In our time, almost everyone has heard of the Buddha as the founder of the oldest world religion of Buddhism, however, to tell something about the life of the great philosopher, and little can be said about Buddhism itself. The Buddha himself is a real historical character.
Biography of Siddharttha Gautama
The thinker was born royal family Shakya people in Lumbini, now Nepal in 563 BC. Nicknamed was the prince, the name of Siddhartha Gautama, later he was called by the followers: Buddha (enlightened), Tathagata (who came) and Shakyamuni (sage from the Shakya family).
Gautama's father tried to protect him from outer life to grow up to be a great king, as was foretold. Siddhartha lived in three palaces without seeing the surrounding life. He married at the age of 16 and later had a son. The prince received an excellent education and from a young age asked questions that his teachers could not answer. In the thirtieth year of his life, Gautama for the first time found himself outside the palace and beheld the world: sick, old people and death. What he saw brought mental suffering to the prince, he decided to renounce his past and engage in self-knowledge.
Buddha went to the forest, where he lived as an ascetic for six years, studying with yogis, but bringing himself to half death. Siddhartha comprehended the truth in this way, the Buddha realized that excessive asceticism only clouds the head and kills the body. Under the Bodhi tree, Gautama went into a deep trance, in which he remained for 49 days, thinking about the essence human being, and reached enlightenment (nirvana) having gone beyond the circle of rebirths of the soul.
When the Buddha realized the essence human life, he began to explore his philosophy. Siddhartha himself did not consider himself a god or a higher being, he considered himself common man to whom the truth was revealed. Siddhartha believed that any person can achieve enlightenment through a good path, regardless of varna or nationality. Also, the Buddha forbade the cost of temples in his honor and the creation of his statues. The great philosopher died at the age of eighty in Kushinagar. turned into a religion after the death of Gautama and finally took shape in the era of the reign of King Ashoka, two centuries after the death of Siddharttha.
Fundamentals of Buddhism
Buddhism focuses on the internal development of a person, denying the caste system, magnificent ceremonies and large temples, Theravada Buddhism, they believe that liberation from earthly suffering can be achieved through the knowledge of dukkha - worries, suffering and unsatisfied desires. It is a person's knowledge of his dukkha, and a conscious rejection of them, that should contribute to the achievement of nirvana.
To achieve spiritual liberation, one should achieve the purification of a person's karma . Karma, in general, is all the actions, speech and thoughts of a person that forms an individual energy structure around him. Purification of karma is achieved through a wholesome eight-year path. The good path is very simple, it consists of correct speech, lifestyle, thoughts, spiritual discipline, deep morality. Conscious rejection of lies, foul language, vice, adultery, theft of envy and the killing of living beings.
The way to achieve nirvana for each person is different. The Buddha himself took six years to become enlightened, for an ordinary person, the period of enlightenment can be much longer, at least eight years.
Significance of Gautama in world history
Great Philosopher managed to create a new doctrine, which is considered one of the most peaceful on earth. There are almost 500 million Buddhists in the world most of, of which live in India, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan.
Big role Emperor Ashoka played in the spread of Buddhism greatest ruler Mauryan Empire. Ashoka ruled from 268 to 232 BC. Under him, Buddhism became the state religion throughout Hindustan. Before converting to Buddhism, according to sources, the emperor was a cruel king and hatched plans to conquer the whole world, akin to Alexander the Great.
After gaining new faith, Ashoka abandoned violence as a means to achieve results. He began a great missionary work, embassies with Buddhist preachers were sent to China, Tibet, Burma, Ceylon, and even to Greece and Egypt. However, later Hinduism won in India and Buddhism did not spread in it, although Buddhism became the dominant religion in neighboring Tibet and Sri Lanka.
Subsequently, the Buddha was proclaimed by the Hindus as one of the reincarnations of the god Vishnu. In the twentieth century, Buddhism began to win its followers in Western Europe and USA. There is also a large Buddhist community in Russia. According to the lunar calendar, on May 3, 2017, Buddhists celebrated the birthday of Gautama, and on May 11, Vesak, the day of Buddha's enlightenment and his departure to nirvana, will be celebrated.
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Shakyamuni Buddha AD - 483 BC, literally "The awakened sage from the Shakya (Sakya) clan") - spiritual teacher, legendary founder Buddhism.
Given his birth name Siddhattha Gotama (Pali) / Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit) ("descendant of Gotama, successful in achieving goals"), he later became known as the Buddha (literally "Awakened One") and even the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha). He is also called: Tathāgata (“one who came like this”), Bhagavan (“God”), Sugata (right walking), Jina (Winner), Lokajyestha (Honored by the world).
Siddhartha Gautama is a key figure in Buddhism. Stories about his life, his sayings, dialogues with students and monastic testaments were summarized by his followers after his death and formed the basis of the Buddhist canon - Tripitaka. Also, the Buddha is a character in many dharmic religions, in particular - Bon (late Bon) and Hinduism. In the Middle Ages, in the later Indian Puranas (for example, in the Bhagavata Purana), he was included among the avatars of Vishnu instead of Balarama.
The birthday of Buddha Shakyamuni is national holiday Republic of Kalmykia.
Material for the scientific reconstruction of the biography of the Buddha modern science not enough. Therefore, traditionally, the biography of the Buddha is given on the basis of a number of Buddhist texts (The Life of the Buddha by Ashvaghosha, Lalitavistara).
