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Apr 19, 2010, 4:42:31 PM4/19/10

dhammam saranam gassami: Sid Harth

dhammam saranam gassami: Sid Harth
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dhammam saranam gassami

Gautama Buddha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Buddha)

“Buddha” and “Gautama” redirect here. For other uses, see Buddha
(disambiguation) and Gautama (disambiguation).

Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha

A statue of the Buddha from Sarnath, 4th century CE.
Born c. 563 BCE or 623 BCE
Lumbini, today in Nepal
Died c. 483 BCE or 543 BCE (aged 80)
Kushinagar, today in India
Ethnicity Shakya
Known for Founder of Buddhism
Predecessor Kassapa Buddha
Successor Maitreya Buddha

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Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali:सिद्धाथ गोतम
Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism.[1] In
most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (P.
sammāsambuddha, S. samyaksaṃbuddha ) of our age, “Buddha” meaning
“awakened one” or “the enlightened one.” [note 1] In Hindu traditions,
Buddha is regarded as one of the avatars of Vishnu.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The time of his birth and death are
uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c.
563 BCE to 483 BCE; more recently, however, at a specialist symposium
on this question,[15] the majority of those scholars who presented
definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE
for the Buddha’s death, with others supporting earlier or later dates.
[16]

Gautama, also known as Śākyamuni or Shakyamuni (“sage of the
Shakyas”), is the key figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life,
discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been
summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various
collections of teachings attributed to Gautama were passed down by
oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later.

Life

The primary sources of information regarding Siddhārtha Gautama’s life
are the Buddhist texts. According to these, the Buddha and his monks
spent four months each year discussing and rehearsing his teachings,
and after his death his monks set about preserving them. A council was
held shortly after his death, and another was held a century later. At
these councils the monks attempted to establish and authenticate the
extant accounts of the life and teachings of the Buddha following
systematic rules. They divided the teachings into distinct but
overlapping bodies of material, and assigned specific monks to
preserve each one.[17] In some cases, essential aspects of teachings
attributed to the Buddha were incorporated into stories and chants in
an effort to preserve them accurately.[18]

From then on, the teachings were transmitted orally. From internal
evidence it seems clear that the oldest texts crystallized into their
current form by the time of the second council or shortly after it.
The scriptures were not written down until three or four hundred years
after the Buddha’s death. By this point, the monks had added or
altered some material themselves, in particular magnifying the figure
of the Buddha.[17]

The ancient Indians were generally not concerned with chronologies,
being more focused on philosophy. The Buddhist texts reflect this
tendency, providing a clearer picture of what Shakyamuni may have
taught than of the dates of the events in his life. These texts
contain descriptions of the culture and daily life of ancient India
which can be corroborated from the Jain scriptures, and make the
Buddha’s time the earliest period in Indian history for which
significant accounts exist.[19] According to Michael Carrithers, there
are good reasons to doubt the traditional account, though, according
to Carrithers, the outline of “birth, maturity, renunciation, search,
awakening and liberation, teaching, death” must be true.[20]

Conception and birth

Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal.
Birth of Buddha at Lumbini. Picture of a painting in a Laotian
Temple.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama, Musée Guimet, Paris

Siddhartha was born in Lumbini[21] and raised in the small kingdom or
principality of Kapilvastu, both of which are in modern day Nepal[22].
At the time of the Buddha’s birth, the area was at or beyond the
boundary of Vedic civilization, the dominant culture of northern India
at the time; it is even possible that his mother tongue was not an
Indo-Aryan language.[23] The early texts suggest that Gautama was not
familiar with the dominant religious teachings of his time until he
left on his religious search, which was motivated by an existential
concern with the human condition.[24] At the time, a multitude of
small city-states existed in Ancient India, called Janapadas.
Republics and chiefdoms with diffused political power and limited
social stratification, were not uncommon amongst them, and were
referred to as gana-sanghas.[25] The Buddha’s community does not seem
to have had a caste system. It was not a monarchy, and seems to have
been structured either as an oligarchy, or as a form of republic.[26]
The more egalitarian gana-sangha form of government, as a political
alternative to the strongly hierarchical kingdoms, may have influenced
the development of the Shramana type Jain and Buddhist sanghas, where
monarchies tended toward Vedic Brahmanism.[27]

According to the traditional biography, the Buddha’s father was King
Suddhodana, the leader of Shakya clan, whose capital was Kapilavastu,
and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the
Buddha’s lifetime; Gautama was the family name. His mother, Queen Maha
Maya (Māyādevī) and Suddhodana’s wife, was a Koliyan princess. On the
night Siddhartha was conceived, Queen Maya dreamt that a white
elephant with six white tusks entered her right side,[28] and ten
months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when
his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilvastu for her
father’s kingdom to give birth. However, she gave birth on the way, at
Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree.

