Buddha’s Journey towards Enlightenment
6th Century BC- A Golden period of religious freedom in India
It was perhaps the riches and economic prosperity that had given rise to a cult of atheism and materialism in India in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. It is said that religion does not flourish under prosperity. Under such circumstances, the senses free themselves from religious restraints and formulate doctrines to support such freedom. The Buddha was born during such a period. The lofty philosophical doctrines and beliefs of the grand old religion (Hinduism) were questioned by nihilists, atheists, materialists and agnostics alike. The later Upanishads and other Buddhist texts have ample references to support this.
The Swasanved Upanishad denies the existence of god, heaven, hell and reincarnation. It declares that the Vedas and other religious texts are works of foolish minds. Their ideas are nothing but illusions and that gullible people are deluded by the flowery words into believing in gods, temples, whereas in reality, there is no difference between god and a dog. The Chandogya Upanishad pokes fun at the conservative priests of that time by likening them to a procession of dogs holding each others tails while chanting — “Om, let us eat; Om, let us drink”.
Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana (a popular Indian epic), paints a typical doubter in Jabaali, a learned scholar. When Rama had decided to give up his kingdom and go to exile in the forest to fulfill his fathers promise, Jabaali tries to talk him out of it by convince him to stay back by using the nihilistic-materialistic argument:
“Rama!, why do these idle doctrines (duty, god, etc) cloud your mind? These platitudes mislead the simple and thoughtless humankind! I feel sorry for those who sacrifice their life and material pleasures in the name of duty till their life is spent barren. Seek the pleasures of the present and spurn all these vain illusions”
The Charvaka school of thought rejected all supernatural phenomenon. They believed that what cannot be perceived through the senses does not exist. They also believed that supernatural phenomenon such as the ‘soul’, ‘reincarnation’, ‘god’, etc were all humbug. This revolutionary and scandalous doctrine captured the imagination of the people and weakened the traditional Vedic thought. It also left a vacuum in Hindu society, which provided scope for the emergence of a new religion. However, the religions which arose out of this void (Jainism, Buddhism, etc), were atheistic religions so to say- devotions without God.
Early Life of Buddha (Born ~563 BC)
According to traditional belief, Buddha’s birth name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was born to a wealthy king, Shuddodhana and his wife, Queen Maya Devi. Shuddodhana belonged to the Shakya tribe and was the king of Kapilavastu, located at the scenic foothills of the Himalayas. When Maya Devi was pregnant, an ascetic who came to bless the child told the king that the child would either become a great emperor or a great Sage. Shuddodhana, being a man of the world wanted Siddhartha to become a great emperor and not a great Sage.
Shuddodhana felt that if Siddhartha was exposed to sorrow, pain and death right from his childhood, it would trigger spiritual tendencies in him. Thus, he made sure that Siddhartha was kept away from all these and he arranged a life full of comfort and materialistic pleasure for Siddhartha. He was kept in a lush palace away from even a whiff of sorrow. When Siddhartha was 16 years old, he was married to Yashodhara and in due course, the couple had a son named Rahula.
The Four Sights
Siddhartha spent his youth enjoying the material pleasures of life, until one day (when he was 29 years old), he felt the urge to step out of his palace and wander around in his kingdom. Shuddodhana, alarmed by this prospect, decided to sanitize the streets of the city and cleared it of any unpleasant sights. He also prepared a special ornate chariot for Siddhartha. Soon, Siddhartha set out to inspect his kingdom accompanied by his charioteer Channa. Little did he know that after this journey, his life would change forever.
During the course of the journey, Siddhartha did not find anything amiss and they soon reached the border of their kingdom. It was perhaps divine calling or just plain curiosity or suspicion that prompted him to command the charioteer to drive the chariot beyond the borders of his kingdom. Now, he saw an extremely old man, whose skin was fully wrinkled and he used a crutch to support himself while walking. He walked with great difficulty and it seemed that each step he took was with great pain. Siddhartha had never seen such a piteous scene in his life. Curious to understand, he enquired with his charioteer Channa. Channa replied saying: “My Lord, he has grown old. It is a natural process and all human beings have to go through it”. Siddhartha unaware of the concept of extreme old age asked Channa: “Channa, Does that mean even I will grow old? Will my father grow old and look like this one day?”. Channa replied: “Yes, my Lord.”
Once they returned to the palace that evening, the normally joyous Siddhartha became unusually quiet. He couldn't sleep that whole night. His mind had drifted away to a dark place and images of his aged father and aged son flashed in front of his eyes. He wondered that one day, he, his wife and his son, who were youthful today would all become old and feeble just like the man he saw. He was restless and he yearned to know more.
