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THE GREAT ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE BUDDHA


Adapted from the Introduction (Nidanakatha) to the
Jataka book of the Ancient & Sacred Pali Canon.


Translated by Henry Clarke Warren (1854-1899) in his
'Buddhism in Translations' 1896 originally published in
The Harvard Oriental Series also co-founded by him.
Reprinted as ISBN 8120811178 by Motilal Banarsidas,
Delhi, India, www.mlbd.com, email: mlbd@...


--oo0oo--


At that time a girl named Sujata Senani lived in Uruvela. When adult
she prayed before a certain Banyan tree, that she might get a husband
equal to herself in caste and that her firstborn may be a son.
If so, she promised to offer the perceived tree deity the value of
100.000 yearly.
Her prayer was successful since so indeed did it happen.
Six years after the Buddha-to-be had started his severe asceticism,
she desired to pay back the perceived tree deity on the full moon
day of the month of Vesak. First she put 1000 cows on good grass in
the forest. The milk from them she fed to 500 cows and the milk from
these 500 cows she gave to 250 and so on down to feeding such ultra
pure milk from 16 cows to 8 cows. This process called "Working the
milk in & in" made the milk more sweet, thick, protein rich &
nutritious. At the full moon day of the Vesak month she rose at
early dawn & made the cows to be milked. As soon as new buckets were
placed under the cows, their milk poured forth in streams
spontaneously all by itself. Seeing this miracle Sujata collected
the milk herself in a new pot and began to cook milk-rice. Seeing
the milk boil immediately while rotating right with large bubbles
yet not spilling over & the fire burn without trace of smoke,
she knew something special was going on. On this auspicious
occasion the 4 guardian Kings stood guard, Maha Brahma held the white
umbrella of state & Sakka tended the fire. Just a man squeezes honey
out of a honeycomb, so did these deities by their superhuman power
collect the vital nectar from all 4 great continents & their 2000
islands. They then infused fine nutrient into the milk-rice.
At other events the deities used to infuse this nectar into each
mouthful, but here on the day of Awakening to Buddhahood and on the
day of Decease, they place it in the vessel.
When Sujata saw so many miracles appear, she said to her
servant girl Punna: "Punna, dear girl, the tree deity is very well
disposed towards us today. Never have I seen so many wonders.
Run quickly to the Holy tree and get everything clean, neat & ready.
"Yes, my lady," answered the girl and ran in hot haste to the foot
of the tree. Now at that very night the Future Buddha had 5
specific dreams that made him conclude after thorough consideration:
"Certainly, beyond doubt, today is the very day,
I will reach Enlightenment!"
When the night had passed, he cleaned himself and came early
before down to that very tree and sat down facing east, to await
the suitable time for going the begging round. His 5 colored radiance
illuminated the whole tree.
Then Punna came. When she saw the streaming radiance from his
body lighten up the whole tree in a golden color, she became highly
excited and said to herself: "Our deity, methinks, have come down
from the tree and has seated himself in order to receive our offering
with his own hands!". So she ran in great speed back to Sujata & told
all about it.
When Sujata heard this news, she became both thrilled & jubilant! So
elated, she rewarded the slave Punna by saying: "From this very day
you may be here as my eldest daughter," and gave Punna all such
jewelry appropriate for that position.
Since all Buddhas on the day of Buddhahood receive their food on a
golden dish, the idea occurred to Sujata to put the milk-rice and
a golden plate worth 100.000.
The milk-rice poured out from the pot as water from a lotus leaf &
filled exactly the golden dish. Covering it with another golden dish
and wrapping it in a white cloth, she adorned herself with all her
ornaments and proceeded with the dish on her head to
the foot of the Banyan tree. As soon as she caught sight of the
Future Buddha, she became exceedingly overjoyed & ecstatic.
Expecting him to be the tree deity, she approached while constantly
bowing. She took down the golden dish from her head & uncovered
it. Advancing close to the Buddha-to-be she put down a golden vase
with flower scented water. His long kept earthenware bowl given by
Maha Brahma Ghatikara vanished at that moment, so when stretching
down his hand attempting to find his bowl, he got hold of the golden
vase. Sujata then placed the golden plate in the hands of the Great
Being. He gazed at her & she perceived that he was a Holy Man.
Doing a reverential obeisance she said:
"Lord, please accept my donation & take it wherever you see fit."
Adding "May your wishes come through like mine." she raised and
departed as disinterested in her golden plate as had it been a
withered leaf. The Future Buddha then raised and circulating the
tree right-wise he proceeded down to the Neranjara river and
descended into its waters just as many thousands of Future Buddhas
before him had here bathed on the day of their complete
enlightenment. This place is even today a pilgrimage called
Suppatitthita. Coming out of the water he dressed himself
in the simple hempen dress of Saint-ship also common to all the Noble
Bodhisattvas before him. Sitting down on the bank he then rolled the
entire dish of thick sweet milk-rice into 49 small pellets and ate
them. Thereafter he took no further food in the 49 days of the 7
weeks he spent enraptured in the bliss of Awakening.
During all that time the Buddha neither bathed, rinsed his mouth nor
eased himself but was fully absorbed into the ecstasy of the trance
of Arahatship. When he had consumed the milk-rice he took the golden
dish and said:
"If I am to become a Buddha today, let this golden dish go up-stream."
He then threw it into the water, and cleaving the stream as a fleet
horse it went up-stream in the middle of the river for 160 meters.
Then it dived into a whirlpool & sank into the submerged palace of
the black Snake King where it hit "Click! Clack!" against the top of
the stack of golden dishes, used by the 3 prior Buddhas of this Eon.
When the black Snake King heard this particular sound he exclaimed:

