Enlightenment of Lord Buddha

Enlightenment

 

When Prince Siddhattha was 29 years old, Princess Yasodharā gave birth to their son Rāhula. Great was his love for the two dearest, greater was his compassion for the suffering humanity. He was not worried about the future worldly happiness and comfort of the mother and child as they had everything in abundance and were well protected. Time was ripe to depart. Leaving all behind, the prince with his loyal charioteer Channa left the palace on the royal steed Kanthaka. Thus did he renounce the world in search of ways to eliminate sufferings so as to liberate all sentient beings from the Samsara.

Prince Siddhattha journeyed far, crossing the river Anomā and ordained himself as samana (ascetic). He cut off his top-knot and trimmed his hair to the length of two fingers breadth. Immediately, all the hair on his head wound by itself clockwise to form neat rows of coils. Before tossing the severed hair into the air, Samana Gotama made a deliberate wish, “If I were to be self-enlightened as a Buddha, then let my severed top-knot remain in the air.” The hair remained in the air and received by King Sakka of the Tavatimsa Heaven. Later on, Brahma Ghatīkāra offered alms-bowl and the saffron robe to Samana Gotama.

Searching for the unsurpassed peace, Samana Gotama approached two famous masters Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta. Soon, he learnt all the doctrines and attained the same level of mental concentration as the teachers, at the Realm of Nothingness and the realm of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception respectively. Still, Samana Gotama felt that their teachings did not lead to detachment, cessation of suffering, enlightenment, and Nibbāna. He realized that his spiritual aspirations were far higher and that the highest Truth is to be found within oneself and ceased to seek external aid thereof.

 

Embraced with strong determination, Samana Gotama continued his search for ways to eradicate sufferings. For six long years the samana embarked on severe asceticism such as clenching of teeth, non-breathing and complete abstinence from food. His body was reduced to almost a skeleton, but still nowhere near to the way of Truths. Eventually, he recalled the easy method of gaining the First Jhana at the age of seven, thus decided to abandon the painful extreme. The samana began to nourish his body by taking food sparingly. The five ascetics, who were attending to him, felt disappointed and left as they were not convinced that the new approach would lead to self-enlightenment.

Right after Samana Gotama aborted the ascetic life, he practiced meditation diligently. On the day of his Enlightenment, lady Sujātā offered a special milk rice dish to him. In that evening, brahmin Sotthiya offered a bundle of fresh grass for him to sit under the Bodhi tree near Neranjara River. Adopting the half-lotus position, Samana Gotama vowed: 

“Should I not attain enlightenment today, be it that my blood and flesh dry up leaving only skin, tendons, and bones; I shall not leave this seat”. 

Subsequently, the samana adopted the Middle Way approach, not too tense or too lax, meditated at the just right condition.

The strong determination of Samana Gotama alerted the Mara Chief to mobilize the Mara troops against Him. He had no one to depend on but the three levels of Ten Perfections, they were His supreme warriors and weapons to battle against vicious tricks of the Mara including thunderstorm and different types of malicious rains. Eventually, the Mara troops were defeated, thus did Samana Gotama conquer the Mara, gained victory before His Enlightenment. After clearing the Mara troop, Samana Gotama continued to meditate, by keeping his mind completely still at the center of body. When the mind achieved total stillness, samana realized the Middle Path; he continued to guard the mind till dawn. It was the 15^th day of the 6^th waxing moon, the Perfect Man attained self-enlightenment as the Lord Buddha. He was 35 years old.

The Lord Buddha realised the ultimate truths that could lead all sentient beings out of suffering. The first knowledge was realized in the first watch of that night, Pubbenivāsānussatinnāna, the supernormal knowledge of previous lives recollection. Followed by the realization of Cutūpapātannāna during the second watch, the Enlightened One attained clairvoyant vision to perceive beings disappearing and reappearing from one state of existence to another according to their deeds, Kamma. In the last watch of the night, the realization of Āsavakkhayannāna, the Four Noble Truths were revealed. There and then, ignorance was dispelled, and wisdom arose; darkness vanished, and light arose.

Right after His Enlightenment, on the 15^th day of the 8^th waxing moon, the Lord Buddha delivered the first discourse to the five ascetics, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the turning of the Wheel of Truth. Ascetic Kondañña, the senior the five, attained the Dhamma. After that, Aññā-Kondañña requested ordination from the Lord Buddha. The day that Aññā-Kondañña became the first Buddhist monk also marked the day of formation of the Triple Gems (the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha). This is Asalha Puja Day.