The Buddha

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of
the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.
Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha
By finding the path to Enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth
towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one'.

Buddha temple statue, Kathmandu, Nepal

A life of luxury
Opinions differ as to the dates of Siddhartha Gautama's life. Historians have dated his birth and
death as circa 566-486 BCE but more recent research suggests that he lived later than this, from
around 490 BCE until circa 410 BCE.
He was born into a royal family in the village of Lumbini in present-day Nepal, and his
privileged life insulated him from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age and
death.
Discovering cruel reality
One day, after growing up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal
enclosure where he lived. When he went outside he saw, each for the first time, an old man, a
sick man, and a corpse.
This greatly disturbed him, and he learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate
of human beings - a fate no-one could avoid.
Becoming a holy man
Siddhartha had also seen a monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his
protected royal life and live as a homeless holy man.
Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the the suffering of the world. He searched for
a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men.
This didn't provide him with an answer.
A life of self-denial
Siddhartha encountered an Indian ascetic who encouraged him to follow a life of extreme self-
denial and discipline.
The Buddha also practised meditation but concluded that in themselves, the highest meditative
states were not enough.
Siddhartha followed this life of extreme asceticism for six years, but this did not satisfy him
either; he still had not escaped from the world of suffering.
The middle way
He abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial and ascetism, but did not return to the pampered
luxury of his early life.
Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor
poverty.
Enlightenment

Bodhi tree next to Mahabodhi temple, the spot where Buddha achieved enlightenment

One day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) Siddhartha became deeply
absorbed in meditation, and reflected on his experience of life, determined to penetrate its truth.
He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple at the site
of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a pilgrimage site.
Buddhist legend tells that at first the Buddha was happy to dwell within this state, but Brahma,
king of the gods, asked, on behalf of the whole world, that he should share his understanding
with others.
The Teacher
Buddha set in motion the wheel of teaching: rather than worshipping one god or gods,
Buddhism centres around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the dharma.
For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many disciples, who became Arahants or
'noble ones', who had attained Enlightenment for themselves.

The Sermon at Benares- Introduction

The Sermon at Benares throws light upon the early life of Lord Buddha who was originally
born as a prince in the royal family. On being exposed to the sufferings of the world which he
was earlier shielded from, he left his princehood and went in search of salvation thus leaving
all the worldly pleasures behind. Upon attaining spiritual awakening, he gave his first sermon
in the city of Benares hereby making a lady named Kisa Gotami realise that men are mortal
and a wise person should not grieve at what is bound to happen for it only enhances pain and
suffering.
The Sermon at Benares- Summary
Gautama Buddha was born to a North Indian royal family as a prince and was named
Siddhartha Gautama. When he was twelve years old, he was sent to a faraway place to study
Hindu sacred scriptures and upon returning four years later, he got married to a princess. Soon,
they both had a son and they continued to live the royal life for about ten years. The royals
were shielded from all the unpleasant experiences of the world until one day, on his way to
hunt, the Prince met a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for
alms. These experiences acted as eye-openers for him and thus, he left all the royalty behind to
seek a higher sense of spiritual knowledge. Upon attaining salvation, he began preaching. He
gave his first sermon in the city of Benares. There was a lady named Kisa Gotami whose son
had died. Suffering with unending pain, she went from house to house looking for a medicine
to bring her son back to life. People started thinking that the lady had lost her senses. One day,
she met a man who directed her towards Lord Buddha who could possibly have a solution for
her problem. Buddha asked her to look for mustard seeds and the seeds must be procured from
a house that had seen no death. Reinstated with hope, Kisa Gotami once again went on a search
from house to house but to her dismay, she could not find mustard seeds from a house that
would fulfil Buddha’s condition. Disheartened, she sat at the edge of the road thus realising
how selfish she had been. She became conscious to the fact that men were mortal and no one
could escape the cycle of life. This was exactly what Buddha wanted her to understand.
According to Lord Buddha, feelings of grief and sorrow only increases man’s pain and
suffering thus, deteriorating his health. Therefore, a wise person fully aware about nature’s
functioning must not grieve at something bound to happen and only then he can be happy and
blessed.

GAUTAMA Buddha (563 B.C. – 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama,
in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and
four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years
as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the
sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a
funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at
once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

Sacred- embodying the laws or doctrines of a religion

Scriptures- the sacred writings of a religion
Befitted- be appropriate for; suit
Chanced upon- came across by chance
Alms- money or food given to poor people; charity
Enlightenment- a state of high spiritual knowledge

Gautama Buddha was born to a North Indian royal family as a prince and was named
Siddhartha Gautama. He was sent to a faraway place when he was twelve years old to study
Hindu sacred scriptures and upon returning four years later, he got married to a princess.
Soon, they both had a son and they continued to live the royal life for about ten years. The
royals were shielded from all the unpleasant experiences of the world until the Prince met a
sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk looking for alms. These experiences
acted as eye-openers for him and thus, he left all the royalty behind to seek a higher sense of
spiritual knowledge.
He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay
until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree
(Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he
became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his
first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that
sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one
inscrutable kind of suffering.