The day of the Buddha’s birth is widely celebrated in Theravada
countries as Vesak.[29] Various sources hold that the Buddha’s mother
died at his birth, a few days or seven days later. The infant was
given the name Siddhartha (Pāli: Siddhatta), meaning “he who achieves
his aim”. During the birth celebrations, the hermit seer Asita
journeyed from his mountain abode and announced that the child would
either become a great king (chakravartin) or a great holy man.[30]
This occurred after Siddhartha placed his feet in Asita’s hair and
Asita examined the birthmarks. Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on
the fifth day, and invited eight brahmin scholars to read the future.
All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great
king or a great holy man.[30] Kaundinya (Pali: Kondanna), the
youngest, and later to be the first arahant other than the Buddha, was
the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become
a Buddha.[31]

While later tradition and legend characterized Śuddhodana as a
hereditary monarch, the descendant of the Solar Dynasty of Ikṣvāku
(Pāli: Okkāka), many scholars believe that Śuddhodana was the elected
chief of a tribal confederacy.

Early life and marriage

Siddhartha, said to have been destined to a luxurious life as a
prince, had three palaces (for seasonal occupation) especially built
for him. His father, King Śuddhodana, wishing for Siddhartha to be a
great king, shielded his son from religious teachings or knowledge of
human suffering. Siddhartha was brought up by his mother’s younger
sister, Maha Pajapati.[32]

As the boy reached the age of 16, his father arranged his marriage to
Yaśodharā (Pāli: Yasodharā), a cousin of the same age. According to
the traditional account, in time, she gave birth to a son, Rahula.
Siddhartha spent 29 years as a Prince in Kapilavastu. Although his
father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could
want or need, Siddhartha felt that material wealth was not the
ultimate goal of life.[32]

Departure and Ascetic Life

The Buddha travelled the plain of the Ganges river, where his
philosophy attracted followers.
The Great Departure. Gandhara, 2nd century.
Prince Siddharta shaves his hair and become an ascetic. Borobudur, 8th
century.At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace in order to meet
his subjects. Despite his father’s effort to remove the sick, aged and
suffering from the public view, Siddhartha was said to have seen an
old man[citation needed]. Disturbed by this, when told that all people
would eventually grow old by his charioteer Channa, the prince went on
further trips where he encountered, variously, a diseased man, a
decaying corpse, and an ascetic. Deeply depressed by these sights, he
sought to overcome old age, illness, and death by living the life of
an ascetic[citation needed].

Siddhartha escaped his palace, accompanied by Channa aboard his horse
Kanthaka, leaving behind this royal life to become a mendicant. It is
said that, “the horse’s hooves were muffled by the gods”[33] to
prevent guards from knowing of the Bodhisatta’s departure. This event
is traditionally called “The Great Departure”. Siddhartha initially
went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the
street. Having been recognised by the men of King Bimbisara, Bimbisara
offered him the throne after hearing of Siddhartha’s quest. Siddhartha
rejected the offer, but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha
first, upon attaining enlightenment.

Siddhartha left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers.
After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama (Skr. Ārāḍa Kālāma),
Siddhartha was asked by Kalama to succeed him, but moved on after
being unsatisfied with his practices. He then became a student of
Udaka Ramaputta (Skr. Udraka Rāmaputra), but although he achieved high
levels of meditative consciousness and was asked to succeed Ramaputta,
he was still not satisfied with his path, and moved on.[34]

Gandhara Buddha. 1st–2nd century CE, Tokyo National Museum.Siddhartha
and a group of five companions led by Kaundinya then set out to take
their austerities even further. They tried to find enlightenment
through near total deprivation of worldly goods, including food,
practising self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death
by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, he
collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha
began to reconsider his path. Then, he remembered a moment in
childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season’s
plowing. Looking near his feet he noticed the insects that lived there
and realized that they would die or be displaced by the plowing. He
then realized that all life is connected. With this revelation he
attained a concentrated and focused state that was blissful and
refreshing, the jhāna.

