Philosophy 387 |
The Life of the Buddha, Part IV |
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| CONTENTS PART IV
Young Monk
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Buddha Preaching to Bodhisattvas and Monks
The
Missionary Effort Within three months, the Buddha had converted sixty monks to his cause, from every class, brahmans to outcastes. He traveled between the capitals of the main states of north India--Magadha, the Licchavi Confederacy, Kosala, and Kashi. During the twenty years of travel when he never had a home, he converted many to his teachings. Buddha accepted people from every part of society, men and women, whoever sought enlightenment. At first his mendicant followers stayed in caves and forests, begging for food and dressing in rags, and were called bhikkhu or "beggars." To prevent excesses of indulgence or mortification, the Buddha developed a simple rule for the monks. They were permitted to live in monasteries, accept food and clothing from the faithful, and take medicines from physicians. At the urging of his step-mother who cut off her hair and wore the yellow robes of the Order, the Buddha accepted women into the Order, but provided special rules for nunneries. At the beginning Buddha himself accepted lay persons as monks with the simple proclamation: "Come, Oh Monk." Those accepted into the order shaved their heads, removed their moustaches, dressed in yellow robes, and studied under a teacher. Monks took their refuge in the Buddha, his teachings (the law or Dharma), and the Order (Sangha), the Three Jewels of Buddhism. The monastic movement began to take shape after Buddha's conversion of King Bimbisara when Kalanda donated a bamboo grove and the King built a monastery, known as the Bodhimandala, for the Buddha and his thousand followers. Two disciples of the ascetic Sanjaya, Sariputta noted for his wisdom and Moggallana noted for his psychic powers, converted to Buddhism and became among his most important disciples. A third disciple of importance was Mahakassapa who was noted for his asceticism. The Buddha enjoined his disciples to convert others saying:
The converts to Buddhism were of two types, lay people who accepted the Three Jewels and the mendicant monks who instructed lay believers and were supported by them. They were expected to observe the Five Precepts:
In addition, they were expected to abstain from eating after midday, attending music or dance performances, and using perfumes and garlands on six days each month. Observance was an injunction, but it was not compulsary and there was no penalty for violations. For monks and nuns the Rule was compulsary and there were penalties the most severe of which might involve suspension from the Order or, in extreme cases, expulsion. Expulsion might result from sexual misconduct, stealing, taking human life, or lying about spiritual attainments. Monks wandered for most of the year, but during the rainy season, they congregated at retreats where they undertook concentrated study of the Law and Rule. The character of the Buddha's teaching is well illustrated by a Burmese account of two princes who were quarrelling about where to place a dam. They were about to fight over the matter when the Buddha suddenly appeared, asked about the conflict, was told the reasons, and then asked:
The angry kings saw the wisdom of this reasoning and abandoned
their dispute. |
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Rahula
presented to his father, the Buddha, who is represented by the cushion on his chair and
the footprints on the stool. It was not customary to represent the Buddha with an image. Amaravati Style. |
Return to Kapilavastu, 516BC Seven years after he had left the palace, the Buddha returned to see his father, wife and child. During the visit, at the urging of his mother, Rahula asked to be made the next king, but the Buddha replied "What you want to inherit is impermanent and will make you suffer," and turning to his disciple Sariputta, said "receive him into the Order." While staying there the Buddha converted his father, many members of his family, including Devadatta who would later oppose him, and many of the Shakya people. On his return, a wealthy merchant offered him land and buildings in Kosala which became the second important monastery, the Jetavanna Grove, where he spent the last twenty years of his life. |
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Mad Elephant Charging
Buddha on left; Bowing down to Buddha on right. |
The Death or Parinirvana of Buddha After a lifetime of missionary efforts, called retreats, the Buddha saw dissent among his followers. His cousin Devadatta and Prince Ajatasatru, who had killed his father King Bimbisara, plotted to take control of the order and the kingdom of Magadha. Devadatta asked to lead the order, but the Buddha refused, saying that the monks follow his teachings not his person, leading Devadatta to attempt to kill him. First he released a mad elephant which charged the Buddha, thundering "like the black clouds at the end of the world," but was stopped by the Buddha raising his hand, evoking in the elephant a loving kindness and causing it to kneel down in homage. Devadatta then pushed a boulder which broke apart merely scratching the Buddha's foot and proposed new austerities for monks in the attracting new recruits. All his efforts failed. Prince Ajatasatru, now King, regretted the murder of his father and became a Buddhist. Devadatta created a schism, but the Buddha sent Moggallana and Sariputta to win them back, and they returned to the Order. Devadatta regretted his error and was received back into the Order as well. The Buddha, now about 80, left for a visit to Vaisali where he
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John Knoblock |
