Teachers

Buddha

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Spiritwalk Teachers: Buddha

Contents

Biography

Quotations

Literature

Notes

Bibliography

Links

Biography

Buddha:

A title given to the founder of a religion now called Buddhism. He was born in the Sakyan clan
in northern India and given the name Siddattha meaning "He who achieves his aim". His family
name was Gotama and his father Suddhodana is said to have been a king although he was
probably more like a clan chief. His mother, Maha Maya, died a few days after his birth and
he was brought up by his aunt Maha Pajapati Gotami. Little is known about his early life
beyond that he was brought up in great luxury, married at an early age and had one child, a
son named Rahula. At the age of 30 he renounced the world to become a wandering monk,
studied with two teachers, leaving each in turn when he felt that their doctrines were
inadequate, and experimented with self-mortification. Then at the age of 36 while meditating
at the small village of Uruvela he attained Nirvana after which he was known as the Buddha, a
title meaning "the Awakened One" or the "Enlightened One". For 40 years the Buddha
travelled widely throughout the Ganges valley teaching his Dharma and making disciples.
Finally he passed away while surrounded by many of his disciples in the village of Kusinara in
his eightieth year. His last words were" Now I say to you: all conditioned things are
impermanent, strive on with heedfulness" (Vayadhamma sankhara. Appamadena sampadetha).

Lifted from http://www.InstantWeb.com/~sparrow/

The Life of the Buddha



Over 2,500 years ago in northern India a
young prince named Siddhartha Gautama was
gripped by the realization that as human
beings we are all vulnerable to suffering
because of sickness, old age, and death. Six
years later, after an intensive quest, he
discovered an answer to this universal
problem of suffering through profound insight
into the nature of life.

As he began to share his understanding with
others, he became known as the "Buddha," or
Awakened One -- one who has come to
great depths of wisdom and compassion
through his own understanding. The Buddha's
teaching is referred to as the "Dharma," a
Sanskrit word meaning Truth or Nature or
simply, "the way things are."

Because the Buddha was simply a human
being, the qualities of love and wisdom that he
embodied are available to anyone who
follows his example. One who practices the
teaching of the Buddha is said to be a
member of the "Sangha," or community of
followers of the Dharma. These three facets
of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are known
collectively as the Three Refuges or the Triple
Gem.

After the Buddha's time, his teaching spread
from India throughout Asia. As it encountered
other cultures it took different forms. Three
main schools of Buddhism thrive in Asia
today. The Theravada (Way of the Elders)
still flourishes in Thailand, Burma, and Sri
Lanka. The Mahayana (Great Vehicle)
characterizes the various traditions within
China, Korea, and Japan. The Vajrayana
(Diamond Vehicle) is associated primarily
with Tibet. The teachers at Spirit Rock draw
primarily from the practices and teachings of
the Theravada but are also influenced by the
other Buddhist traditions.

from http://www.spiritrock.org/buddha.html

Quotations

The Buddha was asked, "Are you God?"

"No, " he said.

"Well, then, what are you?"

"Awake," said the Buddha.

~ Buddha

 

 

Just as a mother would protect her only child,

even at the risk of her own life,

even so let one cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.

 

~ Shakyamuni Buddha

 

 

Be a lamp into yourself!

Work out your liberation with diligence.

~ Buddha

Fill your mind with compassion.

~ Buddha

Literature

This is the short collection ~

       All this and more at the Spritwalk Traditions: Buddhism page

The Four Noble Truths

from The Dhammapada

    Be Awake

    Live in Joy

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

The Four Noble Truths

Monks, what is the noble truth about suffering?

Birth is suffering,

old age is suffering,

death is suffering,

grief, lamentation, discomfort, unhappiness and despair are suffering;

to wish for something and not obtain it is suffering;

briefly the five factors of attachment are suffering.

Monks, what is the noble truth about the origin of suffering?

Just this craving,

leading to rebirth,

accompanied by pleasure and emotion,

and finding satisfaction now here now there,

namely, the craving for sense-pleasure,

the craving for new life and the craving for annihilation.

