LESSON 3225 Sat 28 Dec 2019
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KUSHINARA NIBBANA BHUMI PAGODA -PATH TO ATTAIN PEACE and ETERNAL BLISS AS FINAL GOAL
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at Sarnath, near Varanasi, is said to mark the site where the Buddha
preached
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Maha Sathipattana Suthraya - මහා සතිපට්ඨාන සුත්රය -
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Maha Sathipattana Sutta
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Kushinara – The holy place of Parinibbana
Story of Buddha’s Last Days
Lord Buddha predicted on the eve of Magh Purnima that he would attain
Mahaparinibbana at Kushinagar three months later. The 80 year old
spiritual Teacher was at Vaishali in present day Bihar when the rather
disheartening announcement was made.
Parinibbana is translated as
final awakenment with awareness. Although Buddha had attained awakenment
with awareness at Bodhi Gaya 45 years earlier, it was with Parinibbana
when he let go of his mortal body that he freed his soul from all
remnants of an earthly life. The moving story of his final days is
beautifully depicted in Maha Parinibbana Sutta.
Ananda,
foremost and beloved among Buddha’s disciples, emerges as a central
figure alongside the spiritual giant of his Teacher Buddha.
Upon the
foreknowledge of the impending physical demise of his beloved Teacher,
Ananda’s heart was in turmoil. Buddha compassionately reiterates the
teachings he had always stood by- of the nature of impermanence of
things, of the need for self-reliance in spiritual practice, of the need
to seek refuge in Buddha’s Teachings of Dhamma. On his final journey
till Kushinara, he kept reiterating to all his followers and disciples
the need to seek spiritual liberation by one’s own efforts and to
earnestly put into practice the teachings he had gifted them.
Maha
Parinibbana Sutta then moves on to depict his encounter with a
metalworker Cunda whose food Lord Buddha graciously accepted. The exact
cause of his death is controversial as the sutta says that Buddha
admonished others from consuming the rest of the food and asked for it
to be discarded. He supposedly fell violently ill, but relieved Cunda
from any ethical/kammic responsibility for his sickness and subsequent
death.
As Buddha reached a beautiful grove of sal trees in
present-day Kushinara, Ananda prepared a couch between two chosen sal
trees as the final resting place of his beloved Guru. Lord Buddha laid
down his physical body, with his head pointed towards the north and
supported by right hand. The poetic descriptions of the Sutta convey
that the Sal tree bloomed out of season, to let its blessed flowers rain
upon the sacred body of Lord Buddha. Heavenly flowers were said to have
scattered upon the holy man’s body as well, accompanied by the musical
cadence of celestial music. Buddha’s skin outshone the radiance of the
bright, golden robes he was clothed in.
Ananda couldn’t help but
burst into tears. He was reminded again of the inevitability of death
and decay that looms above all corporeal things. All things that begin
ought to end as well. He later encouraged Ananda to persist on his
spiritual path, as his loving service to Buddha had earned him much
spiritual merit and he was close to being an arihant (awakened with
awareness being)himself.
The people of the whole town gathered to
bid farewell to the compassionate spiritual Teacher who had spent all
years post his awakenment with awareness in showing the path of Truth,
of Dhamma to one and all. The sutta says how the skies too were crowded
with thousands of divine beings who wanted to see the master in his
final moments of human glory. He spoke to everyone of how the real
Teacher- the dhamma and the discipline he had shown throughout his life-
would continue to serve as their master after his passing away.
After teaching the path of dhamma to a final seeker Subhadda, Buddha
asked the assembly if they had any lingering doubts regarding the path
of Dhamma thrice and after receiving their silence as answer, he
exhorted them to strive diligently for their own awakenment with
awareness and emphasized the impermanence of everything material. As the
master descended into the realms of a deeper meditation and took his
final breaths, many among the assembled broke into sobs. The Bhikkhus
who had crossed over to the stretch of liberation sat quietly
contemplating the impermanence of all things.
Kushinara still
carries in its essence the spiritual aroma of this great celestial
event, wherein one of the most glorious spiritual beings to have walked
upon earth attained parinibbana.
History of Kushinara
Reclining Buddha
Upon the 2500th anniversary of Buddha’s parinibbana, Indian Government
built the present sacred shrine of Parinibbana stupa at Kushinara in
honour of his sacred memory. The first stupas to have been raised over
the sacred soil were constructed by King Ashoka in 260 BCE. Emperors of
Kushan and Gupta dynasties expanded and developed Parinibbana stupa
further. The city of Kushinara, its ancient name, was lost to the
memories of the world by 12th century AD. It was in 1876 that
archeological excavations revealed Kushinara’s ancient roots.