The next day, they again set out on a journey. This time, they encountered a very ill and diseased man. He was extremely weak and was in great pain. Siddhartha again asked: “Channa, what happened to him?
Channa: “He is ill, my Lord. Sometimes people contract diseases and become very ill”
Siddhartha: “Is it possible that I, or my son may also fall ill some day?”
Channa: “Yes, my Lord. There is a good chance that you, or your son may also fall ill someday”
Siddhartha again returned to his palace. He was greatly agitated.
The next day, they again set out on a tour across the kingdom. This time they encountered a funeral procession. Four men in the front were carrying a dead body on their shoulders and were chanting Gods name. Siddhartha never knew about the concept of ‘death’ till then. He asked his charioteer “Channa, what are they doing? why are they carrying that man on their shoulders? Why isn't he moving?”
Channa: “He is dead my Lord. He will not arise anymore. Every man who is born has to die someday or the other. It is the law of nature, without exception”
Siddhartha was completely shattered on hearing this. It was as if the skies had fallen down on his head at that very moment. After he went back to the palace that night he wondered:
“ All of us have to die one day or the other. Then what is the purpose of our existence? My own father, wife and child who love me, might fall ill one day and die. Then, what am I to do?. Their youthful appearance, their happiness- its all temporary. They can all disappear in a flash…
Why do human beings suffer? What is the meaning of life? Why am I even here?
A thousand thoughts and images kept flashing in his mind. His happiness or the fallacy of it had crumbled like a pack of cards. He just couldn't reconcile and come to terms with what he saw.
The next day, he again set out on a tour to find answers. In the course of their journey, they encountered a ascetic sage. He was in deep meditation. Nothing in this world seemed to affect him. Happiness, sadness, pain, pleasure, death, etc didn’t bother him. He seemed to transcend all of these wordly events and emotions. Siddhartha, whose mind had been greatly tormented lately, felt a strange calm in his presence. Siddhartha asked Channa, who he was, to which Channa replied “My Lord, he is an ascetic. He has given up all worldly possessions and is constantly meditating on the eternal”
Siddhartha was greatly inspired by this and he wanted to seek the truth and become enlightened so that he could unlock the secrets of the universe. That day, he decided to become an ascetic. He decided that he would give up all his wordly possessions, his familial relationships and become an ascetic. However, he didn't tell his wife or father of his intentions and decided to wait for an appropriate time to execute his plans.
Escape in the night
One fine night, he decided that he would make his move to escape. He decided to have one last look at his wife and son before he left. They were fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the turmoil he was facing. His wife had curled her arms around her son.
The verses which narrate what happened next are considered sacred to all Buddhists. Siddhartha thought:
“If I decide to take my son along with me, I would risk waking her up and that would be an impediment to my going. I guess I will see my son only after I attain enlightenment”
With a heavy heart, he escapes from the palace with the assistance of his trusted charioteer Channa, taking great care not make any noise and wake anybody up. Channa takes him outside the borders of the kingdom to the banks of a river. Before crossing the river, Siddhartha’s impulse was to turn around and see his glorious kingdom, nested amidst the Himalayas, glitter in the night sky for one last time. However, he controlled his urge resolutely and did not turn back.
Self-torture as a Sage
Predominantly, there were two broad categories of schools of thought prevalent during Siddhartha’s time. Both were in extreme ends of the spectrum. One believed in extreme materialism and the other in extreme asceticism.
During his initial days a mendicant, Siddhartha learnt various meditative techniques and experimented with various schools of ascetic thought prevalent during his time.
He lived on grass and seeds and even ate cow dung. At one point of time, he only ate one grain of rice each day until he looked like a skeleton. He stood for long hours in the sun and sat on thorns. He plucked out his hair and beard with his own hand just for self-torture. He also frequented a place where human corpses were thrown to be eaten up by birds and he slept amidst the unbearable stench of these rotting corpses. He tried practicing meditation without breathing- till the point he felt like a sword was piercing his head. In time, he became so thin and feeble that his eyes sparkled through his eye-sockets like water sparkling from a deep well. His body was covered in dirt like a decaying tree. When he stroked his limbs with his hand, the decayed hair fell from his body, due to lack of food and nourishment. He had completely devoted himself to the severest forms of asceticism for a period of 6 years.
Futility of Self-Torture
Despite such severe asceticism, Siddhartha realized that no new knowledge came to him. On the contrary, he had developed a certain pride in his self torture and that had diluted any piousness that arose out of it. He abandoned this severe form of asceticism and accepted a bowl of rice to break his hunger. His companions felt that he had abandoned his cause and they deserted him.
