Oct 22, 2011

Buddha The Enlightened One

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In Pali cannon, in the course of his dialogue with a Brahmin called Dona, the Buddha indicates that his value is not in human form:



Then Dona, following the Lord's footprints, saw that he was sitting under a tree, calmly, faith inspiring, his sense faculties being peaceful, having attained the calm of uttermost control, restrained, tamed and guarding his sense faculties. Seeing the 'elephant' (the great being), Dona approached the Lord and said:



"Is your reverence a deva [a god]?"



"No indeed, Brahmin, I am not a deva."



"Then a gandharva [a heavenly being]?"



"No indeed, Brahmin."



"A yaksha [a non-human spirit] then?"



"No indeed, Brahmin, I am not a yaksha."



"Then is your reverence a human being ?"



"No indeed, Brahmin, I am not really a human being."



"You answer 'no' to all my questions.



"Who then is your reverence?"



The Buddha then said:



"Take it that I am Buddha, Brahmin."  (Anguttara Nikaya.ii,p.37-39)



As the well known Japanese Buddhist scholar Junjiro Takakusu (1866-1945) has noted, the Buddha further added:



If you keep to my teaching and practise them, is it not the same as if my Dharma body remained here forever?" 



Explaining this, Takakusu says, "The Dharamakaya here means his body remains as Dharma........after the death of his physical body. (Junjiro Takakusu, . Essentials of Buddhist Philosphy, Page 133).



The Pali Cannon also illuminates the meaning of Sambhogakaya (the blissful or glorious body) when the Buddha is described as visiting various gods and their abodes in his heavenly, non physical embodiment. For example, the Buddha visited Baka Brahma, as one of the gods of Buddhism, and Mara, the tempter in Buddhism, while the Brahma was holding court with his assembly of gods. There, the Buddha urged Baka Brahma to give up his misconception that his world was eternal. 



The Gautama Buddha, a prince of the Sakhya clan of Kapilavastu, a small kingdom at the foothills of the Himalayas. He is arguably the greatest Indian ever, and one of the greatest thinkers in the history of the world. Most of what we know of him comes to us from various Buddhist literature, memorized, and orally transmitted from generation to generation, and finally written down nearly four hundred years after his death in 483 B. C. Even though he was certainly a historical figure, most supernatural events, and irrational beliefs attributed to him must certainly be due to embellishment by overenthusiastic later adherents of Buddhism. Most of the initial converts were Brahmins, who brought with them their Brahmanic baggage. I am certain that the Buddha, a rationalist to boot, would have a hearty laugh at most mindless rituals practiced by various Buddhist sects around the world. 


Siddhartha Gautama was perhaps over three thousand years ahead of his time. He was the product of the post-Vedic ‘Age of Disillusionment”. During the period of 1000-200 B. C. intellectuals of India were uniformly disgusted by the twin scourges of decadent Brahmanism: Rampant animal sacrifices sponsored by kings and officiated by Brahmins; and inequities associated with Varna Dharma -the class system based on the theory of unequal distribution of the Gunas of Prakriti and Karma (comeuppance) from one’s previous lives. 


Kutadanta Sutta describes a parable told by the Buddha to a Brahmin who wanted to perform a big sacrifice. In this parable, a king by the name of Mahavijita decides to perform a great sacrifice, “that would be to my benefit and happiness for a long time.” Recognizing the fact that the additional taxation required for this ostentatious Yajna would ruin people and the country, his wise minister, a capitalist to boot, tells the king instead to invest that money to, “get rid of the thieves and robbers plaguing the country; distribute grain and fodder to peasants; give capital to businessmen; and pay government servants proper wages.” This quintessential minister concludes, “Then those people, being intent on their own occupations, will not harm the kingdom; your majesty’s revenues will be great; the land will be tranquil, and not beset by thieves; and the people, with joy in their hearts, playing with their children, will dwell in open houses.” Thus enlightened, the king followed his minister’s advice and consequently his kingdom prospered. This advice is valid for Indian government to this very day.



After his enlightenment the Buddha declared:


Samyutta Nikaya: Rohitasutta: In this very one-fathom-long body along with its perceptions and thoughts, do I proclaim the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world, and the path leading to the cessation of the world.


When the Buddha said “world” he was referring to the “miserable world” he lived in.

What he said were simple Truths: 1. Dukkha -sorrow pervades this world. 2. The cause of Dukkha is desire and attachment to sense objects (people, money, power, title, heaven, etc.) 3. The goal in life should be cessation of Dukkha. 4. This can be achieved by the Eightfold Path, which has to do with all the functions of the mind:

1. Right Understanding. 2. Right Thoughts. 3. Right Speech. 4. Right Action. 5. Right Livelihood. 6. Right Effort. 7. Right Mindfulness, and 8. Right Concentration.


It does not take a psychiatrist or for that matter a rocket scientist to recognize the truths in these statements. Indeed, accepting the reality of the above statements and diligently following the Middle Path would certainly alleviate much stress and consequent Dukkha in this world. The Buddha did not ask anyone to give up his family and become a Bhikku, the begging monk. The order of monks, Sangha, was developed to spread the rational message of the Buddha to the irrational people living in the Dukkha-stricken Brahmanic world.


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