However, it should be borne in mind that the first texts relating to the Buddha did not appear until four hundred years after his death. By this time, changes were made to the stories about him by the monks themselves, in particular, to exaggerate the figure of the Buddha.
In addition, the writings of the ancient Indians did not cover chronological moments, concentrating more on philosophical aspects. This is well reflected in Buddhist texts, in which the description of Shakyamuni's thoughts prevails over the description of the time when it all happened.
The path of the future Buddha Shakyamuni to enlightenment began hundreds and hundreds of lives before his complete exit from the "wheel of alternation of life and death." It began with the meeting of the rich and learned brahmin Sumedha with the Buddha Dipankara. Sumedha was struck by the serenity of the Buddha and vowed to achieve the same state. Therefore, he was called a "bodhisattva".
After the death of Sumedha, the strength of his desire for Enlightenment caused his birth in different bodies both human and animal. During these lifetimes, the Bodhisattva perfected wisdom and mercy and was born for the penultimate time among the gods, where he could choose a favorable place for his last birth on the ground. And he chose the family of the venerable Shakya king so that people would have more confidence in his future sermons.
According to the traditional biography, the father of the future Buddha was Raja Shuddhodana, the head of the Shakya tribe of a small principality with the capital Kapilavatthu (Kapilavastu). Gautama is his gotra, an analogue of a modern surname.
Although the Buddhist tradition calls him "raja", but, judging by a number of different sources, the government in the country of Shakyas was built according to the republican type. Therefore, most likely he was a member ruling assembly kshatriyas (sabhas), consisting of representatives of the military aristocracy.
Siddhartha's mother, Queen Maha Maya, Shuddhodana's wife, was a princess from the kingdom of kolyas. On the night of Siddhartha's conception, the queen dreamed that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her.
According to a long tradition of the Shakyas, Mahamaya went to her parents' house to give birth. However, she gave birth on the way, in the Lumbini grove (20 km from the border of modern Nepal and India, 160 km from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu), under the ashoka tree. The baby immediately got to his feet and proclaimed himself a being superior to men and gods.
In Lumbini itself was the house of the king, in modern sources called the "palace". In real life, the entire foundation of this palace excavated by archaeologists fit under a shed-shed 8x8 meters. The queen did not go anywhere, but calmly gave birth at home. Even the Buddha himself did not know that the baby surpasses people and gods, who calmly lived in that palace-house, first as a boy, then married as a husband and crown prince, indulging in idleness and entertainment.
The birthday of Siddhartha Gautama, the full moon in May, is widely celebrated in Buddhist countries (Vesak), and recently SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) and Japan have built their representative temples in Lumbini. A museum operates at the place of birth, and excavations of the foundation and fragments of walls are available for viewing.
Most sources state that Mahamaya died a few days after giving birth.
Invited to bless the baby, the hermit-seer Asita, who lived in a mountain monastery, found on his body 32 signs of a great man. Based on them, he declared that the baby would become either a great king (chakravartin) or a great saint (Buddha).
Shuddhodana performed a naming ceremony for the child on the fifth day of his birth, naming him Siddhartha, which means "he who has achieved his goal." Eight learned brahmins were invited to predict the future child. They also confirmed Siddhartha's dual future.
Siddhartha was brought up younger sister his mother, Maha Pajapati. Wanting Siddhartha to become a great king, his father in every possible way protected his son from religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering. Three palaces were specially built for the boy. In his development, he overtook all his peers in the sciences and sports, but showed a penchant for reflection.
As soon as the son turned 16, his father arranged a wedding with Princess Yashodhara, a cousin who also turned 16. A few years later, she bore him a son, Rahula. Siddhartha spent 29 years of his life as Prince Kapilavastu. Although the father gave his son everything he could possibly need in life, Siddhartha felt that wealth is not the ultimate goal of life.
Once, when the prince was 29 years old, he, accompanied by the charioteer Channa, got out of the palace. There he saw "four spectacles" that changed his whole subsequent life: a poor old man, a sick man, a decaying corpse and a hermit. Gautama then realized the harsh reality of life - that illness, torment, aging and death are inevitable and neither wealth nor nobility can protect against them, and that the path of self-knowledge is the only way to comprehend the causes of suffering. This prompted Gautama, at the age of 29, to leave his home, family and property and go in search of a way to get rid of suffering.
Siddhartha left his palace accompanied by his servant Channa. The legend says that "the sound of his horse's hooves was muffled by the gods" to keep his departure a secret. Having left the city, the prince changed into simple clothes, exchanged clothes with the first beggar he met, and let the servant go. This event is called the "Great Departure".
Siddhartha began his ascetic life in Rajagriha, where he begged on the street. After King Bimbisara learned of his journey, he offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha refused the offer, but promised to visit the realm of Magadha as soon as he attained enlightenment.
Siddhartha left Rajagaha and began to learn yogic meditation from two brahmin hermits. After he mastered the teachings of Alara (Arada) Kalama, Kalama himself asked Siddhartha to join him, but Siddhartha left him after some time. Then Siddhartha became a student of Udaka Ramaputa (Udraka Ramaputra), but after reaching the highest level of meditative concentration, he also left the teacher.
