkness.
What helps to make this story so intriguing and unique is the fact that this was the most opportune time for the Buddha to say to Ananda, “If you believe in me, you will be saved.” In this situation, during the moment of our greatest weakness, we sometimes try to overcome our fears and mask our doubts by pushing our unproved claims onto others. If the other person even remotely acknowledges our claim, we use that affirmation as surrogate proof for the accuracy of our claim; we push our doubts onto others in order to seek proof that we were not mistaken. “Because you believed what I said, my belief cannot be wrong,” is the argument we make.
The Buddha, on the other hand, tells Ananda with complete confidence, “let yourself be your light and your refuge; seek no other refuge.” In these few words the religious spirit of the Buddha is clearly revealed. He seems to tell us that the reason for having a religion or holding to a religious belief is to be able to live life well. In other words, if a religion cannot help us to live our lives in its entirety, from beginning to end, with courage—free from fear and anxiety—and purpose—helping others to live their lives without regret as well—then there is no point to that religion. In revealing this attitude to us, the Buddha shares the final chapter of his life by showing us a life that is filled with both courage and purpose even when confronting death. He accepts the totality of his life, including his death, without fear. Instead of worrying about his death he seeks to console and teach his disciples how they too can live the same life that is filled with courage and purpose until the final moments of human life. The Buddha reminds us that he too is human, and because of that shares the same conclusion to life. It is, however, because we are both human that the Buddha shares the Dharma with us as a person who has experienced the liberating power of truth for himself: “let the Dharma be your light and your refuge; seek no other refuge.”
The end of the life of the Buddha, the end of his earthly career as teacher, guide, and inspiration was recorded by his disciples in the following way.
The disciples could not bear their grief; some pounded their chests and
wept, and some fell to the ground mourning in anguish. Everyone was saddened at
the thought, “Why so soon has the Eye of the World closed? From today who is
going to guide all of us disciples? On whom are we, the disciples, to rely?
There are three unhappy destinies that always open up in front of us, but the
gate of emancipation is totally closed to us.” Anuruddha[8] then exhorted them,
“Enough, my brethren, be not grieved nor lament. Has not the World-Honored One,
moments ago, taught us that all things are equally impermanent in both their
nature and their form?”
The gods in the heavens sang, “By the vow made many ages ago, the World-Honored One was born into this world for our sake, to guide people and gods toward the goal of nirvana. The compassion of the Buddha, like that of a mother provided milk to all and nurtured them. Now he has gone to nirvana, leaving them to feel that they have lost their refuge. It is a pity that the nectar of the Dharma does not rain down, and that the good seedlings of people are about to decay. May the treasure of the Dharma, and the light of the relics of the Buddha, illumine our path and help us escape from delusion.”[9]
Whereas the Buddha ended his life without anxiety, the story lets us know that the same could not necessarily be said for those who survived the Buddha. To lose such a wonderful role model, mentor, inspiration, and guide it perhaps goes without saying. However, if we are unprepared for the death of another, how are we to prepare for our own death? This was the final challenge that the Buddha tried to help us to overcome. As mentioned previously, that we continue to share our stories of growing old while trying to hide from our mortality is one of the reasons why life is often filled with anxiety. If this is how we approach death, then we clearly belong to that group of disciples that could not appreciate the final words of the Buddha. Fortunately for us, the treasure of the Dharma and the light of the Buddha is still a part of our world.
The Three Bodies of the Buddha
How did the teachings of the Buddha prepare us to continue without a living Buddha to guide us? How were we expected to become a light unto ourselves? How could the Dharma become our light? These were the issues that followers of the Dharma were confronted with following the death of Sakyamuni Buddha. In trying to answer these questions, however, Buddhism would diverge along two great traditions[10]. One of these groups would refer to itself as the Mahayana or “Larger Vehicle,” and as mentioned earlier would emphasize the activity of the Buddha to guide all beings to quiescence, serenity or calm. In this definition of the Buddha, the Mahayana would help us to see that the treasure of the Dharma and the light of the Buddha is still a part of our world by reminding us that the Buddha need not necessarily be before us. They remind us of the following words left by the Buddha:
Disciples, if a disciple of mine takes hold of the hem of my robe and
follows me, even if he were to trace my footsteps, if his mind is filled with
desire and is in disorder, he will be distant from me, and I shall also be
distant from him. The reason for this is that he will not perceive the Dharma.
