Though very young children do not know the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, they may still take the three Refuges. During the Buddha’s time, the mother of prince Boddhiraja Kumāra took refuge on behalf of her child while the child was still in her womb. She said: “My beloved child pays homage to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.” Later, after birth, when the mother came to the Buddha with the baby prince, she again said to the Buddha: “My little baby boy pays homage to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.”
Here, although the mother took refuge on behalf of her son, the son was not as yet a genuine Buddhist. Why? Because the son knew nothing yet about the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. However, the mother had great compassion for the tender boy. That is why she tried to sow the seed of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha in her son’s heart by taking refuge on his behalf despite his ignorance of the virtues. Actually, the prince had not been a true Buddhist at the time for not understanding about Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
WHO IS THE BUDDHA?
Buddha is the One who knows the Four Noble Truths and attains enlightenment by himself. He also attains sabbaññutañana, the great wisdom of omniscience, that is the ability to know everything, including mental and physical worlds (loka). He is an incomparable man because of his great compassion for all beings, unique wisdom and supernatural powers. That is why all the kings of the Brahma and Deva, heavenly realms and the human realm called him “The Lord Buddha”. The Buddha is not a God nor a savior. He is a great teacher because he teaches us how to escape from all sufferings, how to gain worldly happiness and how to attain enlightenment.
You yourselves should make the effort; Buddhas are only teachers who show the way. Those who enter the path and practise Tranquility and Insight Meditation will be freed from the fetter of illusion,
The Life of the Buddha
More than two thousand five hundred years ago, a prince was born on the full moon day of May (623 BC) in Lumbini Park at Kapilavatthu which is located in present day Nepal near the Indian border. His father was King Suddhodana of the Sakya clan and his mother was Queen Maha Maya. The prince was named Siddhattha which means “wish fulfilled”. His family name was Gotama.
When he was very young, many strange things happened to him. Soon after his birth, the infant prince stood on the ground and, taking seven paces to the north, spoke the words: “I am the most exalted and excellent one”. That same day the holy man Kaladevila came to the palace to behold the extraordinary child. The baby boy, on being carried near to pay reverence, raised both feet and placed them on the braided hair of the holy man.
The holy man smiled, because he saw that the Prince would become a Buddha, and then wept, because he himself would not live to see that event. On the fifth day after the birth, eight distinguished brahmins examined the prince. They then proclaimed that he would become either a universal monarch or a Buddha. A month after the birth of the Bodhisatta, the Buddha-to-be, his father the king, went out to perform the royal ploughing ceremony. When he was left under a rose apple tree at the ploughing festival, the Bodhisatta meditated on the breath anapana meditation and achieved one-pointedness of mind and entered into the first state of jhāna, absorption concentration.
At the age of sixteen, he married Princess Yasodhara. They lived a happy married life for thirteen years in luxurious conditions created by King Suddhodana. One day while Prince Siddhattha was on the way to the royal garden in his carriage, he saw four signs which made a great impact upon him. The four signs were an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a monk. And, when he thus learnt of old age, disease and death, his mind became agitated by the miseries of the world. As a result, he renounced worldly life to search for the Truth at the age of twenty-nine.
Prince Siddhattha left the palace and became a forest ascetic. During his stay in the forest he learned meditation under Älära and Uddaka. He mastered their teachings very fast and attained the highest stages of jhāna. But he left them to continue his search, for he realised that their teachings could not lead him to enlightenment. Five ascetics joined him in his quest. Siddhattha practised extreme austerities for six years. But his efforts were in vain. He still could not attain enlightenment.
He then remembered the one-pointedness of mind he attained as a child under the rose apple tree. He decided to renounce the extreme ascetic practices and follow the Middle Path (Majjhima-pațipadă). As a result of this, his five companions (pañcavaggis) deserted him thinking that he had returned to a life of luxury.
On the full moon day of May 588 BC, Siddhattha meditated under the Bodhi tree near Buddhagayä, in India and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five. Since then, he is known as the Buddha, the Enlightened One. Seven weeks later, the Buddha walked to the Deer Park near Benares to expound the very first sermon to his five former companions. On the full moon day of July, the Buddha preached the first discourse to them. The five bhikkhus attained enlightenment after listening to the teachings of the Buddha. Soon after, the Buddha established the Sangha – the Order of Bhikkhus (monks) and Bhikkhunis (nuns).
The Buddha taught for forty-five years. At the age of eighty, the Buddha died on the full moon day of May 543 BC in the Sälä Grove at Kusināra. His passing away is known as Mahāparinibbāna, entering into Nibbana, i.e. extinction of all kinds of mental and physical sufferings. Though the Buddha passed away, his teachings still exist. His teachings are known as the Dhamma. They are embodied in the Tipitaka, the three baskets: the Basket of Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka), the Basket of Discourses (Sutta Pițaka) and the Basket of Philosophy (Abhidhamma Pitaka). Pali is the language of Buddhism.
A unique being, an extraordinary man arises in this world for the benefit of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world. Who is this unique being? It is the Buddha, the Exalted One, the Fully Enlightened One.
Sulta Pitaka
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