Siddhartha then proceeded to southeast India. There he, along with five companions under the leadership of Kaundinya (Kondanna), tried to achieve enlightenment through severe austerity and mortification of the flesh. After 6 years, on the verge of death, he discovered that severe ascetic methods do not lead to greater understanding, but simply cloud the mind and exhaust the body. After that, Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. He recalled a moment from childhood when, during the celebration of the beginning of plowing, he experienced a trance. This plunged him into a state of concentration that seemed to him blissful and refreshing, a state of dhyana.
Four of his companions, believing that Gautama had abandoned further searches, abandoned him. So he went on wandering alone, until he reached a grove near Gaia.
Here he took some milk and rice from a village woman named Sujatu, who mistook him for a tree spirit, such was his haggard appearance. After that, Siddhartha sat down under a ficus tree, which is now called the Bodhi tree, and vowed that he would not get up until he found the Truth.
Not wanting to let Siddhartha out of his power, the demon Mara tried to break his concentration, but Gautama remained unshakable - and Mara retreated.
After 49 days of meditation on the full moon of the month of Vaishakha, on the same night he was born, at the age of 35, Gautama achieved Awakening and a complete understanding of the nature and cause of human suffering - ignorance - and the steps that are necessary to eliminate this cause. This knowledge was later called the "Four Noble Truths", and the state of Supreme Awakening, which is available to any being, is called nibbana (Pali) or nirvana (Sanskrit). After that, Gautama began to be called the Buddha or "Awakened One".
The Buddha remained in a state of samadhi for several days, deciding whether to teach the Dharma to other people. He was not sure that people filled with greed, hatred and deceit would be able to see the true Dharma, the ideas of which were very deep, subtle and difficult to understand. However, Brahma Sahampati interceded for the people and asked the Buddha to bring the Dharma to the world, as "there will always be those who understand the Dharma." Finally, with his great compassion for all beings on earth, the Buddha agreed to become a teacher.
The first disciples of the Buddha were two merchants he met - Tapussa and Bhallika. The Buddha gave them a pair of hair from his head, which, according to legend, is kept in the Shwedagon Pagoda.
After that, the Buddha went to Varanasi, intending to tell his former teachers, Kalama and Ramaputta, which he achieved. But the gods told him that they had already died.
Then the Buddha went to the Deer Grove (Sarnath), where he read his first sermon "The First Turn of the Wheel of Dharma" to his former comrades in asceticism. This sermon described the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Thus, the Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dharma. His first listeners became the first members of the Buddhist Sangha, which completed the formation of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). All five soon became arhats.
Later, Yasa joined the sangha with his 54 companions and three Kassapa brothers with students (1000 people), who later carried the Dharma to people.
For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha traveled along the Ganges River valley in central India in the company of his students, teaching his Teachings diverse people, regardless of their religious and philosophical views and caste - from warriors to cleaners, murderers (Angulimala) and cannibals (Alavaka). In doing so, he performed many supernatural deeds.
The Sangha, led by the Buddha, traveled annually for eight months. In the remaining four months of the rainy season, it was quite difficult to walk, so the monks spent them in some monastery, park or forest. People from nearby villages themselves came to them to listen to instructions.
King Bimbisara, who became a supporter of Buddhism after meeting the Buddha, presented the sangha with a monastery near his capital, Rajagriha. And the rich merchant Anathapindada donated a grove near the city of Shravasti.
The first Vassana was held in Varanasi when the Sangha was first formed. After that, they went to Rajagaha (Rajagriha), the capital of Magadha, in order to honor with their visit King Bimbisara, whom the Buddha promised to visit after his Enlightenment. It was during this visit that the initiation of Sariputta (Sariputra) and Mahamoggallana (Mahamaudgalyayana) took place - they were to become the two most important disciples of the Buddha. The next three vassals were held by the Buddha at the Veluvana Monastery in the Bamboo Grove, in Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha. This monastery was maintained at the expense of Bimbisara, although it was quite remote from the city center.
Upon learning of Enlightenment, Shuddhodana sent a royal delegation to the Buddha to return to Kapilavastu. In total, nine delegations were sent to the Buddha, but all the delegates joined the Sangha and became arhats. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi (Kalodayin), a childhood friend, was received by the Buddha and he agreed to go to Kapilavastu. Since it was still early for the Vassana, the Buddha set out on a two-month journey to Kapilavastu on foot, preaching the Dharma along the way.
In the fifth vassana, the Buddha lived in Mahavan near Vesali (Vaishali). Upon learning of the impending death of his father, the Buddha went to Shuddhodana and preached the Dharma to him. Shuddhodana became an arhat right before his death. After his father's death, his foster mother Maha Pajapati asked permission to join the Sangha, but the Buddha refused and decided to return to Rajagaha. Maha Pajapati did not accept the refusal and led a group of noble women of the Shakya and Koliya families, which followed the Sangha. Ultimately, the Buddha accepted them into the Sangha on the grounds that their capacity for enlightenment was on par with men, but gave them additional rules Vinaya for observance.
The Buddha has also been the target of assassination attempts by opposition religious groups, including repeated assassination attempts.
According to the Pali Mahaparinibbana Sutta, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final stage of immortality, liberating his earthly body. After that, the Buddha ate the last meal he received from the blacksmith Kunda. The exact composition of the Buddha's last meal is unknown; the Theravada tradition suggests it was pork, while the Mahayana tradition says it was truffles or some other mushroom.
The Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra states that the Buddha did not get sick or grow old, he deliberately took on such a guise in order to show those who were born in samsara the pain caused by offensive words, thereby encouraging their desire for Nirvana.