And he who does not perceive the Dharma does not perceive me. On the
other hand, even if a disciple is separated from me by thirty-odd miles, if he
has freed himself from desire and if he is of a true mind, he will stand beside
me.
The reason for this is that he perceives the Dharma; by perceiving the Dharma he perceives me.[11]
While using the voice of the Buddha, by developing the concept of the three-bodies of the Buddha the Mahayana helps us to re-affirm this truth taught by Sakyamuni Buddha that a Buddha can continue to captivate, educate, inspire and motivate us to discover the grand vision of the meaning of human life through the Dharma.
O sons of good family, the three bodies of
the Tathagata are the Body of Transformation[12], the Body of
Enjoyment[13],
and the Body of the Dharma[14]. The Body of Transformation is the earthly,
manifested body of the Buddha, born in this world for the sake of human
salvation, engaged in the pursuit of various paths and in the realization of
enlightenment. The Buddha with the Body of Transformation strove in the career
of teaching, in acquiring the power of knowing people’s individual capacities
as well as fitting times and environments, and in revealing his physical body
before them. The Tathagata whom you have known
through your eyes is this Body of Transformation, which may have been varied
according to each individual’s perceptions.
Next, the Body of Enjoyment is the body of skillful means, which is
intended to avoid a direct teaching of the absolute truth. It is also intended
to eliminate the sense of pleasure or dread from the mind that man incurs
because of his attachment to the body of flesh. This body came into being as
the result of the original vow and the insight of the Buddha.
Lastly, the Body of the Dharma is the Dharma itself, the body in its essential nature and hence the ultimate ground of the Bodies of the Buddha, in which the absolute truth and the insight into the truth are not yet differentiated into two. The first two Bodies, namely those of Transformation and Enjoyment, are temporary manifestations derived from the Dharmakaya (Body of the Dharma). Therefore, the entire Buddhist doctrine is to be included in or attributed to the Body of the Dharma.[15]
Just as Sakyamuni got up from his experience of Enlightenment to turn the Wheel of Dharma, the above passage helps to give us the sense that the Buddha comes to us. In the case of the Body of Transformation the Buddha is “born for the sake of human salvation.” The Body of Enjoyment makes vows to bring us to Enlightenment, and the Body of the Dharma is the Dharma itself that manifests the other two forms to bring us to Enlightenment. This dynamic aspect of the Buddha is also expressed in the title of Tathagata, a term that literally means, “come from thusness.”
This is the grand vision of the Mahayana. In this grand vision, not only are we all capable of becoming a Buddha ourselves, we are moved to see that Enlightened activity is constantly moving to Enlighten all of us. We are all embraced within the truth of the Dharma, and in this embrace are allowed to see both the ultimate equality of life as well as its uniqueness.
Amida Buddha
Amida Buddha, the primary object of reverence for the Pure Land traditions of Buddhism, is a “Body of Enjoyment” Buddha because it is a Buddha, while not necessarily having a physical form[16], fulfilled vows to bring us to Enlightenment.
The name Amida is taken from the names amitayus, or immeasurable life, and amitabha, or immeasurable light. These two attributes of life and light describe the perfection of compassion and wisdom respectively of the Buddha. These two attributes are described in terms of being immeasurable because Amida Buddha vowed to save everyone, even those who are farthest from achieving Enlightenment. This universal vow is the reason why Amida Buddha is one of most frequently mentioned Buddha in the sacred Buddhist literature.
In detailing the story of this Buddha, it is said that Ananda recognized that Sakyamuni Buddha was in a particularly serene state. This episode is recorded in the Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra (Larger Sutra)[17], and is quoted by Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, in his work titled the Ken Jodo Shinjitsu Kyo Gyo Sho Monrui[18]. The episode is shared as proof that the explication of the Larger Sutra is the reason for Sakyamuni Buddha to appear in this world. The story is related as follows:
[Ananda asked,] “Today World-honored one, your sense organs
are filled with gladness and serenity. Your complexion is pure. Your radiant
countenance is majestic, like a luminous mirror in which clear reflections pass
unobstructed. Your lofty features are resplendent, surpassing all words or
measure. Never before have I beheld your lineaments as sublime as they are now.
Indeed, Great Sage, I have thought to myself: Today, the World-honored one
abides in the dharma most rare and wondrous. Today, the Great Hero abides where
all Buddhas abide. Today, the World’s Eye 
abides in the activity of guide and teacher.