Chief Pilgrim and Tourist Attractions in Kushinara
Parinibbana Temple and Parinibbana Stupa
This Buddhist Temple forms the spiritual heart of Kushinara, the final
abode of Buddha’s mortal body. In fact, this is said to have been the
precise spot at which Buddha breathed his last. A 6.10 m long statue of
Lord Buddha in reclining pose is its chief attraction. This fifth
century monolith built of red-sand stone placed upon a huge brick
pedestal is faced towards the west direction. The temple is surrounded
by beautiful lawns and ancient ruins. If you visit Parinibbana temple
during the evenings, you can witness monks wrapping the shoulders of
reclining Buddha with saffron hued silk sheets, engaging in the symbolic
act of putting Buddha to rest for the night.
The ancient
Parinibbana stupa, standing at a height of 19 m, is located within the
premises of Parinibbana Temple. The adjoining park also has a huge
dhamma bell built by the Buddhist spiritual Leader Dalai Lama
Matha Kuar Shrine
This shrine marks the site at which Buddha delivered his final sermon. A
3m tall statue of tenth century AD is located in this site. It depicts
Buddha in a ‘Bhumi Sparsh Mudra’ pose seated beneath the shade of a
Bodhi Tree.
Ramabhar Stupa
It is said that Buddha’s mortal
body was kept for darshan seven days following his death, after which
Malla kings cremated his remains at this site. The relics associated
with Lord Buddha were divided amongst the many claimants who raised
stupas to house the sacred remnants in different parts of the world.
This half ruined Stupa stands at 15 m height. The surreal aura about
this dome-shaped stupa is the first thing you notice when you see it.
You will inevitably spot many monks soaking in the spiritual air of the
place and meditating in its premises and its many palm-line paths.
Other chief attractions in Kushinagar include Wat Thai temple
constructed in Thai-Buddhist architectural style, Indo -Japa-Sri Lanka
Temple built in modern architectural fashion, the beautiful Burmese
Temple, its serene Meditation Park and the many ruins of ancient
monasteries strewn across the terrains of Kushinara.
How to Reach Kushinara
The nearest railway station and airport are located in Gorakhpur. Kushinagar is a mere 44 km drive from the city of Gorakhpur.
Once you are at Kushinara, it’s as if time slows down and you are
suddenly immersed in the subtle but ever present mystical and spiritual
realms, inner and outer, that you might have missed whilst caught in the
cacophonies of daily life. Engage in deep conversations with many monks
you spot here, descend deeper into the joys that meditation opens up
and contemplate on the essence of spiritual teachings left by the Great
Buddha. And let his final words urging his true followers to practice
the path of Dhamma earnestly guide you as well.https://www.learnreligions.com/how-the-historical-buddha-en…
https://www.learnreligions.com/how-the-historical-buddha-en…
Parinibbana: How the Historical Buddha Entered Nibbana
The Last Days of the Buddha
Parinibbana: How the Historical Buddha Entered Nibbana This abridged
account of the historical Buddha’s passing and entry into Nibbana is
taken primarily from the Maha-parinibbana Sutta, translated from the
Pali by Sister Vajira & Francis Story. Other sources consulted are
Buddha by Karen Armstrong (Penguin, 2001) and Old Path White Clouds by
Thich Nhat Hanh (Parallax Press, 1991).
Forty-five years had passed
since the Lord Buddha’s awakenment with awareness, and the Blessed One
was 80 years old. He and his monks were staying in the village of
Beluvagamaka (or Beluva), which was near the present-day city of Basrah,
Bihar state, northeast India. It was the time of the monsoon rains
retreat,when the Buddha and his disciples stopped traveling.
Like an Old
Cart
One day the Buddha asked the monks to leave and find other places
to stay during the monsoon. He would remain in Beluvagamaka with only
his cousin and companion, Ananda. After the monks had left, Ananda could
see that his master was ill. The Blessed One, in great pain, found
comfort only in deep meditation. But with the strength of will, he
overcame his illness.
Ananda was relieved but shaken. When I saw the
Blessed One’s sickness my own body became weak, he said. Everything
became dim to me, and my senses failed. Ye I still had some comfort in
the thought that the Blessed One would not come to his final passing
away until he had given some last instructions to his monks.