According to one legend, before his death, the Buddha asked his disciples to find out if they had any doubts or questions. There were none. Then he entered into Parinirvana; his last words were: “All composite things are short-lived. Strive for your own liberation with particular diligence.” Buddha Gautama was cremated in accordance with the rite for the Universal Ruler (chakravartina). His remains (relics) were divided into eight parts and lie at the base of specially erected stupas. Some of the monuments are believed to have survived to our time. For example, Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka is the place where the tooth of the Buddha is kept.
The Buddha also instructed his disciples not to follow the leader, but to follow the teaching, the Dharma. However, in the First Buddhist Council, Mahakashyapa was proclaimed the head of the Sangha along with two of the main disciples of the Buddha - Mahamoggallana and Sariputta, who died shortly before the Buddha.
Name: Siddhartha Gautama
Years of life: about 623 to 543 BC
State: India
Field of activity: Religion
Greatest Achievement: Creation of a new world religion named after him - Buddhism
The name of the Buddha is familiar to everyone. Like the name of Jesus Christ or the prophet Muhammad. Of course, for the followers of Buddhism, it has a sacred meaning. For others, he is interesting as a historical character with an amazing fate. Which we will tell about.
Biography
Future Buddha is born an ordinary child. Rather, not quite ordinary - in the royal family. His father was the Raja (prince) of the Shakyas, a tribe that lived in the Himalayas. Mother also belonged to the royal family - her name was Mahamaya. Sources have been preserved claiming that the mother knew about the birth of a special child - she dreamed prophetic dreams. Once, on the eve of conception, the princess had a dream that a large white elephant with six tusks entered her. Even then, the parents understood that their future baby was waiting for a great future, but did not know how much.
Finally, the Raja's wife became pregnant. At the end of the wait, the princess went to give birth at her parents' house. But it didn't arrive. It all happened in the Lumbini grove (now it is the territory of Nepal, 20 km from the border with India) under the crowns of the ashoka tree. This significant event took place approximately in 623 BC - the exact date of the life of the future spiritual teacher very difficult to install, almost impossible.
The mother left this world a few days after giving birth. The father invited the baby hermit for blessing, who only once looked at the baby, said that the boy would become either a great king or a Buddha (contrary to popular belief, the term Buddha can refer to any person who has achieved enlightenment. Siddhartha was not the first). Boy got beautiful name Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni.
The father remembered the words of the hermits and protected the child from all hardships. The boy did not leave the palace, did not know what illness, poverty, death are. He was surrounded by solid wealth. For his son, the raja ordered the construction of three more palaces - anything, just to fulfill the will of the brahmins. When the young man was 16 years old, he married Princess Yashodhara on the advice of his father. Soon the young couple had a son, Rahul. However, the thoughtful young prince felt that there was still another life outside of the luxurious palaces, different from his own.
four reverse sides
At the age of 29, the truth was finally revealed to him - Siddhartha was able to get out of the palace with his servant. It was then that he saw four reverse sides life - illness, torment, aging and death. He realized that all the blessings and riches of the world would not be able to protect a person from these evils. The truth turned out to be so shocking for Gautama that he left everything - family, gold, luxury - and set off to seek the path of enlightenment and deliverance from suffering. Leaving the city, he met a beggar and exchanged clothes with him in order to feel even more like a new life.
A new chapter of his existence has begun. On the way to India, he stayed with hermit Brahmins, who taught the former prince step by step how to find the path to enlightenment. Finally, after for long years wandering and ascetic lifestyle, Gautama came to the city of Gaya in India. He was already alone - those followers who were with him at the beginning of the journey were left behind. He realized that the way of life imposed by the monks was not suitable for seeking the path of enlightenment. Self-torture, vows are not at all for the search for truth and bliss in nirvana.
In the grove where you came former prince there was a small hut. The woman who lived there let the wanderer in and fed him meager food - rice and milk. Siddhartha gratefully accepted the food, then went out into the grove and sat under a tree, swearing an oath not to get up until he attained enlightenment. This tree became known as the Boschi tree - another name for ficus. During nirvana, the prince was attacked by various demons who tried to lead him astray, distract him from meditation with the help of the blessings and beauties of earthly life. But he was relentless and did not succumb to provocations. For 49 days he sat motionless under a ficus tree until on the night of his birth he attained enlightenment. After that, they began to call him the Buddha, that is, the one who achieved enlightenment.
Buddha's teaching
After gaining new knowledge, the former prince began to spread his teachings and win more and more students and followers. For 45 years he traveled around India and talked about his experiences. Almost everyone who listened to the spiritual master later joined him. This happened to the guards sent by his father to bring his son back to the palace. 9 out of 10 followed their master, but in a slightly different capacity.
What did the Enlightened One teach? His teachings were based on four truths - suffering, desire, which is the cause, nirvana - the cessation of suffering, the path to achieving nirvana. also outlined the commandments by which a person should live - the right way of life, good intentions, accurate speech, concentration, as the path to nirvana.
Siddhartha died at a fairly respectable age - about 80 years old. After his death, his remains were cremated, divided into several parts and placed in special stupas. However, the veneration of the teacher did not end there - followers from generation to generation passed on the valuable knowledge that the Buddha spoke, and also, in order to honor their teacher, they began to erect original monuments to him - himself, sitting in the lotus position, when the Buddha himself tried to achieve enlightenment .