Today, the Preeminent one of the world abides in the
supreme enlightenment. Today the Heaven-honored one puts into practice the
virtue of all Tathagatas. The Buddhas
of the past, future, and present all think on one another. Do not you, the
present Buddha, also think on all the other Buddhas
now? Why does your commanding radiance shine forth with such brilliance?”[19]
It has been commented by scholars of Jodo Shinshu that Ananda asking this question is representative of who we are as “foolish beings[20]” in hearing the Dharma. Like Ananda, despite perhaps having heard the Buddha-Dharma for years, despite even having an appreciation of it, we still somehow fail to actualize the teachings. During the death of Sakyamuni Buddha—despite being told not to grieve because death is part of what the fundamental teaching of impermanence is—Ananda was still one who could not restrain his tears: he wanted the Buddha to live longer because he had yet to achieve the great awakening. Ananda is said to have composed the following verse at the death of the historical Buddha.
Fortunate was I to be born in the same Sakya
clan as the World-Honored One;
“Fortunate was I to have accompanied the World-Honored One for more
than two decades.
Now the World-Honored One has gone to the great nirvana, leaving us
behind.
Sad am I, groping my way in the long night of ignorance.
I have not yet disentangled myself from the mesh of delusion, nor have
I departed from the shell of ignorance.”[21]
Prior to this, however, Sakyamuni Buddha noticed the obvious distress that Ananda was feeling at the Buddha’s impending death and because of this gave to Ananda the following words of comfort.
O Ananda, you must not trouble your mind to
no purpose, for you are destined to realize emancipation, and my true Dharma
will spread in all directions and benefit the world.[22]
Despite having received these words, and the many messages that followed where Sakyamuni Buddha tried to prepare his disciples for his death, Ananda still could not maintain his composure. This reaction is in marked contrast to Anuruddha who, at the time of the Buddha’s death, yelled out: “Enough, my brethren, be not grieved nor lament. Has not the World-Honored One, moments ago, taught us that all things are equally impermanent in both their nature and their form?”[23]
This is a captivating story because if there was anyone, Ananda—who listened to the Buddha’s teaching for more than 20 years—should have been able to see the truth behind the Buddha’s death. Instead, he felt a great longing. This story is also educational because we, too, often react in a contrary way despite knowing better. When we repeat this error over and over we sometimes ask, “Is there no hope?” The story of Ananda, however, is inspirational because we can identify with his plight. Although Ananda did not see himself as having realized the Dharma before the calling of the first Buddhist Council[24], he was nonetheless instrumental in helping to compile the Sutra section of the tripitaka[25] that was formalized at the conclusion of the Council. In other words, Ananda helped to spread the true Dharma in all directions and benefited the world just as the Buddha prophesied that he would. It was also through Ananda’s perception of the Buddha and his appreciation of the Buddha’s appearance as the World-Honored One, the Great Sage, the Great hero, the World’s Eye, the Preeminent One of the World, and Heaven Honored One that has allowed us to hear of Amida Buddha and his Vow to save foolish beings who may know better, but still can’t help themselves. Because of these things, we can still be inspired by the example of Ananda because even as an exemplar of a foolish being or bonbu, we discover that he was still capable of extra-ordinary things: he helped to spread the Dharma throughout the world. He helped us to see how even a foolish being is still embraced in the Dharma—the gift of truth that a Buddha Vows to share with us—and how through this Dharma the dark veil of ignorance can be shattered. In the opening line of the Ken Jodo Shinjitsu Kyo Gyo Sho Monrui for example, Shinran Shonin writes:
The universal Vow difficult to fathom is indeed a great vessel bearing
us across the ocean difficult to cross. The unhindered light is the sun of
wisdom dispersing the darkness of our ignorance.[26]
Even today—as we are embraced in the compassionate activity of the Buddha—we share in the Buddha’s light of wisdom and are embraced in the life of compassion that captivates, educates, inspires and motivates us to discover our shared humanity.
For a different perspective, one that examines the Buddha’s life and career from our contemporary and modern scientific understanding and value system, the reader is encouraged to take the on-line course offered by the Center for Buddhist Education. For more information about the Center and the on-line course offerings, please visit http://jscc.cbe-bca.org/home/index.php?option=com_frontgage&itemid=1.
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Go to: Sangha