"Yesterday another Buddha lived.
Today a new One has been born!"

repeating several hundred admiring verses. As the time from yesterday
did this immense time lapse between two Buddhas appear to him.
At these rare occasions his body raised up in the air to several km.
Then the Future Buddha rested at the riverbank between Sal trees
in full bloom. At nightfall when the flowers closed, he raised like
a lion & went towards the Bo tree along a path prepared by the
deities. The nagas, fairies, angels, deities, birds, & various other
beings did the Seer homage with flowers, perfumes, & other splendid
offerings. Divine music
was heard, so that all of the ten thousand worlds were vibrantly
excited with expectation & shouts of acclaim. Just then a grass-
cutter came going with his harvest from the other side.
He offered the Great Being 8 handfuls of Kusa grass, when he saw that
this Sage was a Holy Man. The Future Buddha accepted the grass and
proceeded to the foot of the Bo-tree. There, the Expert of worlds
surveyed the site standing on the Southern side. This instantly sank
down while the opposite side raised up.
"This cannot be the site for the attainment of supreme wisdom".
So he went around the tree to the Western & Northern sides, but also
there did the ground sink down. Reaching the imperturbable Eastern
side, where all Buddhas take their seat, he sat down saying to
himself: "This is indeed the immovable spot where all the Buddhas
have planted themselves! This is the very place for destroying the
net of passion!" Shaking out the grass it spontaneously arranged
itself into a suitable & symmetric seat. Then the Future Buddha
turned his back to the trunk and faced East.
Right there he then made this mighty decision:

"Let blood & flesh of this body dry up & let skin &
the sinews fall from the bones. I will not leave this seat
before having attained the absolute supreme Wisdom!"