Later, as he wandered, he came across a shade giving tree near Bodh Gaya (now known as the Bodhi tree). He was immediately drawn by the serene ambiance around it. Now, he resolved to sit steadfast and motionless under this tree until enlightenment came to him.
Enlightenment
As he sat in a yogic pose and meditated, he asked himself, what is the source of grief, suffering, sickness, old age and death? How can one transcend all these? How can one be free from all this misery and lead and perfect life?… Now thoughts began to flow freely in his mind. His perception had opened up to a whole new dimension. He then saw a divine vision of the infinite succession of births and deaths in this stream of life. He saw that every death was succeeded by birth and vice versa. Every happiness, joy and peace was frustrated by new disappointment, discontent, pain and grief- all of which arose due to desire…
He saw with divine vision that all beings were trapped in the cycle of rebirth -low or high, good or evil, in happy or miserable existences due to their ‘Karma’ — the universal law by which every being will be rewarded or punished in this life on in a later rebirth. He told himself that Birth is the origin of all evil. If only birth could be stopped….
How can we escape this infinite cycle or life and death? Why are we born again and again?- Because of the law of Karma which mandates re-birth to atone for past sins. But if we could lead a perfect life, a life full of justice, kindness, patience and focus on the eternal, shedding all material worldly desires, we would be freed from this vicious cycle of re-birth. Thus, we could merge with the eternal infinite. What unending peace and bliss would that be!. Happiness is not in the materialistic pleasures, nor in the afterlife as many religions think. Only peaceful bliss is possible, with our craving ended. This is Nirvana”
Now, Siddhartha came to be known as “The Buddha” or the “enlightened one”. Buddha now went forth to Varanasi, and in Deer Park, Sarnath, he preached about Nirvana.
Buddha’s teachings
The Buddha taught the “Four noble truths”. He preached that desire and attachment is the root cause of all misery. Life is pain. Craving is the cause of all pain and suffering. To overcome pain one had to practice detachment. One can achieve all this by following the “Eight fold path”:
- Right Views
- Right Intentions
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Living
- Right Effort
- Right mindfulness
- Right concentration
He taught a “Middle way” between extreme asceticism and extreme materialism. He further elaborated on “Right living” to mean the “Five moral rules”:
- Not to kill any living being
- Not to steal
- Not to speak falsehood
- Not to drink alcohol
- Not to be unchaste
Buddha was not a believer in miracles. However, his devotees have over the years attributed various miracles to Buddha. He did not care about rituals. Humanity and ethics were more dear to him than empty rituals. We come across a story of a Brahmin who wanted to go to Gaya to bathe in the river to cleanse his sins. Buddha is said to have told him that if he led a righteous life, any water to him would be ‘Gaya’ and that he did not understand the need of this ritual.
Buddha refused to express any opinion about god, about the extent (finity/ infinity) of the universe, about the soul, etc as he believed that such a discussion is futile, as an atom can never understand the cosmos. He opposed all kinds of metaphysical speculation and called this “the jungle, the desert, the puppet-show, the writhing, the entanglement of speculation”. He accepted members from all castes and communities (including women) into his fold (Sangha).
Visit to his fathers house
One day, when his father found out that Buddha was near Kapilavastu, he invited Buddha to spend one day in his old home. Buddha obliged and he visited is old home. There, he learnt that his wife, on finding out that he had become a saint, had also lived like a saint- when Buddha partook only one meal, she also took only one meal a day. When he slept on the floor, she also did the same thing. She had remained loyal to her husband through all these years. Buddha blessed her and went on his way.
His son, Rahula too joined the monastic order. However, he understood the pain of Shuddodhana as both his son and grandson had become monks. Thus, he made it mandatory to seek parents permission before being ordained as monks into his order.
Buddha’s Last Days and Last words (Death ~483 BC)
By the time of his death, when he was 80 years old, Buddha had gained a loyal group of devotees. He always advised his devotees as follows:
“Be a lamp unto yourselves. Do not seek any external refuge. Hold onto Truth as your lamp. You shall achieve the topmost height. But be anxious to learn”
His last words were:
“All material things are subject to decay. Strive for salvation with earnestness.”
The Buddhist mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” (the jewel is in the Lotus), perfectly summarizes the teachings of Buddha. The Lotus symbolizes ‘Vairagya’ or ‘detachment’. The Lotus always grows in the muddy pond. However, it blossoms without being affected by the muddy waters. Similarly, we (the lotus) should strive to be aloof from all the sensual desires (the muddy pond) and strive to attain ‘salvation’ (or the jewel), which is hidden within ourselves.