Monks, what is the noble truth about the cessation of suffering?

Just the complete indifference to and cessation of that very craving,

the abandoning of it,

the rejection of it,

the freedom from it,

the aversion toward it.

Monks, what is the noble truth about the way that goes into the cessation of suffering?

Just this noble eightfold way,

namely, right view

right purpose,

right speech,

right action,

right livelihood,

right effort,

right mindfulness,

and right concentration.

~  The Buddha

from The Essential Mystics by Andrew Harvey

From The Dhammapada

Be awake

      from Jack Kornfield's book, Teachings of the Buddha

[As the Buddha was dying,
Ananda asked who would be their teacher after death.
He replied to his disciple…]

Be lamps unto yourselves.
Be refuges unto yourselves.
Take yourself no external refuge.
Hold fast to the truth as a lamp.
Hold fast to the truth as a refuge.
Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves.
And those, Ananda who either now or after I am dead,
Shall be a lamp unto themselves,
Shall betake themselves as no external refuge,
But holding fast to the truth as their lamp,
Holding fast to the truth as their refuge,
Shall not look for refuge to anyone else besides themselves,
It is they who shall reach to the very topmost height;
But they must be anxious to learn.

~  Buddha,
Quoted in Joseph Goldstein, The Experience of Insight

Samyutta Nikaya LVI.11

Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta

Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN LVI.11) -- Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion.

This is the Buddha's first discourse, delivered shortly after his Awakening to the group of five monks with whom he had practiced the austerities in the forest for many years. The sutta contains the essential teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Upon hearing this discourse, the monk Kondañña attained the first stage of Awakening, thus giving birth to the ariya sangha (Noble Sangha).

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Varanasi in the Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the group of five monks:

"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata -- producing vision, producing knowledge -- leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

"And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that -- producing vision, producing knowledge -- leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that -- producing vision, producing knowledge -- leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

"Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five aggregates of clinging/sustenance are stressful.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the craving that makes for further becoming -- accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there -- i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving.

"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path -- right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of stress'...'This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended'...'This noble truth of stress has been comprehended.'

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the origination of stress'...'This noble truth of the origination of stress is to be abandoned'...'This noble truth of the origination of stress has been abandoned.'

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the cessation of stress'...'This noble truth of the cessation of stress is to be directly experienced'...'This noble truth of the cessation of stress has been directly experienced.'

"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress'...'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be developed'...'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress has been developed.'

"And, monks, as long as this knowledge & vision of mine -- with its three rounds & twelve permutations concerning these four noble truths as they actually are present -- was not pure, I did not claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk. But as soon as this knowledge & vision of mine -- with its three rounds & twelve permutations concerning these four noble truths as they actually are present -- was truly pure, then I did claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk. Knowledge & vision arose in me: 'Unprovoked is my release. This is the last birth. There is now no further becoming.'"

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of five monks delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being given, there arose to Ven. Kondañña the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.

And when the Blessed One had set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion, the earth deities cried out: "At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or contemplative, deity, Mara or God or anyone in the cosmos." On hearing the earth deities' cry, the deities of the Four Kings' Heaven took up the cry...the deities of the Thirty-three...the Yama deities...the Tusita deities...the Nimmanarati deities...the Paranimmita-vasavatti deities...the deities of Brahma's retinue took up the cry: "At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or contemplative, deity, Mara, or God or anyone at all in the cosmos."

So in that moment, that instant, the cry shot right up to the Brahma worlds. And this ten-thousand fold cosmos shivered & quivered & quaked, while a great, measureless radiance appeared in the cosmos, surpassing the effulgence of the deities.

Then the Blessed One exclaimed: "So you really know, Kondañña? So you really know?" And that is how Ven. Kondañña acquired the name Añña-Kondañña -- Kondañña who knows.

Revised: 9 November 1998

Notes

Bibliography

Harvey, Andrew, The Essential Mystics

Kornfield, Jack, Teachings of the Buddha

a Handful of Leaves: Readings in Theravada Buddhism (CD Rom); http://world.std.com/~metta/

Links

http://world.std.com/~metta/

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