The word Buddha literally means Enlightenment. Buddha has also been termed as Light of Asia. In ancient times, Buddhism was once the prominent religion of India. Due to internal rifts and Turk-Mongol invasions, Buddhism kept gradually vanishing from India. In the world, However, It is still considered as third largest practicing religion after Christianity and Islam. Following is an outline of Buddha’s life and times, consisting many facts still not known to many :
Birth place of Buddha- Siddharth Gautam, who later became Lord Buddha, was born in 563 B.C. in Lumbini forest of Nepal. His birth took place when her mother Mahamaya was heading towards Devdah. The place is located down a slope in Nepal, some 8 kms west of Nautanva station.
Birth time of Buddha- During the lifetime of Buddha, a king called Udyan was reigning in Koshambi. Buddha’s birth date is often being debated by the scholars. According to Acharaya Ramdevji Gautam Buddha lived from 1760 to 1680 BC and he had arrived in Mathura in 1710 BC. This claim is based on various Buddhist scriptures like Mahavash, Sthaviravali, Harvansh, Vishnu Bhagwat etc. But as per the coronation date of king Ashoka and records of Sinhalese and Kharwel, the date of birth of Gautam Buddha has been largely accepted as 563 BC. At present, Chinese Canton records are considered authentic for the birth and death date of Gautam Buddha.
Buddha as an ascetic: - Gautam Buddha renounced the world of comforts at the age of 29. During adolescence, Buddha had seen a limping old man, followed by a sick man. Later he saw a corpse carried by people and finally he saw a Monk. The sights disturbed him and he lost interest in all worldly affairs. One Night Siddharth directed his watchman Chandak to give him a ride on a white stallion Kanthak. After crossing Anima River Siddharth asked Chandak to take his jewelry and return to palace with Kanthak. He also shaved his head with the help of a sword.
Salvation of Buddha:- After a rigorous Sadhna which lasted for six years, Siddharth finally attained enlightenment at the age of 35. Enlightenment came to him under a ficus tree located in Bodhgaya, a place near present day Gaya of Bihar. It was Vaisahkh Poornima in 528 BC. It took him a stretch of 49 days to attain it. The tree is still thriving at the bank of Niranjana River. The spiritual knowledge attained by Buddha is called Nirvana in Buddhism. It is called Samadhi in Hinduism and Kaivalya in Jainism.
Buddha’s First Discourse:- Gautam Buddha delivered his First religious discourse to Five pundits called Kaudinya, Vappa, Bhadiya, Mahanama and Assagi during Ashadh Poornima at Sarnath. Two Shudras named Tapssu & Kaalik came to Gautam Buddha to gain spiritual knowledge and later became the first follower of Buddhism. Buddha suggested eight ways to eradicate suffering. He laid emphasis on Non Violence and denounced ritualistic fundamentalism and slaughtering of animals. Buddha also raised his voice against the caste system. During his life Buddha delivered most discourses at Shravasti, capital of Kaushal. He also made Magadh his epicenter. He preferred to give his discourses in Pali language, which are collected in Tripitakas.
Buddha’s Nirvana:- Gautam Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana occurred in 483 BC when he was 80. The last words of Buddha were “Oh monks, I will say this only that, all the rites are going to be destroyed. Bring about completion by being heedful”. He was cremated in Kushinagar, a city famous for Malla’s.
Remains of Buddha: - After cremation, Buddha’s mortal remains were placed at eight different places. Stupas (a Buddhist monument) were constructed at these places. However, there are ten Stupas in total, one was made for the ember of the pyre of Buddha while the other was made on the pitcher which had the remains of Buddha.
Major Stupas:- The Eight major Stupas of Buddha were built in Kushinagar, Pavagarh, Vaishali, Kapilvastu, Raamgram, Allakalp, Rajgrih & Betdweep. Ember Stupa was built in Pipliya Forest. Kumbh Stupa was also made near Kushinagar. Among all these, Kushinagar, Pavagarh, Rajgrih, Betdweep are famous places. The oldest Stupa made on the remains of Gautam Buddha is termed as “Mahastupa”.