In some countries that have chosen main religion teachings of the Buddha, there are not only "sitting" statues, but also in full height. For example, in India, in the city of Hyderabad, there is a statue of Buddha in the center of an artificial lake. Another unusual statue is the head of Buddha in a tree in the city of Ayutthaya in Thailand. The most famous is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok. in China, in the province of Sichuan, is the most more image Buddha - 71 meters high. It has been made for a century.
buddha temples
In many Buddhist countries, there are not just statues, but also temples dedicated to the great Gautama. In Shanghai, there is the Temple of the Jade Buddha - the figurine is made of jade, which is a symbol of calmness and intelligence. Often there are temples with the image of a yellow or golden Buddha. The veneration of the spiritual teacher is so great that believers in Asian countries make huge offerings to the Buddha, often in precious and cash equivalents to open a small temple or install another figurine.
But all this is not the main thing - the Buddha achieved his goal, Enlightenment. New religion has become one of the most widespread and most peaceful in the world. The name of the Buddha has remained for centuries, and you can be sure that it will not be forgotten for a very long time.
Given a name at birth Siddhattha Gotama(fell) / Siddhartha Gautama(Sanskrit) - "a descendant of Gotama, successful in achieving goals", he later became known as buddha(literally "Awakened"). Gautama is also called Sakyamuni or Shakyamuni- “sage from the Sakya clan”, or Tathagata(Skt. तथागत, “So Coming”) - “Achieved Suchness”, “Achieved Truth”.
Siddhartha Gautama is a key figure in Buddhism. His sayings and dialogues with students formed the basis of the Buddhist canon - Tripitaka, which was formed in the 1st century BC. e.
The Buddha is a character in several Asian religions, in particular - Bon (late Bon) and Hinduism. In the Middle Ages, in the later Indian Puranas (for example, in the Bhagavata Purana), he was included among the avatars of Vishnu instead of Balarama.
Buddha life
In accordance with the texts accepted in modern Buddhist traditions, Siddhattha Gautama was born in the vicinity of the city of Kapilavastu (located in the valley of the Ganges River; now the Lumbini temple complex is located in this place) on the May full moon in the Kshatriya Shakya tribe. His birthday is widely celebrated in Buddhist countries (Vesak).
Gautama's father was the king of Kapilavatthu in Magadha, and Gautama was born a prince destined for a life of luxury. Before being born, Gautama visited his mother in a dream in the form of a white elephant. During the celebration of the birth, the seer Asita announced that this infant would either become a great king or a great saintly person. His father, wanting Gautama to become a great king, shielded his son from religious instruction and from the knowledge of human suffering.
When the boy reached the age of sixteen, his father arranged his marriage with the same age Yasodhara, and she gave birth to a son, Rahul. The father provided for Gautama everything that he wanted and needed.
Once, after 13 years of marriage, Gautama, accompanied by the charioteer Channa, traveled outside the palace. There he saw "four sights": an old cripple, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and a hermit. Gautama then realized the harsh truth of life - that death, disease, aging and torment are inevitable, that there are more poor than rich, and that even the pleasures of the rich eventually turn into dust. This prompted Gautama, at the age of 29, to leave his home, family and possessions to become a monk.
Renouncing his inheritance, he dedicated his life to learning how to overcome suffering. He followed the path of yogic meditation under the guidance of two hermit brahmins, and although he reached high levels of consciousness, he was not satisfied with this path.
Dressed in the robes of a wandering monk, he set out for southeast India. He began to study the life of a hermit and engage in severe self-torture. After 6 years, on the verge of death, he discovered that severe ascetic methods do not lead to greater understanding, but simply cloud the mind and exhaust the body. By abandoning self-torture and focusing on meditation, he discovered a middle path to avoid the extremes of self-indulgence and self-torture. Sitting under the fig tree, which he called the Bodhi tree, he vowed not to get up until he discovered the Truth. At the age of 35, he achieved "Awakening" on the May full moon. Then they began to call him Gautama Buddha or simply "Buddha", which means "Awakened One".
He stated that he had achieved full Awakening and realized the cause of human suffering along with the steps needed to eliminate it. This realization he formulated in the Four Noble Truths. The highest Awakening that is available to any being is called Nibbana (Pali) / Nirvana (Sanskrit).
At this point, the Buddha had to choose whether to be satisfied with his own liberation or to teach others. He believed that the world might not be ready for such a deep realization, but finally he decided to go to Sarnath and give the first sermon in Deer Park. This sermon described the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
The Buddha emphasized that he is not God. Buddha is a mentor for those beings who have decided to walk the path themselves, achieve Awakening and know the truth and reality as it is.
During the next 45 years of his life, he traveled the Ganges valley in central India, teaching his teachings to a wide variety of people, including supporters of rival philosophies and religions. His religion was open to all races and classes and had no caste structure. He founded the Community of Buddhist monks and nuns ("Sangha") to preserve the Teaching after his final "Nibbana" and departure from the world. Thousands of converts followed him.
At the age of 80, he decided to withdraw from the world. He ate his last meal, which was a donation from the blacksmith Chunda, and did not feel well. In the presence of his followers, the Buddha once again became convinced that his Teaching was understood and preserved, and died on the May full moon. The last words of the Buddha were: “Everything that is composed is subject to disappearance. Try hard!"
Buddha Gautama was cremated in accordance with the rite for the Universal Ruler (chakravartina). His remains (relics) were divided into eight parts and lie at the base of specially erected stupas.