Enlightenment

After asceticism and concentrating on meditation and Anapana-sati
(awareness of breathing in and out), Siddhartha is said to have
discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way—a path of moderation
away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. He
accepted a little milk and rice pudding from a village girl named
Sujata, who wrongly believed him to be the spirit that had granted her
a wish, such was his emaciated appearance. Then, sitting under a pipal
tree, now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, he vowed never
to arise until he had found the Truth. Kaundinya and the other four
companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become
undisciplined, left. After 49 days meditating, at the age of 35, he
attained Enlightenment; according to some traditions, this occurred
approximately in the fifth lunar month, and according to others in the
twelfth. Gautama, from then on, was known as the Buddha or “Awakened
One.” Buddha is also sometimes translated as “The Enlightened One.”
Often, he is referred to in Buddhism as Shakyamuni Buddha or “The
Awakened One of the Shakya Clan.”

At this point, he is believed to have realized complete awakening and
insight into the nature and cause of human suffering which was
ignorance, along with steps necessary to eliminate it. This was then
categorized into ‘Four Noble Truths’; the state of supreme liberation—
possible for any being—was called Nirvana. He then allegedly came to
possess the Ten Characteristics, which are said to belong to every
Buddha.

According to one of the stories in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya
VI.1), a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons, immediately
after his Enlightenment, the Buddha was wondering whether or not he
should teach the Dharma to human beings. He was concerned that, as
human beings were overpowered by greed, hatred and delusion, they
would not be able to see the true dharma, which was subtle, deep and
hard to understand. However, Brahmā Sahampati interceded and asked
that he teach the dharma to the world, as “there will be those who
will understand the Dharma”. With his great compassion to all beings
in the universe, the Buddha agreed to become a teacher.

Formation of the sangha

Painting of the first sermon depicted at Wat Chedi Liem in
Thailand.After becoming enlightened, two merchants whom the Buddha
met, named Tapussa and Bhallika became the first lay disciples. They
are given some hairs from the Buddha’s head, which are believed to now
be enshrined in the Shwe Dagon Temple in Rangoon, Burma. The Buddha
intended to visit Asita, and his former teachers, Alara Kalama and
Uddaka Ramaputta to explain his findings, but they had already died.

The Buddha thus journeyed to Deer Park near Vārāṇasī (Benares) in
northern India, he set in motion the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his
first sermon to the group of five companions with whom he had
previously sought enlightenment. They, together with the Buddha,
formed the first saṅgha, the company of Buddhist monks, and hence, the
first formation of Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) was
completed, with Kaundinya becoming the first stream-enterer. All five
soon become arahants, and with the conversion of Yasa and fifty four
of his friends, the number of arahants swelled to 60 within the first
two months. The conversion of the three Kassapa brothers and their
200, 300 and 500 disciples swelled the sangha over 1000, and they were
dispatched to explain the dharma to the populace.

It is unknown what the Buddha’s mother tongue was, and no conclusive
documentation has been made at this point. It is likely that he
preached and his teachings were originally preserved in a variety of
closely related Middle Indo-Aryan dialects, of which Pali may be a
standardization.

Travels and teaching

Buddha with his protector Vajrapani, Gandhara, 2nd century CE,
Ostasiatische Kunst MuseumFor the remaining 45 years of his life, the
Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal, teaching his doctrine and
discipline to an extremely diverse range of people— from nobles to
outcaste street sweepers, mass murderers such as Angulimala and
cannibals such as Alavaka. This extended to many adherents of rival
philosophies and religions. The Buddha founded the community of
Buddhist monks and nuns (the Sangha) to continue the dispensation
after his Parinirvāna (Pāli: Parinibbāna) or “complete Nirvāna”, and
made thousands of converts. His religion was open to all races and
classes and had no caste structure. He was also subject to attack from
opposition religious groups, including attempted murders and framings.

The sangha travelled from place to place in India, expounding the
dharma. This occurred throughout the year, except during the four
months of the vassana rainy season. Due to the heavy amount of
flooding, travelling was difficult, and ascetics of all religions in
that time did not travel, since it was more difficult to do so without
stepping on submerged animal life, unwittingly killing them. During
this period, the sangha would retreat to a monastery, public park or a
forest and people would come to them.

The first vassana was spent at Varanasi when the sangha was first
formed. After this, he travelled to Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha
to visit King Bimbisara, in accordance with his promise after
enlightenment. It was during this visit that Sariputta and
Mahamoggallana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five
disciples; they were to become the Buddha’s two foremost disciples.
The Buddha then spent the next three seasons at Veluvana Bamboo Grove
monastery in Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha. The monastery, which
was of a moderate distance from the city centre was donated by
Bimbisara.