The Lord
Buddha responded, What more does the community of monks expect from me,
Ananda? I have taught the dhamma openly and completely. I have held
nothing back, and have nothing more to add to the teachings. A person
who thought the sangha depended on him for leadership might have
something to say. But, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such idea, that the
sangha depends on him. So what instructions should he give?
Now I am
frail, Ananda, old, aged, far gone in years. This is my eightieth year,
and my life is spent. My body is like an old cart, barely held together.
Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves,
seeking no other refuge; with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as
your refuge, seeking no other refuge.
At the Capala Shrine
Soon after he
had recovered from his illness, the Lord Buddha suggested he and Ananda
spend the day at a shrine, called the Capala Shrine. As the two elderly
men sat together, the Buddha remarked upon the beauty of the scenery
all around. The Blessed One continued, Whosoever, Ananda, has perfected
psychic power could, if he so desired, remain in this place throughout a
world-period or until the end of it. The Tathagata, Ananda, has done
so. Therefore the Tathagata could remain throughout a world-period or
until the end of it.
The Buddha repeated this suggestion three times.
Ananda, possibly not understanding, said nothing.
Then came Mara, the
evil one, who 45 years earlier had tried to tempt the Buddha away from
awakenment with awareness. You have accomplished what you set out to do,
Mara said. Give up this life and enter Parinibbana [complete Nibbana]
now.
The Buddha Relinquishes
His Will to Live Do not trouble yourself,
Evil One, the Buddha replied. In three months I will pass away and enter
Nibbana.
Then the Blessed One, clearly and mindfully, renounced his
will to live on. The earth itself responded with an earthquake. The
Buddha told the shaken Ananda about his decision to make his final entry
into Nibbana in three months. Ananda objected, and the Buddha replied
that Ananda should have made his objections known earlier, and requested
the Tathagata remain throughout a world-period or until the end of it.
To Kushinara
For the next three months, the Buddha and Ananda traveled
and spoke to groups of monks. One evening he and several of the monks
stayed in the home of Cunda, the son of a goldsmith. Cunda invited the
Blessed One to dine in his home, and he gave the Buddha a dish called
sukaramaddava. This means “mushrooms’ soft food.” No one today is
certain what this means. It was mushrooms dish.
Whatever was in the
sukaramaddava, the Buddha insisted that he would be the only one to eat
from that dish. When he had finished, the Buddha told Cunda to bury what
was left so that no one else would eat it.
That night, the Buddha
suffered terrible pain and dysentery. But the next day he insisted in
traveling on to Kushinara, located in what is now the state of Uttar
Pradesh in northern India. On the way, he told Ananda not to blame Cunda
for his death.
Ananda’s Sorrow
The Buddha and his monks came to a grove
of sal trees in Kushinara. The Buddha asked Ananda to prepare a couch
between to trees, with its head to the north. I am weary and want to lie
down, he said. When the couch was ready, the Buddha lay down on his
right side, one foot upon the other, with his head supported by his
right hand. Then the sal trees bloomed, although it was not their
season, pale yellow petals rained down on the Buddha.
The Buddha spoke
for a time to his monks. At one point Ananda left the grove to lean
against a door post and weep. The Buddha sent a monk to find Ananda and
bring him back. Then the Blessed One said to Ananda, Enough, Ananda! Do
not grieve! Have I not taught from the very beginning that with all that
is dear and beloved there must be change and separation? All that is
born, comes into being, is compounded, and is subject to decay. How can
one say: “May it not come to dissolution”? This cannot be.
Ananda, you
have served the Tathagata with loving-kindness in deed, word, and
thought; graciously, pleasantly, wholeheartedly. Now you should strive
to liberate yourself. The Blessed One then praised Ananda in front of
the other assembled monks.
Parinibbana
The Buddha spoke further,
advising the monks to keep the rules of the order of monks. Then he
asked three times if any among them had any questions. Do not be given
to remorse later on with the thought: “The Master was with us face to
face, yet face to face we failed to ask him.” But no one spoke. The
Buddha assured all of the monks they would realize awakenment with
awareness.
Then he said, All compounded things are subject to decay.
Strive with diligence. Then, serenely, he passed into Parinibbana.
his death, the historical Buddha entered complete Nirvana, also called
Parinirvana. This is the story of the Buddha’s final days.