Full moon’s day and Buddha:- Probably Every important incident of Gautam Buddha’s life took place on the full moon’s day (Poornima). It is an unbelievable coincidence that his birth, emancipation, first discourse and death all happened when it was a full moon in the sky. As per the Hindu calendar, Buddha was born on Vaishakh Poornima in 563 BC. In 528 B.C on a full moon’s day, he became the master of spirituality. At an age of 80, he attained Nirvana, again on a full moon’s day.
Family members of Buddha.- Gautam Buddha’s father was king of Kapilavastu and the mother was Rani Maya Devi. Maya Devi had passed away only seven days after the birth of infant Siddharth. Gautami became her step mother and brought him up. Later, Siddharth got married to Princess Yashodhara who gave birth to Rahul.
Gurus of Buddha:- The main Gurus (Teachers) of Buddha were Guru Vishwamitra, Alara Kalam, Uddaka Ramaputt etc. Siddharth not only studied Hindu mythology and epics but also governance and warfare. He was unmatched in wrestling, horse riding, archery and riding a chariot.
Disciples of Buddha:- The main disciples of Buddha were Upali and Anand. The other were Aniruddh, Mahakashyap, Rani Khema, Mahaprajapati (Girl), Bhadrika, Bhrigu , Kimbal, Devdutt etc. The main ruler Discipline were Bimbisar, Prasenjit and Udyan.
Main Promoter of Buddha:- The main promoters of Gautam Buddha were Angulimaal, Milind, King Ashoka, Hiuen Tsang, Faxian and Bodhisatva.
Prechings :- Buddha spent his whole life in the discovery of truth and emancipation. He shed light on every aspect of human Psychology and sufferings. Besides, He also suggested the remedies. It is believed that no one has matched Gautam Buddha in delivering discourse on this planet. He somewhat holds the record of delivering maximum discourses.
Organized Religion- Before the rise of Buddha, religious belifes were unorganized. Contradictory beliefs were turned into a coherent system by Buddha. Many Religions later followed the suit of Buddha’s teaching. Therefore the birth of Gautam Buddha is considered a Global revolution for religious systems.
Buddha statues:- Buddhist Monk have flocked in every corner of the earth. Archeologists have dig out many Buddha statues which were buried in ancient time. Statues of Buddha outnumber almost everything. Around 2895 statues of Buddha were found by the archeologist in the historical Hebai province of China. These statues were built during 534-577 AD. Once Bamiyaan area of Afghanistan was used to be the epicenter of Buddhist Promulgation. The largest Buddhist statue was located in the Buddhist cave in this area which was later demolished by Islamic Fundamentalists. Most of the statues were carved out in Gandhar style, but the first ever Buddha statue was carved in the Mathura style.
Key Elements of Buddhist Philosophy:- Four Noble Truths, the eightfold path, Objectivism, Nirvana, Jataks etc. are key elements of Buddhist philosophy. The eightfold path describes about the eight ways to recover from sufferings and vanish cravings. This path is also termed as “Kalyan Mitra” of Buddhist Monks and Madhyam Marg. This Marg is an eye opener and impart spiritual knowledge.
Four Noble Truths & the eightfold path:- The four noble Truths includes 1- Sufferings, 2- Cause, 3- Removal, 4 – Methods. While the Eightfold path is classified as- 1- Duly Vision, 2- Duly Resolution, 3- Duly Speech, 4- Duly Work, 5- Duly Livelihood, 6- Duly Exercise, 7- Duly Memory, 8- Duly Salvation.
Three basic principles of Buddhist philosophy:- Atheism, Objectivism & Impermanance are the three basic principles of Buddhist Philosophy. The philosophy is based on realism and Buddha has kept mankind above the God. Aethism is an integral ideology of Buddhism, yet the concept of reincarnation is accepted.