Upon hearing of the enlightenment, Suddhodana dispatched royal
delegations to ask the Buddha to return to Kapilavastu. Nine
delegations were sent in all, but the delegates joined the sangha and
became arahants. Neglecting worldly matters, they did not convey their
message. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi, a childhood friend,
resulted in the message being successfully conveyed as well as
becoming an arahant. Since it was not the vassana, the Buddha agreed,
and two years after his enlightenment, took a two month journey to
Kapilavastu by foot, preaching the dharma along the way. Upon his
return, the royal palace had prepared the midday meal, but since no
specific invitation had come, the sangha went for an alms round in
Kapilavastu. Hearing this, Suddhodana hastened to approach the Buddha,
stating “Ours is the warrior lineage of Mahamassata, and not a single
warrior has gone seeking alms”, to which the Buddha replied

That is not the custom of your royal lineage. But it is the custom of
my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by seeking
alms
Suddhodana invited the sangha back to the royal palace for the meal,
followed by a dharma talk, after which he became a sotapanna. During
the visit, many members of the royal family joined the sangha. His
cousins Ananda and Anuruddha were to become two of his five chief
disciples. His son Rahula also joined the sangha at the age of seven,
and was one of the ten chief disciples. His half-brother Nanda also
joined the sangha and became an arahant. Another cousin Devadatta also
became a monk although he later became an enemy and tried to kill the
Buddha on multiple occasions.

Of his disciples, Sariputta, Mahamoggallana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and
Anuruddha comprised the five chief disciples. His ten foremost
disciples were completed by the quintet of Upali, Subhoti, Rahula,
Mahakaccana and Punna.

In the fifth vassana, the Buddha was staying at Mahavana near Vesali.
Hearing of the impending death of Suddhodana, the Buddha went to his
father and preached the dharma, and Suddhodana became an arahant prior
to death. The death and cremation led to the creation of the order of
nuns. Buddhist texts record that he was reluctant to ordain women as
nuns. His foster mother Maha Pajapati approached him asking to join
the sangha, but the Buddha refused, and began the journey from
Kapilavastu back to Rajagaha. Maha Pajapati was so intent on
renouncing the world that she led a group of royal Sakyan and Koliyan
ladies, following the sangha to Rajagaha. The Buddha eventually
accepted them five years after the formation of the Sangha on the
grounds that their capacity for enlightenment was equal to that of
men, but he gave them certain additional rules (Vinaya) to follow.
This occurred after Ananda interceded on their behalf. Yasodhara also
became a nun, with both becoming arahants.

Devadatta tries to attack the Buddha. Picture of a wallpainting in a
Laotian monastery.During his ministry, Devadatta (who was not an
arahant) frequently tried to undermine the Buddha. At one point
Devadatta asked the Buddha to stand aside to let him lead the sangha.
The Buddha declined, and stated that Devadatta’s actions did not
reflect on the Triple Gem, but on him alone. Devadatta conspired with
Prince Ajatasattu, son of Bimbisara, so that they would kill and usurp
the Buddha and Bimbisara respectively. Devadatta attempted three times
to kill the Buddha. The first attempt involved the hiring of a group
of archers, whom upon meeting the Buddha became disciples. A second
attempt followed when Devadatta attempted to roll a large boulder down
a hill. It hit another rock and splintered, only grazing the Buddha in
the foot. A final attempt by plying an elephant with alcohol and
setting it loose again failed. Failing this, Devadatta attempted to
cause a schism in the sangha, by proposing extra restrictions on the
vinaya. When the Buddha declined, Devadatta started a breakaway order,
criticising the Buddha’s laxity. At first, he managed to convert some
of the bhikkhus, but Sariputta and Mahamoggallana expounded the dharma
to them and succeeded in winning them back.

When the Buddha reached the age of 55, he made Ananda his chief
attendant.

Death / Mahaparinirvana

An artist`s portrayal of Buddha’s entry into Parinirvana.According to
the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali canon, at the age of 80, the
Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana or the final
deathless state abandoning the earthly body. After this, the Buddha
ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a
blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his
attendant Ānanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place
had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source
of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha.[35]
Mettanando and von Hinüber argue that the Buddha died of mesenteric
infarction, a symptom of old age, rather than food poisoning.[36] The
precise contents of the Buddha’s final meal are not clear, due to
variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of
certain significant terms; the Theravada tradition generally believes
that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana
tradition believes that the Buddha consumed some sort of truffle or
other mushroom.