The Life of the Buddha in the Vajrayana Tradition
The Samskrta-samskrta-vinischaya-nama says:
“Our Master Shakyamuni lived for 80 years. He spent 29 years in his palace. For six years he labored as an ascetic. Upon reaching Enlightenment, he spent his first summer at the turning point of the Wheel of the Law (Dharmachakrapravartan). He spent his second summer in Veluvana. The fourth is also in Veluvana. The fifth is in Vaishali. The sixth is in Gol (that is, in Golangulaparivartan) in Chzhugma Gyurve, which is near Rajagriha. The seventh - in the Abode of the 33 gods, on the platform of the Armonig stone. Spent the eighth summer in Shishumaragiri. The ninth is in Kaushambi. The tenth is at a place called Kapijit (Teutul) in the forest of Parileyakavana. The eleventh is in Rajagriha (Gyalpyo-kab). The twelfth - in the village of Veranja. The thirteenth is in Chaityagiri (Choten-ri). The fourteenth is in the temple of Raja Jetavana. The fifteenth is at Nyag-rodharam in Kapilavastu. The sixteenth is in Atavak3. The seventeenth is in Rajagriha. The eighteenth is in the Jvalini cave (near Gaya). The nineteenth is in Jvalini (Barve-pug)4. The twentieth is in Rajagriha. Four summer stays were in the Mrigamatri aram east of Shravasti. Then the twenty-first summer stay- in Shravasti. The Buddha passed into nirvana at the Shala Grove, at Kushinagar, in the Malla country."
Gautama family
In Mahavastu, the names of his mother's sisters and Maha-Prajapati are called Mahamaya, Atimaya, Anantamaya, Chulia and Kolisova.
The following cousins of the Buddha are known: Ananda, who in the Theravada tradition was considered the son of Amitodana, and in Mahavastu is called the son of Shuklodan and Mriga; Devadatta, son of maternal uncle Suppabuddhi and paternal aunt Amita.
The identity of Gautama's wife remains unclear. In the Theravada tradition, Rahula's mother (see below) is called Bhaddakaccha, but the Mahavamsa and the Anguttara Nikaya commentary call her Bhaddakacchana and see her as the cousin of the Buddha and sister of Devadatta. Mahavastu (Mahāvastu 2.69), however, refers to the Buddha's wife as Yashodhara and implies that she was not Devadatta's sister, since Devadatta was wooing her. Buddhavamsa also uses this name, but in the Pali version it is Yasodhara. The same name is most often found in North Indian Sanskrit texts (also in their Chinese and Tibetan translations). Lalitavistara says that the Buddha's wife was Gopa, the mother of Dandapani's maternal uncle. Some texts state that Gautama had three wives: Yashodhara, Gopika and Mrigaya.
Siddharatha had an only son - Rahula, who, having matured, joined the Sangha. Over time, he reached arhatship.
Chronology of life
A key reference point for dating the life of the Buddha is the beginning of the reign of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka. Based on the edicts of Ashoka and the dates of the reigns of the Hellenistic kings to whom he sent ambassadors, scholars date the beginning of Ashoka's reign to 268 BC. e. the Buddha is said to have died 218 years before this event. Since all sources agree that Gautama was eighty years old when he died (e.g. Dīgha Nikāya 2.100), we get the following dates: 566-486 BC. e. This is the so-called "long chronology" (long chronology). An alternative "short chronology" is based on the Sanskrit sources of North Indian Buddhism preserved in East Asia. According to this version, the Buddha died 100 years before Ashoka's inauguration, which gives the following dates: 448-368 BC. BC e. At the same time, in some East Asian traditions, the date of Buddha's death is called 949 or 878 BC. e., and in Tibet - 881 BC. e. In the past, the generally accepted dates among Western scholars were 486 or 483 BC. e., but now it is believed that the grounds for this are too shaky.
Radiocarbon dating shows that some of the sites that the Buddha visited according to the Pali Canon were not inhabited until 500 BC. e. (± 100 years), which casts doubt on such an early date as 486 BC. e. In addition, a consideration of the information available to us on the history of Jainism suggests that the Buddha and Mahavira, the leader of the Jains, who died somewhat before the Buddha, both died between 410 and 390 BC. BC e.
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Although there is no way to determine the exact dates of the Buddha's life, many scholars agree that he lived from about 563 to 483 BC. An increasing number of scientists are asserting other dates, shifting this framework by about 80 years later. As is often the case with spiritual leaders who have significant influence on human civilization, the life of the Buddha was overgrown with myths and legends, which were supposed to give great sublimity to his spiritual image. However, in ancient source narrating about the life of the Buddha - Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon - you can find a number of texts that quite realistically describe life stages Buddha. Based on these texts, a picture emerges that illustrates the life of the Buddha in a series of lessons that embody and convey to us the most important points of his teachings. Thus the Buddha's own life and his message merge into one inseparable union.
The future teacher was born into the Sakya clan in a small country in the foothills of the Himalayas. At the present time, this territory corresponds to southern Nepal. His given name was Siddhatha (Sanskrit: Siddhartha) and his surname Gotama (Sanskrit: Gautama). According to legend, he was the son of a mighty monarch, but in reality the Sakyan state was an oligarchic republic, so his father, apparently, was the head of the governing council of elders. By the time of the Buddha, this state had become a vassal of the more powerful kingdom of Kosala, which corresponds to the current Uttar Pradesh. Even the most ancient texts say that the birth of a child was accompanied by numerous miracles. Soon after this, the sage Asita visited the baby and, seeing the features of future greatness on the boy’s body, he bowed to him as a sign of respect.
