SHAKYAMUNI - THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA

Historically Buddhisam is founded in Nepal by Shidhartha Gautama (563-483 BC) a noble of the Shakya clan. Because of the prophecies made at his birth, his family carefully sheltered him from the realities of the world. Shocked to realize the enormity of suffering most human beings experience the young Shiddhartha left his families to travel and study with mystics and aesthetics. After many years of study with many masters he had developed an extensive following, but was not satisfied that he had found the answers he sought.

Leaving his disciples, he opted for a ‘middle-way’ and, meditating beneath a Bodhi tree he eventually attained enlightenment. He founded an order of monks and preachedhis ideas for the next 4 years until his death. His followers referred tomhim as Shakyamuni-the sage of the Shakyas. However, the Buddha was not and is not a single historical individual; there are numerable Buddhas (as many as there are grains of sand in the ganges)   The 8 great events in the life of the Buddha are the subject of innumerable works of art-painting andnsculpture-in temples and monasteries throughout the Buddhist world. Some traditions depict 12 events.

Birth:
The conception of the Buddha-to-be was miraculous, his future mother dreamed a white elephant entered her womb. Protected by a tree, the child emerged painlessly from the right side of her body. The child was immediately received by the gods, took 7 steps unaided (lotuses sprung up wherever his feet touched the earth) and declared himself Ruler of the world and savoir from suffering.

Enlightenment:
Shiddhartha sat in the posture of meditation beneath the pipal or Bodhi tree where countless Buddhas had attained enlightenment in the past. Rays of light poured forth from him and illuminated the world in all directions. Mara, the god of death, sent all manner of temptation and forces of evil. Shiddhartha called in the Earth to witness his entitlement to attain Nirvana ( the Bhumisparsha mudra). He then continued to meditate for 7 weeks following enlightenment, at one point protected from a storm by the naga king.

The First Sermon:
This was preached to 5 ascetics in the deer park at Sarnath, these 5 were to become the first monks.

Miracle of Shravasti:
Challenged to give proof of his awakening, theBuddha Shakyamuni rose into the air, and standing in the sky, caused flames to burst from his shoulders and upper torso and waters to gush from his lower body. Then, seating him self beneath a Bodhi tree that he had miraculously caused to grow, he caused a profusion of lotuses to grow, and they filled the whole sky and opened to reveal a multitude of Buddhas. This developed in art into the common convection of the thousand ort en thousand Buddhas.

Descent from Trayastrimsha Heaven:
Soon after the events of Shravasti, the Buddha decided to ascend to the Trayastrimsha Heaven to visit his mother. He preached here for several months then returned to earth down a triple ladder, the central section made of jewels, the other section made of gold and silver, accompanied by the gods Indra and Brahma.

The taming of the Elephant:
The Buddha’s jealous cousin and rival tried to get rid of the Buddha by setting an elephant trained for welfare to kill him. Excited to blind rage the elephant charged the Buddha who remained unperturbed. As he neared, the sage’s spiritual power brought the elephant to his senses.

The Monkeys Gift of Honey:
As an argument amongst his followers over a minor matter escalated into a major quarrel the Buddha retired to the forest. He was joined by an elephant seeking solitude who offered him honey. So, heartbroken were the creature by the Buddha’s departure from the forest that they died and were reborn in the Trayastrimsha heaven.

Parinirvana:
Following a long illness, the Buddha resolved to die at a place called Kushinagara. He lay on his right side with his head towards the north, facing west. On the full moon night of his 80th birthday the Buddha passed through progressively higher planes of meditation until he attained entry into Parinirvana.