The sharing of the relics of the Buddha, Zenyōmitsu-Temple Museum,
Tokyo

Buddha relics from Kanishka’s stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan, now in
Mandalay, Burma. Teresa Merrigan, 2005The Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra
claims, in Chapter 3, that the Buddha doesn’t really become ill or old
but purposely presents such an appearance only to teach those born
into samsara about the impermanence and pain of defiled worlds and to
encourage them to strive for Nirvana.

“Reverend Ánanda, the Tathágatas have the body of the Dharma—not a
body that is sustained by material food. The Tathágatas have a
transcendental body that has transcended all mundane qualities. There
is no injury to the body of a Tathágata, as it is rid of all
defilements. The body of a Tathágata is uncompounded and free of all
formative activity. Reverend Ánanda, to believe there can be illness
in such a body is irrational and unseemly!’ Nevertheless, since the
Buddha has appeared during the time of the five corruptions, he
disciplines living beings by acting lowly and humble.”[14]
Ananda protested Buddha’s decision to enter Parinirvana in the
abandoned jungles of Kuśināra (present-day Kushinagar, India) of the
Malla kingdom. Buddha, however, reminded Ananda how Kushinara was a
land once ruled by a righteous wheel-turning king that resounded with
joy:

44. Kusavati, Ananda, resounded unceasingly day and night with ten
sounds—the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the
rattling of chariots, the beating of drums and tabours, music and
song, cheers, the clapping of hands, and cries of “Eat, drink, and be
merry!”

Buddha then asked all the attendant Bhikshus to clarify any doubts or
questions they had. They had none. He then finally entered
Parinirvana. The Buddha’s final words were, “All composite things pass
away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.” The Buddha’s
body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas,
some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For
example, The Temple of the Tooth or “Dalada Maligawa” in Sri Lanka is
the place where the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at
present.

According to the Pāli historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, the
Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa, the coronation of Aśoka (Pāli: Asoka) is 218
years after the death of Buddha. According to one Mahayana record in
Chinese (十八部論 and 部執異論), the coronation of Aśoka is 116 years after
the death of Buddha. Therefore, the time of Buddha’s passing is either
486 BCE according to Theravāda record or 383 BCE according to Mahayana
record. However, the actual date traditionally accepted as the date of
the Buddha’s death in Theravāda countries is 544 or 543 BCE, because
the reign of Aśoka was traditionally reckoned to be about 60 years
earlier than current estimates.

At his death, the Buddha told his disciples to follow no leader, but
to follow his teachings (dharma). However, at the First Buddhist
Council, Mahakasyapa was held by the sangha as their leader, with the
two chief disciples Mahamoggallana and Sariputta having died before
the Buddha.

Physical characteristics
Main article: Physical characteristics of the Buddha

For the Fat or Laughing Buddha, see Budai.

The 8m tall statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in the Tawang Monastery.

Buddha Daibutsu in Kamakura, Japan.Buddha is perhaps one of the few
sages for whom we have mention of his rather impressive physical
characteristics. A kshatriya by birth, he had military training in his
upbringing, and by Shakyan tradition was required to pass tests to
demonstrate his worthiness as a warrior in order to marry. He had a
strong enough body to be noticed by one of the kings and was asked to
join his army as a general. He is also believed by Buddhists to have
“the 32 Signs of the Great Man”.

The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as “handsome, good-looking, and
pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful complexion. He has a
godlike form and countenance, he is by no means unattractive.”(D,I:
115).

“It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene is the good Gotama’s
appearance, how clear and radiant his complexion, just as the golden
jujube in autumn is clear and radiant, just as a palm-tree fruit just
loosened from the stalk is clear and radiant, just as an adornment of
red gold wrought in a crucible by a skilled goldsmith, deftly beaten
and laid on a yellow-cloth shines, blazes and glitters, even so, the
good Gotama’s senses are calmed, his complexion is clear and
radiant.” (A,I:181)

A disciple named Vakkali, who later became an Arahant, was so obsessed
by Buddha’s physical presence that Buddha had to tell him to stop and
reminded Vakkali to know Buddha through the Dhamma and not physical
appearances.