Wandered- to move without a fixed course

Vowed- solemnly promise to do a specified thing
Preached- deliver a religious address to an assembled group of people
Sermon- a talk on religious or moral subject
Holy- sacred
Dipping places- bathing
Inscrutable- something which cannot be understood

Gautama Buddha went in search of enlightenment for about seven years before he finally came
across a peepal tree and chose to sit under it till he became awakened. When he finally attained
salvation after 7 days, he decided to retitle the tree as the ‘Bodhi tree’ (which means the Tree
of Wisdom) and he himself came to be known as ‘Buddha’ (which means The Awakened). He
even began preaching his new realizations and his first sermon was given in the city of Benares.
The city of Benares is known to be sacred as it resides on the banks of the river Ganges. The
first sermon he gave was preserved and is famous till date (It is given below as well). It gives
a new perspective to man’s unending sufferings.
Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her
neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said, “She has lost her senses. The boy
is dead.” At length, Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, “I cannot give thee
medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can.” And the girl said, “Pray tell me, sir;
who is it?” And the man replied, "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.” Kisa Gotami repaired to the
Buddha and cried, “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.”
It talks about a lady named Kisa Gotami whose son had recently died. Struck with unending
pain and sorrow, she took her son door to door requesting for a wonder drug that could bring
his son back to life. Quite obviously, everyone thought that the lady had lost her ability to think
clearly. Going on from door to door, she finally came across a man who couldn’t offer any
medicine but led her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. Filled with hope, the lady visited Gautama
Buddha and begged him for a cure for her child.

The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard seed.” And when the girl in her joy
promised to procure it, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house
where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”
Just as the man said, Gautama Buddha had a solution. He asked Kisa Gotami to get a handful
of mustard seeds. Restored with hope, Kisa Gotami thought it to be a very simple task until
Lord Buddha instilled a condition that “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where
no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”
Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is
mustardseed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in
your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not
remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Once again, Kisa Gotami went from door to door, but this time, she was looking for mustard
seeds. Many had mustard seeds to offer but none of them could fulfill Lord Buddha’s condition
of having seen no deaths in the family. Upon being asked, people requested her not to remind
them of their deepest griefs. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a suitable home to get mustard
seeds for his son.
Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of
the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night
reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are
extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is
common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who
has surrendered all selfishness.”
All hope was lost for Kisa Gotami and thus, in extreme anguish and pain, she found herself a
place to ponder at the edge of the road. She continuously watched city lights blinking and
observed them till there was just darkness all around. After deep reflection, she realised that
man’s fate was just like these city lights that flicker and extinguish repeatedly. The cycle of
birth and death is nature’s way of working. Suddenly, she became conscious as to how selfish
she had been in her sorrow and that one who was born must rest eternally. Men are mortal
and the ones that are immortals have covered a path free from all worldly pleasures.

The Buddha said, ‘‘The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with
pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after
reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in
danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels
made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both
those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to
death.
According to Lord Buddha, the life of mortals is troubled because they have not made peace
with the fact that the one who is born, must rest eternally. There is no way a living being can
avoid facing death. Just like a ripe fruit is more prone to falling, an aged mortal is bound to
die. Just like all earthen vessels break at some point, so do men. Whether old or young, foolish
or wise, death leaves none.
“Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen
their relations. Mark! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals
are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and
decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

Kinsmen- a man who is one of a person’s blood relations

Lamenting- express regret or disappointment about something
Slaughter- killing of animals for food
Afflicted- affect adversely

The only way death works is by withdrawing the person from the living world i.e, the person
ceases to exist. No one has control over death, neither a father can save his son nor a kinsmen
his relative. Just like an ox is taken to the slaughter house to be killed, so does death do with
mortals, leaving none behind. Thus, the one who knows this truth and doesn’t grieve at his loss
is the one who has been called wise by Lord Buddha.
“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his
pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the
dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of
lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become
composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from
sorrow, and be blessed.”
According to Lord Buddha, one should not grieve, weep or be miserable at something which
is bound to happen for it will keep man away from obtaining peace of mind. It will only multiply
the pain and suffering thus leading to physical weakness and moreover, no amount of grief
would bring back the dead. It is very important to understand that one must move past feelings
like sorrow and grief as it is the only way that leads to the path of salvation.

The Sermon at Benares-Question and Answers

1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she
get it? Why not?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house requesting for a wonder drug that
could bring her son back to life. No, she could not get it because there is no medicine that can
bring a dead man back to life.
2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does
she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Upon seeing the Buddha, Kisa Gotami is refilled with hope and thus, she goes again from house
to house looking for mustard seeds just as Lord Buddha had asked her. Many had mustard
seeds to offer but none of them could fulfill Lord Buddha’s condition of having seen no deaths
in the family. Therefore, she couldn’t find mustard seed for her son.
3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first
time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?
When Kisa Gotami failed to find mustard seeds that could fulfill Lord Buddha’s condition of
having seen no deaths in the family, she became disheartened. After deep reflection, she
realised that the man’s fate was just like the city lights that flickered and extinguished
repeatedly. The cycle of birth and death was nature’s way of working. Suddenly, she became
conscious as to how selfish she had been in her sorrow and that one who was born must rest
eternally. Men are mortal. Yes, this is exactly what Lord Buddha wanted her to understand.
4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the
Buddha change her understanding?
Kisa Gotami was too overwhelmed with sorrow and pain that her ability to think clearly got
clouded. She couldn’t realise that no one can escape the cycle of death. When Kisa Gotami
failed to find mustard seeds that could fulfil Lord Buddha’s condition of having seen no deaths
in the family, she became disheartened. After deep reflection, she made peace with the terms
of the world. Lord Buddha played a major role in facilitating the shift in her understanding by
teaching her a lesson that one must not grieve for what is bound to happen for it will only
deepen the pain and suffering.