As a prince, Siddhattha grew up in luxury. His father built three palaces for him, each designed for a particular season of the year, where the prince entertained himself with his friends. At the age of sixteen he married cousin, the beautiful princess Yasodhara, and they lived in prosperity in the capital of the Sakyas, the city of Kapilavatthu. Most likely, at this time he studied military craft and management of state affairs.
However, the years passed, and when Siddhatha was almost thirty, he became more and more withdrawn into himself. He was concerned with questions that we usually do not pay attention to, related to the purpose and meaning of our lives. What is the purpose of our existence? Sensual pleasures? Achieving wealth, status, power? Is there anything beyond that, more real and satisfying? That must have been the questions he had. Some of his personal thoughts on this matter have survived to this day in a sutta called "The Noble Quest" (MN 26):
« Monks, before my enlightenment, being subject to birth, aging, disease and death, sorrow and defilement, I pursued that which is subject to birth, aging, disease and death, sorrow and defilement. Then I thought: “Why, being [myself] subject to birth… defilements, should I pursue that which is subject to birth… defilements? from shackles, nibbana...»
Thus, at the age of 29, in the prime of his life, despite his weeping parents, he cut off his hair and beard, put on the yellow robes of a mendicant monk and went to live a homeless life, renouncing the world. Subsequently, the revised biography of the Buddha says that he left the palace on the same day when his wife gave birth to their only child, the boy Rahula.
Leaving home and family, Bodhisatta, or, in other words, "seeking enlightenment", went south to Magadha (currently Bihar), where they lived small groups spiritual seekers who pursued the goals of spiritual development, usually under the guidance of a guru. At that time, northern India boasted a number of highly realized masters, known for their philosophical views and meditative achievements. Prince Siddhattha found the two most prominent, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta. From them he learned the techniques of meditation, which, judging by the descriptions of the texts, must have been the progenitors of Raja Yoga. The Bodhisatta achieved perfection in these techniques, but despite the fact that he learned to achieve the highest levels of concentration (samadhi), he considered these achievements insufficient, since they did not lead to the goal he pursued: perfect enlightenment, the realization of nibbana, liberation from suffering and sensual existence.
Leaving his teachers, the Bodhisatta decided to take a different path, which was also popular in ancient india, and is even practiced by some to this day. This is a path of severe asceticism, self-mortification, which, it was believed, should lead to liberation by causing the body of painful sensations that an ordinary person is not able to endure. For six years the Bodhisatta practiced this method with incredible determination. He didn't eat anything for days, so his body became like a skeleton covered in skin. He sat in the hot sun during the day and in the cold at night. He subjected his flesh to such torture that he was practically on the verge of death. Yet he found that despite his determination and sincerity in practice, these strict measures did not work. Later he will tell that he advanced further in these practices than any other ascetic, and yet this did not lead him to the highest wisdom and enlightenment, but only to physical weakness and mental decline.
Then he began to look for another path to enlightenment that maintained a healthy balance of body care, constant contemplation, and deep study. He would later call this path the "Middle Way" because it avoids the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. He had both experiences, the first as a prince, the second as an ascetic, and he knew that both paths lead nowhere. However, he realized that in order to walk the middle path, he needed to gain strength again. He abandoned the harsh ascetic practices and began to take nutritious food. At that time, five other ascetics looked after him, hoping that when the prince who left the house reaches enlightenment, he will be able to teach them too. But when they saw that he began to eat, they were disappointed and left him, believing that he had given up and decided to return to a luxurious life.
Now the Bodhisatta was alone, and this complete seclusion allowed him to continue his search without unnecessary interference from outside. Once, having already gained strength, he came across a wonderful place near Uruvela on the banks of the Neranjara River. There he prepared for himself a seat of straw under a tree. asvattha(now known as the Bodhi tree), sat cross-legged and vowed to himself not to get up from that seat until he had reached his desired goal. As the twilight fell, he drifted deeper and deeper into the meditative stages until his mind was perfectly calm and collected. Then, as the texts say, during the first watch of the night, he directed his concentrated mind to the knowledge of previous lives. Gradually, the experience of numerous past births, which lasted for many cycles of the existence of the universe. In the middle of the night, he developed a "divine eye", with which he was able to see how other beings die and are reborn again in accordance with their kamma, that is, their own perfect deeds. In the last watch of the night, he penetrated into the deepest truths of existence, into fundamental laws reality, and thus destroyed the thinnest veil of ignorance in his mind. At dawn, the figure seated under the Bodhi tree was no longer a Bodhisatta seeking enlightenment, but a Buddha, Perfectly Self-Awakened, attaining the Immortal in this very life.
At first, he was determined to remain alone, because he thought that the truth that he had discovered was so deep for others to understand and so difficult to express in words that trying to convey it to people would be tedious and futile. However, at this stage, the texts introduce a dramatic element into the story. The moment the Buddha chose not to teach the Dhamma, the highest deity of the Realm of Forms, Brahma Sahampati, knew that if the Buddha chose to remain in seclusion, the world would be lost because the purest path to liberation from suffering would not be revealed. Then he descended to earth, bowed to the Buddha, and timidly asked him to reveal the Dhamma "for the sake of those who have little dust in their eyes."