Although the Buddha was not represented in human form until around the
1st century CE (see Buddhist art), the physical characteristics of
fully-enlightened Buddhas are described by the Buddha in the Digha
Nikaya’s Lakkhaṇa Sutta (D,I:142).[37] In addition, the Buddha’s
physical appearance is described by Yasodhara to their son Rahula upon
the Buddha’s first post-Enlightenment return to his former princely
palace in the non-canonical Pali devotional hymn, Narasīha Gāthā (“The
Lion of Men”).[38]

Teachings
Main article: Buddhist philosophy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_philosophy

Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd century CE.Some scholars believe that
some portions of the Pali Canon and the Agamas could contain the
actual substance of the historical teachings (and possibly even the
words) of the Buddha.[39][40] This is not the case for the later
Mahayana sutras.[41] The scriptural works of Early Buddhism precede
the Mahayana works chronologically, and are treated by many Western
scholars as the main credible source for information regarding the
actual historical teachings of Gautama Buddha.

Some of the fundamentals of the teachings of Gautama Buddha are:

The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an inherent part of
existence; that the origin of suffering is ignorance and the main
symptoms of that ignorance are attachment and craving; that attachment
and craving can be ceased; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path
will lead to the cessation of attachment and craving and therefore
suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, right thought, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right concentration.
Dependent origination: that any phenomenon ‘exists’ only because of
the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in a complex web of cause and
effect covering time past, present and future. Because all things are
thus conditioned and transient (anicca), they have no real independent
identity (anatta).

Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should
not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are
praised by the wise. See the Kalama Sutta for details.

Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things are impermanent.

Dukkha (Sanskrit: duḥkha): That all beings suffer from all situations
due to unclear mind.

Anatta (Sanskrit: anātman): That the perception of a constant “self”
is an illusion.

However, in some Mahayana schools, these points have come to be
regarded as more or less subsidiary. There is some disagreement
amongst various schools of Buddhism over more esoteric aspects of
Buddha’s teachings, and also over some of the disciplinary rules for
monks.

According to tradition, the Buddha emphasized ethics and correct
understanding. He questioned the average person’s notions of divinity
and salvation. He stated that there is no intermediary between mankind
and the divine; distant gods are subjected to karma themselves in
decaying heavens; and the Buddha is solely a guide and teacher for the
sentient beings who must tread the path of Nirvāṇa (Pāli: Nibbāna)
themselves to attain the spiritual awakening called bodhi and see
truth and reality as it is. The Buddhist system of insight and
meditation practice is not believed to have been revealed divinely,
but by the understanding of the true nature of the mind, which must be
discovered by personally treading a spiritual path guided by the
Buddha’s teachings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics

Further reading

Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. (New York: Penguin Books, 2001).
Bechert, Heinz (ed.) (1996) When Did the Buddha Live? The Controversy
on the Dating of the Historical Buddha. Delhi: Sri Satguru.
Sathe, Shriram: Dates of the Buddha. Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana
Samiti, Hyderabad 1987.
Susan Roth: Buddha. (New York : Delacorte Press, 1994).
Deepak Chopra: Buddha. (Newsarama, 2008).
Jon Ortner: Buddha. (New York : Welcome Books, 2003).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gautama Buddha
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Gautama Buddha

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Gautama Buddha

A sketch of the Buddha’s Life http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/buddha.html
Critical Resources: Buddha and Buddhism http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/ejournal/buddhist.htm
What Was The Buddha Like? by Ven S. Dhammika
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/disciples05.htm

What Was The Buddha Like?

18. So extraordinary was the Buddha, so unerringly kind and wise and
so positive was an encounter with him, that is would change people’s
lives. Even while he was alive legends were told about him. In the
centuries after his final Nirvana it sometimes got to the stage that
the legends and myths obscured the very real human being behind them
and the Buddha came to be looked upon as a god. Actually the Buddha
was a human being, not a ‘mere human being’ as is sometimes said, but
a special class of human being called a complete person (mahapurisa).
Such complete persons are born no different from others and indeed
physically they always remain quite ordinary. But through their own
efforts they bring to completion every human potential and their
mental purity and understanding develop to the stage where they far
exceed those of ordinary human beings. A Buddha, a complete person, is
even higher than a god because he or she is even free from the
jealousy, anger and favouritism that we are told a god is still
capable of feeling.

