The Buddha's path

T V Pereira

After a stupendous struggle of six strenuous years, ascetic Gautama in His 35th year, unaided and unguided by any supernatural agency, and solely relying on His own efforts and wisdom, eradicated all defilements, ended the process of grasping and realising things as they truly are by His own intuitive knowledge, became a Buddha - an Enlightened or Awakened One.

Thereafter He was known as Gautama Buddha. His disciples addressed him as Buddha, Bhagava and Sugatha while the Buddha used the term Thatagatha meaning 'He who has thus come', 'He who has thus gone' to refer to Himself.

Slumbers of ignorance

The Pali term Buddha is derived from Budh, to understand, or to be awakened. As He fully comprehended the four Noble Truths and arose from the slumbers of ignorance, He is called a Buddha. Since He not only comprehends but also expounds the doctrine and enlightens others. He is called a Samma Sambuddha - a Fully Enlightened One - to distinguish Him from Paseka (Individual) Buddhas who only comprehend the doctrine but are incapable of enlightening others.

Before his Enlightenment He was called Bodhisatva, which means one who is aspiring to attain Buddhahood. Every aspirant to Buddhahood passes through the Bodhisatva period - a period of intensive exercise and development of the qualities of generosity, discipline, renunciation, wisdom, energy, endurance, truthfulness, determination, benevolence and perfect equanimity.

In a particular era there arises only one Samma Sambuddha. Just as certain plants and trees can bear only one flower, one world-system (Lokadhatu) can bear only one Samma Samabuddha. The Buddha was a unique being. Such a being arises rarely in this world and is born out of compassion for the world, for the good, benefit and happiness of Gods and human beings. The Buddha is referred to as 'achariya manussa' as He was a wonderful man. He is called 'amatassa data' as He is the giver of Deathlessness. He is called 'Dhammasami' as he is the Lord of the Dhamma. As the Buddha himself says, He is the Accomplished one (Thathagatha), the worthy one (Araham), the Fully Enlightened one (Samma Sambuddha), the creator of the unarisen way, the produce of the unproduced way, the proclaimer of the unproclaimed way, the knower of the way, the beholder of the way, the cognizer of the way (Samyutta Nikaya). The Buddha had no teacher for His Enlightenment. He did receive mundane knowledge from His lay teachers, but teachers for his supramundane knowledge which He himself realized by his own intuitive wisdom, He had none. During the early period of his renunciation He sought the advice of the distinguished religious teachers of the day, but He could not find what he sought in their teachings. Circumstances compelled him to think for himself and seek the truth.

He sought the truth within himself. He plunged into the deepest profundities of thought, and He realized the ultimate Truth which He had not heard or known before. Illumination came from within and shed light on things which He had never seen before. As He knew everything that ought to be known and as He obtained the key to all knowledge, He is called Subbhanu - the Ominiscient one. This supernormal knowledge He acquired by His own efforts continued through a countless series of births.

Destiny control

The Buddha was not an incarnation of a God. According to the Buddha countless are the Devas who are also a class of beings subject to birth and death. But there is no one Supreme God who controls the destinies of human beings and who possesses a divine power to appear on earth at different intervals, employing a human form. The Buddha exhorted His followers to depend on themselves for their deliverance, since both defilement and purity depend on oneself. The Buddha was a human being.

As a man He was born, as a Buddha did He live, and as a Buddha His life came to an end. Though human, due to his unique characteristics He was extraordinary. The Buddha left no room for anyone to fall into the error of thinking that He was an immortal being.

Born a man, living as a mortal, by His own exertion, He attained that supreme state of perfection called Buddhahood and proclaimed to the world the latent possibilities an the invincible power of the human mind. He demonstrated how man could attain the highest knowledge and Supreme Enlightenment by his own efforts. He declared that the gates of deliverance were open to all, in every condition of life, high or low, saint or sinner, who would care to turn a new leaf and aspire to perfection. He raised the status of down-trodden women, and not only brought them to a realization of their importance to society but also founded the first religious order for women.

He banned the sacrifice of animals and brought them within His compass of loving kindness. He comforted bereaving mothers like Patachara and Kisagothami by consoling words. He ministered to the deserted sick like Putigatha Tissa Thera with His own hands. He helped the poor and neglected like Rajjumala and Sopaka and saved them from an untimely and tragic death. He ennobled the lives of criminals like Angulimala and courtesans like Ambapali. His noble example was a source of inspiration to all. He was the most compassionate and tolerant of teachers.

His will, wisdom, compassion, service, renunciation, perfect purity, exemplary personal life, the blameless methods employed to propagate the Dhamma and His final success - all these factors have compelled people in this world to hail the Buddha as the greatest religious teacher who ever lived on earth.