Then the Buddha directed his deep gaze to the knowledge of the world. He saw that people are like lotuses in a pond at different stages of growth, and he realized that just as some lotuses that are close to the surface of the water need only the rays of the sun in order to fully bloom, there are also some people who only need to hear the noble teaching to achieve enlightenment and achieve perfect liberation of the mind. When he saw this, his heart was filled with the deepest compassion, and he decided to go out into the world to teach the Dhamma to those who were willing to listen.
He first went to his former companions, the five ascetics who had left him a few months before his enlightenment and were now in a deer park near Benares. He expounded the revealed truths, and they, having received insight into the Dhamma, became the first disciples. In the following months, the number of his adherents grew rapidly, and their number included both householders and ascetics, who, having heard the message of the Liberated One, left their former beliefs and proclaimed themselves disciples of the Buddha.
Every year, even in his old age, the Buddha traveled through the cities, towns and villages of the Ganges valley, teaching anyone who was willing to listen. He rested only for three months a year during the rainy season, and then resumed his wanderings, as a result of which he traveled from present-day Delhi to Bengal. He established the Sangha, an order of monks and nuns, for which he approved a complex set of rules and regulations. This order is still in existence today and appears to be (along with the Jain order) the oldest continuous organization in the world. The Buddha also attracted numerous lay people who supported the Master and the Sangha.
After vigorous activity within forty-five years, at the age of eighty, the Buddha traveled to the northern town of Kushinara. There, surrounded by numerous disciples, he went into "the element of nibbana with the absence of conditioned existence", forever putting an end to the fetters of the cycle of rebirth.
As already noted, the main events in the life of the Buddha are the main lessons of his teaching.
The first was the awakening of the Bodhisatta in cruel realities human existence- he saw that we are captured by old age, disease and death. This teaches us the importance of deep contemplation and critical thinking. His awakening challenges the cocoon in which we usually live, immersed in pleasures and trifling worries, forgetting about the “more important” that is present with us at every moment of our lives. His awakening reminds us that we ourselves must get out of this comfortable but dangerous cocoon of ignorance in which we have settled. We must break through the reckless fascination with our youth, health and vitality. We must reach a new level of mature understanding that will allow us to win the inevitable battle with the Lord of Death.
The departure of the Bodhisattva from the palace, his "great renunciation" teaches us another valuable lesson. It shows us that among all the values that we aspire to for arranging own life, the search for enlightenment and liberation must be at the forefront. This goal transcends pleasure, wealth, power, which we usually attach the highest importance to, and even above the call of social duty and worldly duties. Of course, this does not mean that everyone who wants to follow the path of the Buddha should be ready to leave family and home and become a monk or nun. The Buddha's community consisted of numerous householders, not just monastics. There were also devoted laymen and laywomen in it, who reached high levels of awakening, being active figures in the world.
However, the example of the Buddha shows us that we must build our scale of values so that the highest place in it is occupied by the most worthy goal, which is the most real of all realities - nibbana. We should not allow worldly affairs and responsibilities to carry us away from the pursuit of a higher goal.
Further, the six years of struggle of the Bodhisatta show that the search highest goal is a task that requires great diligence, calling for deep dedication to this goal and tireless striving to achieve it. We are lucky that the Bodhisatta went through the path of self-mortification and became convinced of its futility, and therefore it is not worth going in this direction. But his unwavering pursuit of the truth underlines the amount of effort that must be put into achieving enlightenment, and one who is fully committed to this goal with deep sincerity must be prepared to go through a difficult and demanding path of practice.
Buddha's Enlightenment teaches us that perfect wisdom and liberation from suffering is a real potential that a person can realize. It is something we can achieve on our own, without the help or favor of an external savior. His enlightenment also emphasizes the ideal of moderate balance, the "middle way", which has been a feature of Buddhism throughout its history. long history. The search for truth can be a difficult and demanding task, but it does not require us to punish ourselves. The final victory will not be won by the torture of the body, but by the development of the mind, which takes place through the balanced training of body care and the development of our highest spiritual qualities.
The Buddha's decision after his enlightenment is another lesson. At a critical moment when one had to choose between keeping enlightenment for oneself and the task of educating others, he took upon himself the burden of leading a confused humanity along the path to liberation. This choice had a huge impact on the subsequent development of Buddhism, because during its long history of development, the spirit of compassion was the heart of the precepts of the Buddha, the inner animated essence. It was the compassion of the Buddha that motivated Buddhist monks and nuns to travel to other countries, cross seas, cross mountains and deserts, often at the risk of their lives, in order to bring the blessings of the Dhamma to those who are still wandering in darkness. This example inspires many Buddhists to this day, in various ways, even if they can only express their compassion with humble acts of kindness and concern for those less fortunate than themselves.
And the last lesson - the departure of the Buddha, his achievement of the final nibbana, again teaches us that everything conditioned must be destroyed, everything created is impermanent, and even the greatest spiritual teachers are no exception to the law that the Buddha so often proclaimed. His departure from the world also teaches us the greatest bliss and peace, which can only be achieved through the complete abandonment of everything, the complete tranquility of all composite things. This is the last gate to the attainment of the unconditioned, immortal, nibbana.
(Excerpt from Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi's article "The Buddha and His Dhamma". Translation that you can say:)