19. So what was the Buddha like? What would it have been like to meet
him? The Buddha was about six feet tall with coal black hair and a
golden brown complexion. When he was still a layman he wore his hair
and beard long but, on renouncing the world, shaved them both like
every other monk.[ N1 ] All sources agree that the Buddha was
strikingly handsome. The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as “handsome,
good-looking, and pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful
complexion. He has a godlike form and countenance, he is by no means
unattractive.”[ N2 ] Vacchagotta said this of him:

But of course as he got older his body succumbed to impermanence as do
all compounded things. Ananda described him in his old age like this:

“It is strange, Lord, it is a wonder how the Exalted One’s skin is no
longer clear and radiant, how all his limbs are slack and wrinkled,
how stooped his body is and how a change is to be seen in eye, ear,
nose, tongue and body.”[ N4 ]

In the last year before his final Nirvana the Buddha said this of
himself:

“I am now old, worn out, venerable, one who has walked life’s path,
and I have reached the end of my life, being now eighty. Just as an
old cart can only be kept going by being held together with straps, so
too the Tathagata’s body can only be kept going by being held together
with bandages.”[ N5 ]

However, in his prime people were attracted by the Buddha’s physical
good looks as much as they were by his pleasant personality and his
Dharma. Just to be in his presence could have a noticeable effect upon
people. Once Sariputta met Nakulapita and noticing his peaceful
demeanour said to him: “Householder, your senses are calmed, your
complexion is clear and radiant, I suppose today you have had a talk
face to face with the Exalted One?” Nakulapita replied: “How could it
be otherwise, master? I have just now been sprinkled with the nectar
[…]“[ N6 ]

20. The Buddha was a masterful public speaker. With a pleasant voice,
good looks and poise combined with the appeal of what he said, he was
able to enthral his audience. Uttara described what he saw at a
gathering where the Buddha was speaking like this:

“When he is teaching Dharma to an assembly in a park he does not exalt
them or disparage them but rather he delights, uplifts, inspires and
gladdens them with talk on Dharma. The sound that comes from the good
Gotama’s mouth has eight characteristics: It is distinct and
intelligible, sweet and audible, fluent and clear, deep and resonant.
Therefore, when the good Gotama instructs an assembly, his voice does
not go beyond that assembly. After being delighted, uplifted, inspired
and gladdened, that assembly, rising from their seats, depart
reluctantly, keeping their eyes upon him.”[ N7 ]

King Pasenadi once expressed his amazement at how silent and attentive
people were when listening to the Buddha’s talk.

“I am a noble anointed king, able to execute those deserving
execution, fine those deserving a fine or exile those deserving exile.
But when I am deciding a case sometimes people interrupt even me.
Sometimes I don’t even get a chance to say: ‘While I am speaking, sir,
don’t interrupt me.’ But when the Lord is teaching the Dharma to
various assemblies, at that time not even the sound of coughing is to
be heard from the Lord’s disciples. Once, when the Lord was teaching
the Dharma a monk did cough; one of his fellows in the holy life
tapped him on the knee and said: ‘Quiet, make no noise, the Lord, our
teacher, is teaching Dharma.’ When I saw this I thought: ‘It is
wonderful, truly marvellous, how well-trained, without stick or sword
this assembly is.’”[N8]

21. Although the Buddha never gave cause for people to dislike him,
there were people who did, sometimes out of jealousy, sometimes
because they disagreed with his Dharma and sometimes because he held
up their beliefs to the cold light of reason. Once, when he was
staying at Kapilavatthu, Dandapani the Sakyan asked him what he taught
and when the Buddha told him, Dandapani was not impressed, “shaking
his head, wagging his tongue he departed leaning on his stick, his
brow furrowed into three wrinkles”.[ N9 ] The Buddha did not chase
after him trying to convince him of the truth of his message. The
Buddha responded to all criticism by calmly and clearly explaining why
he did what he did and where necessary correcting misunderstanding
that gave rise to the criticism. He was always unflustered, polite and
smiling in the face of criticism and he urged his disciples to be the
same.

“If anyone should criticise me, the Dharma or the Sangha, you should
not on that account be angry, resentful or upset. For if you were,
that would hinder you, and you would be unable to know whether they
said right or wrong, would you?”
“No, Lord.”
“So, if others criticise me, the Dharma or the Sangha, then simply
explain what is incorrect, saying: ‘That is incorrect, that is not
right, that is not our way, and we do not do that.’”[ N10 ]

Sometimes the Buddha was not criticised but rather abused ‘with rude,
harsh words’. At such times, he usually maintained a dignified
silence.

