Life Of Buddha, The

Enlightenment

It was a full moon day in the month of May. Remembering how, as a small boy, He had meditated on breathing in and breathing out at the ploughing festival and reached the first mental absorption (Jhaana), the ascetic Gotama decided to use this form of meditation.

Maara, the feeling of desire and attachment, seeing that the ascetic Gotama was about to achieve the supreme knowledge, tried to tempt Him with images of His wife and other pleasures. However, the ascetic Gotama was determined and continued His meditation. Finally, He attained the Supreme knowledge known as enlightenment. He attained it in three stages by realising the Four Noble Truths.

The seven weeks after enlightenment

In the first week after enlightenment the Gotama Buddha meditated on His new-found knowledge and enjoyed His new-found happiness.

In the second week He paid respect to the Tree that had given Him shade during His long struggle for enlightenment, by standing at attention and gazing motionless at it. The Tree is now known as the Bodhi Tree: The Tree of Knowledge. A sapling from this original tree is now in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest documented tree in the world.

In the third week, seeing that the Devas were still in doubt as to whether He had attained enlightenment, He created a golden bridge with His powers and meditated while walking up and down on it.

In the fourth week he created a jewelled chamber and meditated on the higher teachings (Abhidhamma). At this time His mind and body were so pure and perfect that an aura of six colours emanated from His person. They were blue, yellow, red, white, orange and a mixture of the five. Today the Buddhist flag is made up of these colours.

Each colour represents one noble quality of the Buddha as follows:

Blue - confidence
Yellow - holiness
Red - wisdom
White - purity
Orange - absence of desire
Mixed - all of these qualities

In the fifth week the beautiful daughters of Maara - Tanhaa, Rathi and Ragaa - tried to disturb His concentration by dancing.

In the sixth week He was meditating under the Mucalinda tree when there was a heavy rain. Mucalinda, the king of serpents, coiled round the body of the Buddha seven times and held his large hood over the Buddha's head so that He would not get wet.

In the seventh week the Buddha was meditating under the Raajaayatana tree when two merchants by the name of Tapassu and Bhallika offered him rice cake. This was the Lord Buddha's first meal after enlightenment. The two merchants took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma, and became the first lay disciples of the Gotama Buddha.

His first sermon

The compassionate Gotama Buddha decided that He should teach His new-found knowledge to mankind so that they too could defeat the cycle of birth and death.

He saw that His first two teachers, Alaara Kalaama and Uddaka Raamaputta, had passed away. He chose His five friends next, and went to Isipatana where they were residing.

When the five friends saw the Buddha they decided to ignore him. They thought that the ascetic Gotama had given up the holy life, as He had moved away from extreme self-mortification. However, they could not ignore the radiance of His presence.

It was the full moon day in the month of July. At the deer park in Isipatana, the Buddha delivered His first sermon after enlightenment. Dhammachakka is the name given to His first sermon. The meaning of Dhammachakka is "The establishment of wisdom". However, it is often referred to as the "Wheel of truth". After hearing it His friend Kondanna reached the first stage of spiritual development known as Sotaapatti (1).

The Dhammachakka sutta is very important, as in this first sermon the Buddha taught us about the Four Noble Truths and the Middle Path.

The Middle Path is what the Buddha followed to attain enlightenment. He gave up the extreme of wealth and luxuries He had had as a Prince and the extreme self-mortification of torturing His body by withholding the necessities for life. Instead, He used the Middle Path. He catered to the needs of His body rather than to the wants of His mind. This Middle Path that leads to the end of suffering is comprised of the Noble Eightfold Path - namely:

1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thinking
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Following The Eightfold Noble Path leads to the understanding of the Four Noble Truths which results in Nibbaana. The Four Noble Truths are:

1. Dukkha - That which is difficult to endure - suffering or dissatisfaction
2. Cause of Dukkha - craving and attachment
3. End to Dukkha - Nibbaana (no more rebirth)
4. The way to end Dukkha - following the Eightfold Noble Path.

(1). Sotaapatti - The first stage of saintliness, also known as "stream enterer". Those who have attained Sotaapatti will attain Nibbaana within seven more births.