Buddhist scriptures:- Basic elements of Buddhism are Four Noble Truths, the eightfold path, Objectivism, Salvation, Buddha stories, etc. Buddha has delivered his discourse in the Pali language which is compiled in Pitaks. Pitaks have three parts – Vinay Pitak, Sutta Pitak, Abhidharm Pitak. Sutta Pitak’s most popular part is Dhammpad. Its Manuscripts are believed to be 300 BC old. Abhidhamm Pitak is termed as holy as Bhagwad Geeta. The Buddha’s principles are mentioned in Sutta Pitak.
Buddhist Conference:- The meeting of Buddha monks is known as Conference. The first Buddha conference after the demise of Gautam Buddha was held in 483 BC. This conference was organized during the rule of Ajatshatru in Saptparni gufa. The second conference was held under the regime of Kalashoka at Vaishali followed by the third conference under King Ashoka’s rule in 249 BC. Tripitika was finalized during the third conference. Kundalvan (Kashmir) organized the fourth conference of Buddha. Legend has it that Jesus Christ was also present during the fourth conference. Monk association was founded by Gautam Buddha in Kapilavastu. Admission into Monk association was called as Upsampada.
How many Buddhas?:- As many as 27 Buddhas are mentioned in the epics of Pali language. The three names of Buddha are quite ancient namely Tankar, Shanankar, Megankar. The 24th Buddha, Gautam Buddha has been described the most in the scriptures.
Buddhist schools:- Initially the followers of Buddhism were classified into two groups. One was known as monks, the other was called as worshipers. Those who left luxury and family to propagate Buddhism were monks while those who preached Buddhism along with family life were worshipers. After fourth Buddhist council a clear line divided the religion into two groups – Heenyana and Mahayana. However, the Buddhism got split into the same two groups after the second council of Buddha due to discordance. Mahayana stands for Large vehicle and Heenyana means a small vehicle. Major Buddha communities viz Zen, Tao, Shinto & others come under the ambit of these two groups. At present, followers of Mahayana are found in Tibet, China, Korea and Mongolia while Believers of Heenyaan are citizens of Sri Lanka, Myanaar, Jawa and other countries. Later Vajrayana became the subsection of Mahayana during the 7th century. This branch of Buddhism had black magic as its integral part. The center of Vajrayana was located in the Bhagalpur District of Bihar.
Buddhist Pilgrimages:- Buddhism has four famous pilgrimages in Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Lumbini and Kushinagar. Lumbini is in Nepal, where Buddha was born. Bodhgaya is in Bihar (India), where Buddha attained enlightenment. In Sarnath (UP) Buddha delivered his first discourse and in Kushinagar of the same state he attained Mahaparinirvana.
Buddhists :- The followers of Buddhism are spread all over the world, mainly in China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Thailand, Combodiya, Sri Lanka, Lagos, Nepal, Bhutan and India.
Fasting in Buddhism:- As per the rituals of Buddhism a fast named Uposath Vrat is observed during the full moon’s day and no Moon’s day. Vaishakhi Poornima, Ashadhi Poornima, Ashwin Poornima and Maghi Poornima are Maha parvs. A Parv is also celebrated on Jyeshtha Poornima, when Buddha had delivered discourse on Mahasamay Sutt at Kapilvastu. It is advised to perform Uposath, Triratna Vandana, Panchsheel palan, Ashtasheel palan, Vipassana, donation & meditation on the day of Uposath.
Buddha Poornima- The most holy and Significant festival of Buddhism is Viashakh Poornima, which is popularly known as Buddha Poornima. The day when Buddha delivered his first discourse on Ashadh Poornima is also considered a holy festival. Religious processions were first carried out in Buddhism.
10 directives for Salvation:- Buddhism gave 10 directives to attain emancipation. These directives were non violence, truth, not to steal, no ownership of property, no intoxication, discipline in timings of lunch & dinner, denial of a comfortable bed, no monetary storage, to remain away from women and music and dance.
Jatak tales and Buddhacharit:- Some stories of Buddha’s previous lives are mentioned in Jatak tales. These stories depict that Bodhisatva can be reincarnated in the form of Humans as well as beasts. Buddhcharit by Ashwaghosh holds the same place for Buddhists what Ramayana has for Hindus. In a long series of incarnations Buddha’s last Bodhisatva form was Sakyamuni.