22. The Buddha is often seen as a gentle and loving person and indeed
he was, but that didn’t mean that he would not himself be critical
when he thought it was necessary. He was very critical of some of the
other ascetic groups of the time, believing that their false doctrines
misled people. About the Jains he said: “The Jains are unbelievers,
immoral, shameless and reckless. They are not companions of good men
and they exalt themselves and disparage others. The Jains cling to
material things and refuse to let go of them. They are rogues, of evil
desires and perverse views.”[ N11 ] When, through misunderstanding,
Buddhist monks taught distorted versions of the Dharma, the Buddha
would reprimand them, saying: “You foolish man, how could you think
that I would teach Dharma like that!”[ N12 ] But his reprimands and
rebukes were never to hurt but to spur people to make more efforts or
to re-examine their actions or beliefs.

23. The Buddha’s daily routine was a very full one. He would sleep at
night for only one hour, wake up and spend the early morning in
meditation, often doing loving-kindness meditation. At dawn he would
often walk up and down for exercise and later talk to people who came
to visit him. Just before noon, he would take his robe and bowl and go
into the nearest city, town or village to beg for alms. He would stand
silently at each door and gratefully receive in his bowl whatever food
people cared to offer. When he got enough, he would return to the
place he was staying at or perhaps go to a nearby woodland area to
eat. He used to eat only once a day. After he had become famous, he
would often be invited to people’s homes for a meal and, being an
honoured guest, he would be given sumptuous food, something other
ascetics criticised him for. On such occasions he would eat, wash his
own hands and bowl after the meal and then give a short Dharma talk.
Straight after his meal he would usually lie down to rest or sometimes
to have a short sleep. As at night, it was the Buddha’s habit to lie
in the lion posture (sihasana) on his right side, with one hand under
his head and the feet placed on each other. In the afternoon he would
talk to people who had come to see him, give instruction to monks or,
where appropriate, go to visit people in order to talk to them about
the Dharma. Late at night when everyone was asleep, the Buddha would
sit in silence and sometimes devas would appear and ask him questions.
Like other monks, the Buddha would usually wander from place to place
for nine months of the year, which gave him many opportunities to meet
people, and then settle down for the three months of the rainy season
(vassa). During the rains he would usually stay in one of the huts
(kuti) that had been built for him at various locations like the
Vultures Peak, the Jetavana or the Bamboo Grove. Ananda would tell
visitors approaching the Buddha’s abode to cough or knock and that the
Buddha would open the door. Sometimes the Buddha would instruct Ananda
not to let people disturb him. We read of one man who, on being told
that the Buddha did not wish to see anyone, sat down in front of the
Buddha’s residence saying: “I am not going until I see him.” When he
was wandering the Buddha would sleep anywhere – under a tree, in a
roadside rest house, in a potter’s shed. Once Hatthaka saw the Buddha
sleeping out in the open and asked him: “Are you happy?” The Buddha
answered that he was. Then Hatthaka said: “But sir, the winter nights
are cold, the dark half of the moon is the time of frost. The ground
has been trampled hard by the hooves of the cattle, the carpet of
fallen leaves is thin, there are few leaves on the trees, your yellow
robes are thin and the wind is cold.” The Buddha reaffirmed that
despite his simple and austere lifestyle he was still happy.[ N13 ]

24. Because he had such a busy teaching schedule and because he was so
often approached for advice on different matters, sometimes he felt
the need to be completely alone. On several occasions, he told Ananda
he was going into solitude and that only those who were bringing him
his food were to come and see him.[ N14 ] The Buddha’s critics claimed
that he only went into solitude because he found it difficult to
answer people’s questions and because he wanted to avoid public
debates. The ascetic Nigrodha said of him: “The ascetic Gotama’s
wisdom is destroyed by the solitary life, he is not used to
assemblies, he is not good at debates, and he has got out of
touch.”[ N15 ] But usually, the Buddha made himself available for
anyone who needed him – for comfort, for inspiration, for guidance in
walking the path. Indeed, the most attractive and noticeable thing
about the Buddha’s personality was the love and compassion that he
showered towards everybody, it seemed that these qualities were the
motive of everything he did. The Buddha himself said: “When the
Tathagata or the Tathagata’s disciples live in the world, it is done
for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of
compassion for the world.”[ N16 ]

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/disciples05.htm

http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/dhammam-saranam-gassami-sid-harth/

…and I am Sid Harth

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