The Buddha, our unique teacher

by Daya Sirisena, President, Board of Trustees, Sirisena Dharmamandiraya and Meditation Centre, Moratuwa

History has produced many great figures, but none in the present cycle of title, as impressive and memorable as Siddhartha Gotama, the Sakyan Prince, who became the World's Greatest Spiritual Guide.

There have been many Enlightened Ones before Him, but we have no actual historical knowledge of them.

2549 years have gone by but the historical knowledge of Gotama Buddha is so near, His life has been a source of wonder and inspiration for more than twenty five countries. It continues to be today.

The facts themselves are powerful enough to move us to awe and veneration. "Profound and difficult to understand is this Ariyan Doctrine O Bhikkhus; only to be understood by the wise; deep and unfathomable as the ocean. But like the vast ocean it has but one flavour throughout the flavour of libration".

We must remember the Great Teachings of Buddha with special significance today as they consider with the Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana of Gotama Buddha.

Many are the ways whereby a man may be brought to realise the Truth. The Supreme Buddha was Master of them all.

The Buddhist philosophy of Dependent Originator (Patiicca Samuppada), the chain or cycle of causality consists of twelve Nidanas (links) and in Buddhist philosophy it embraces the whole process of arising of a sentient being from life to life and from moment to moment of consciousness as shown in the illustration.

From - Avijja (ignorance) arises Sankara.

From - Sankara (here the sense of karmic volitions) arises Vinnana.

From - Vinnana (consciousness) arises Nama Rupa.

From - Nama Rupa (psychic aggregates and physical aggregates or roughly mind and form) arises Salayatana.

From - Salayatana (the field of sixfold sense perceptions) arises Phassa.

From - Phassa (contact between the organ of sense and the sense object) arises Vedana.

From - Vedana (sensation) arises Tanha.

From - Tanha (craving) arises Upadane.

From - Upadane (grasping attachment) arises Bhava.

From - Bhava (the process of becoming or life continum) arises Jati.

From - Jati (birth - or in another sense momentary coming into existence).

Jara, Marana, Soka, Pardeva, Dukka, Domnassa, Upayasa (old age and death grief sorrow, lamentation and despair) arise from the life cycle.

"All compounded things are impermanent".

Forty five years the exalted Buddha taught, the incomparable doctrine and His Sasana became established.

Then in His eightieth year, the time came for Him to give up His existence to the Arahat who has seen Nibbana in this very life. Death is of no account. He supports the continuation of His earthly existence only for the good of others knowing all the time, the process of arising and passing away, the continual agitation of the elements, which men call "life", to be the flux of energies, without stability and without permanence.

And when the sorrowing Ananda who had not yet attained Arahatship gave way to his grief, the Buddha reminded him of the doctrine: "Have I not told you Ananda that all compounded things must pass away? Then grieve not, but apply yourself with determination.

The Teacher pass away, but the teaching remains. I leave you the doctrine; when I am gone, let that be your guide and refuge".

Calm, tranquil and in full possession of His great faculties, the Buddha continued to advise and instruct and encourage His followers to the last. Just be you the end, He gave His final exhortation.

"Let the Dhamma be to you a lamp and refuge. Seek no external refuge.

Strive with earnestness!"

May the ignorance of human beings fade away following the teachings of the Buddha.