After Buddha's Enlightenment
After his Enlightenment, the Buddha spent several weeks in Uruvelā, contemplating the dhamma, particularly the doctrine of dependent origination (paticcasamuppāda). This doctrine teaches that everything is interdependent and denies the existence of any eternal, unchanging substance such as a soul or self.
Four weeks post-Enlightenment, while meditating under a banyan tree, the Buddha reflected on the profound and difficult nature of the truth he had realized. He thought about how hard it would be for people, overwhelmed by passion and ignorance, to understand this deep, subtle truth. This led him to hesitate in sharing his insights with the world.
According to tradition, the Brahman Sahampati intervened, encouraging the Buddha to teach by presenting an analogy of a lotus pond, where lotuses at different stages of growth symbolize people at various levels of spiritual development. Inspired by this, the Buddha decided to share his enlightenment.
The Buddha then approached the five ascetics who were his former companions. He declared himself an arhat and a fully awakened one (sammasambuddha) who had realized the “immortal” (amata) and wished to teach them the dhamma. The ascetics, skeptical due to his previous failures and perceived return to a life of abundance, initially refused to listen. The Buddha, persisting, asked if they had ever heard him make such a claim before. Struck by his sincerity, the ascetics acknowledged his earnestness.
Link for the Class: https://youtu.be/ErNKgsvhBb8
Link for the PPT: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GPnjfUr79_LH5GG4PKL648rUkROH-Utj/view?usp=sharing
I am touched by the sharing of his wisdom to his disciples and to the world at large after his enlightenment
ReplyDeleteI saw a similarity in Gotama's path to enlightenment - where he faced temptations from the evil one. Every Saint goes through this purification process and I think Gotama's perceivered his search for the Truth and was rewarded abundantantly. The story of the lotus was an eye opening example to understand our vocation to proclaim God's Word in our own limited capacities. So, let us all bloom out our vibrant colors together to our viewers.
ReplyDeleteThe life of the Buddha taught me that by overcoming one's human passions and carnal desires, one can discover truth and achieve wholeness.
ReplyDeleteOne of the great struggles that Buddha went through was Mara, the evil one( Tempter, Lord of the world of passions). Buddha defeated Mara. Everyone of us has to under go struggle to find solace.
ReplyDeleteThe very great of struggle of the Buddha in his life was my internal eye opening to know it .I am also impressed by His determination to defeat the evil or the temptation which approached in his life .It gave me insight to be aware of the temptation which are around me.
ReplyDeleteBuddha was never satisfied with the attainment he gained until he reached the total attainment or enlightenment. The perseverance and resilience was commendable.
ReplyDeleteEveryone faces temptations, like Buddha did with Mara. Despite Mara's efforts, Buddha remained focused and achieved enlightenment. This inspires us to face obstacles and challenge evil to reach our goals.
ReplyDeleteJust like Jesus went through temptation and Ignatius of loyola had scruples Similarly Buddha had temptations. But something admirable is they overcame and didn't give up and didn't loose their focus.
ReplyDeleteAfter enlightenment, Buddha hesitated to share his wisdom due to the ignorance of people, but he was eventually convinced to do so. This shows a compassionate gesture towards his fellow humans, inspiring me to help those in need rather than leaving them behind for any reason.
ReplyDeleteBuddha's struggle during meditation serves as a powerful reminder that spiritual growth and self discovery require courage and dedication. His journey inspires me to confront my own inner battle to embrace the present moment.
ReplyDeleteAfter the enlightenment of Budha, he discovered the noble truth of life which was mistry for the world such as Noble enfold path and the noble truth of suffering. This shows that with genuine meditation any human can attain such spiritual wisdom.
ReplyDeleteFrom today's session, I learnt that there is a similar experience in the life of both Buddha and Jesus. Jesus once said," Truth will set you free." And I saw same thing in the life of Buddha. Knowing the truth, he set himself free from the world. And I learnt that only truth can set me free.
ReplyDeleteThe intervention of Brahman Sahampati made a lot of impact on the life of Buddha. Even after the Enlightenment he listened to different people to discern what would be the right thing to proceed forward. Here his humility is seen which captured my attention. I wish I also had the same humility to involve myself with others.
ReplyDeleteForm today's class I learnt that one should share his own experience of God. Budha was not willing to share about his Enlightenment to the others, later he realised and shared.
ReplyDeleteThe lotus petals will keep growing as long as they receive nourishment, continuing until death. Similarly, there will be no end to our quest for truth. Gautama's attainment of enlightenment could still be considered incomplete.
ReplyDeleteAnalogy of the Lotus Pond helps Gotama to overcome his hesitation of sharing the wisdom to others, more then the self mortification and the deep meditation Brahman Sahampati helped Gotama to express himself to the world. this is one of the reasons why we should have a soul who can moderate us in the difficult situation.
ReplyDeleteThe world is driven by passion so it is extremely difficult to be detached from worldly passion.
ReplyDeleteIgnatius being enlightened like the Buddha advised his brothers to be detached from worldly passion as it is a hindrance to love and serve God.
I feel that the Buddha's initial hesitation and eventual decision to teach, inspired by the Brahman Sahampati's analogy, highlights his deep compassion and commitment to sharing his profound insights with those ready to understand them.
ReplyDeleteGautama did not keep his Enlightenment for himself but was convinced by Brahman Sahampati to share it to others which Gautama finally agreed. Joy and happiness doubles when we share with others.
ReplyDeleteBuddha attained enlightenment but his disciples doubted. I am touched by the honesty of Buddha not claiming of fully enlightenment. It is difficult to convince others when you have new way of looking at Life.
ReplyDeleteI was inspired by the Buddha's great struggles how he defeated Mara. Facing such difficulties he was able to spent rest of the night in deep meditation. It shows his constant desire to get something. This gives me insight.
ReplyDeleteThe continuous meditation of Buddha and attaining the enlightenment brought in his heart the true happiness. I feel though Buddha attained the enlightenment but was not confident enough to share his experience. He doubted himself and it led him to hesitate to share his experiences to the world. But his sincerity, openness and humility helped him to reveal himself to the world. I got strength from these three virtues to face the challenges live a happy life.
ReplyDeleteBuddha decided to share his enlightenment with world. He was fully awakened one. The ascetics did not listen to him. This reminds me of Allegory of cave. Sometimes, It is hard to convince people. The world tests me.
ReplyDeleteBuddha's first sermon was on Noble truth of suffering. He explained suffering is tied to the five aggregates of attachment - form, sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. Unless you suffer , you will not be enlightened. Unless you study, you won't pass the exam. Bhuddha taught me today.
ReplyDeleteThis story teaches us the value of patience, sincerity, and perseverance in sharing knowledge. It reminds us that understanding deep truths takes time, and not everyone is ready to receive them. However, with genuine intent and persistence, even the most challenging insights can be communicated and eventually embraced by others.
ReplyDeleteNow Siddhartha becomes the Buddha. He gets the enlightenment. He also realizes how hard for people to understand the truth. It also wonder my mind to understand the truth of the world. I can't understand the good and evil of this world. How the same God can create good and evil spirit to rule this universe.
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