So determined did he seat himself in this unconquerable seat,
which not even a 100 strikes of lightning could make him waver from.
At this very moment the rebel deity Mara -the Evil One- raised and
exclaimed: "Prince Siddhattha will pass beyond my power, but I will
never allow it!" and sounding the Mara's war shout, he prepared his
army & went out for battle. Mara's army extended 102 km in front &
to the sides of him. Behind it extended to the limits of the world &
it towered 77 km up high. The sound of it was like the rumbling roar
of an earthquake. Mara mounted his mountain-like Elephant carrying a
1000 different weapons. Not two in his army carried the same weapon
and this immense mass of warriors swept forward as a flood to
overwhelm the Blessed Bhagava. There Deities of the 10 thousands
worlds of this galaxy were singing the praises of the Great Being.
Sakka - the King of the 33 gods - was blowing the conch, which could
sound for four months after a single blow. The black Naga King was
reciting the 100 laudatory verses & the mighty Maha-Brahma was
holding the white umbrella aloft. But when Mara's army came close,
no one dared stay put. They all fled trembling like a
caught rabbit. The black Naga King dived into the earth and reaching
his submerged home, he covered his face with both hands & lay down.
Sakka threw the conch right over his shoulder & took up a safe
position at the rim of the world. Maha-Brahma left the white
umbrella at the end of this world & fled into his fine-material
plane. Not a single deity was able to stand his ground, so they all
left the Great Being sitting cross-legged all alone only protected
by the consummation of his perfections. Then Mara said to his
militia: "This Siddhattha, son of king Suddhodana, is far greater
than any other man, so we will never succeed to fight him
up front. We will therefore attack him from behind."
Looking towards the North the Kinsman of the sun perceived that
Mara's Army was approaching like a great flood and noted:
"Here come this mighty gang putting up all their forceful power
against me alone. Neither my parents, family nor friends are here.
But I have these great accumulated perfections at my side.
These will be my shield and the force that will crush this mighty
evil & armed gathering. And so he remained all still inwardly
focusing on the 10 great perfections#.
Wanting to drive away the Future Buddha Mara then whirled up a great
storm, which could tear away mountain peaks, uproot trees and
pulverize entire cities into scattered powder. Yet when this immense
energy reached the Future Buddha it could not even make the corner
of his robe flutter.
Such was the power of the Great Being's long accumulated merit.
Intending then to drown this Bull among Seers Mara caused a great
rain to pour down until the wild torrents of water flooded even the
treetops. But on reaching the Future Buddha this immense flood could
not even wet his robe to the extent of a dewdrop. Infuriated, Mara,
yielding power over even the creation of others, then caused a
showering bombardment of flaming rocks & smoking boulders. Yet these
turned into celestial flowers reaching the Great Being. So also
did a veritable assault by a cascade of burning spears, swords,
arrows & axes hurling through the air. Enraged, Mara then whirled
forth an attack of burning red coals. These also however feel gently
as flowers at the feet of the Foremost of all humans. Seething mad,
Mara then tried white ashes & sand glowing like fire but this fell
as sandal wood powder at the feet of the Caravan leader. A shower of
boiling mud became a delighting balm. Feverishly attempting to
frighten the Great Seer, Mara then caused a dense fourfold darkness
to spread out, but reaching the Dispeller of darkness it disappeared
like darkness is lighted up in the radiance of the sun. Frustrated,
being unable even to touch the Wielder of power with these nine
mighty hurricanes of wind, rain, rocks, weapons, red coals, hot
ashes, sand, mud, & darkness Mara somewhat in panic commanded his
army:
"Why do you stand still? Seize, kill & drive away this prince".
Armed with a discus he drew near the Future Buddha on his elephant
& yelled: "Siddhattha, leave this seat. It is not yours but mine!"
Hearing this the Well-gone One replied:
"Mara, neither have you fulfilled the 10 perfections to the third
degree nor have you given the 5 great donations*. Neither has you
striven for insight, for the welfare of the world,
nor for enlightenment! Therefore does this seat not belong to you,
but indeed to me."
Unable to control his fury the enraged Mara hurled his discus which
could cut stone pillars like bamboo shoots. But as the Great Being
reflected on the perfections, it changed into a canopy of flowers,
which remained suspended over his head. Mara's army then
threw enormous mountain like boulders saying: "This will make
him get up & flee!" but they also fell to the ground as flowers.
Meanwhile the gods were standing on the rim of the world &
craning their necks to see, they mumbled: "Oohh what a day.
This handsome prince will certainly be smashed! What will he do
to save himself?"
The Conqueror then confidently continued:
"Mara, who is your witness to have given the great donations ?"
Mara responded: "As many as you see here!" and instantly all in
his army roared "I am his witness, I am his witness" as with one
voice. Mara then asked the Great Being:
"Siddhattha, who is your witness to have given the great donations ?"
The Future Buddha answered: "You have alive witnesses at your side
while I have none. However the great seven-hundred-fold donation,
which I gave at my existence as Vessantara, shall now be testified
by this great earth how inanimate she may be. And at the exact moment
he touched the earth with his hand, it erupted into a tremulous
earthquake. When he gladdened remembered his prior great donation,
Mara's elephant crouched down before him on its knees. Suddenly
overpowered by fear Mara's followers fled helter-skelter in all
directions. Not two went the same way, but leaving their weapons in
a chaos all behind, they fled terrified by panic. Seeing them flee,
the great assembly of deities triumphantly shouted:
"Mara is defeated. Prince Siddhattha has conquered.
Let us celebrate the Victory!"
The snakes then urged the snakes, the birds urged the birds,
the deities urged the deities, the Brahmas urged the brahmas and
they all approached the great wisdom seat of the Supreme Teacher
carrying perfumes, flowers, garlands, and offerings, while they sang:

"The Victory has this illustrious Buddha Won.
The Evil One, The End-maker is defeated & done.
Thus they jubilantly circled the wisdom throne,
the band of snakes singing their praises of the Seer,
the flocks of birds singing their praises of the Sage,
the assembly of Deities singing their praises of the Conqueror,
the group of Brahmas singing their praises of the Worthy One."

It was before the sun had set that the Tathagata thus
conquered Mara & defeated his army. Then at the same night,
while the Bo tree rained red sprigs on his robe, the Consummate One
acquired knowledge of previous existences in the first watch of the
night:
"With the mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, intact, unified,
focused, tractable, compliant, steady & imperturbable, I directed it
to remembrance of my past lives. I recollected numerous past lives,
i.e., one birth, two...five, ten...fifty, 100, 1000, a 100 thousand,
many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion,
many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion:
'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan & species, had such
a body. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain,
such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose
there where I had such name, belonged to such a sort & family, had
such a form. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain,
such the end of my life. Passing away from that state,
I re-arose here.'
Thus I remembered my various past lives in all their various modes &
details. This was the first knowledge I attained in the first watch
of the night. Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose -- as happens in one who is mindful, keen,
& determined. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did
not invade my mind nor remain.
With the mind thus still concentrated, purified, bright, intact,
pliant, malleable, steady, & imperturbable, I directed it to the
knowledge of the passing away & reappearance of beings:
I saw by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human
eye I saw beings passing away & re-appearing, and I realized how &
why they are high & low, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate
all in accordance with the kamma of their prior actions:
'These beings who were had bad behaviour of body, speech, & mind,
who reviled the Noble Ones, held wrong views and acted under the
influence of wrong views with the break-up of the body, after death,
have re-appeared in the plane of misery, the bad destination, the
lower realms, even in hell. But these beings who were gifted with
good behaviour of body, speech & mind, who did not revile the Noble
Ones, who held right views and acted under the influence of right
views with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared
in happy destinations, even in a divine world.'
Thus by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human,
I saw beings passing away & re-appearing, and I differentiated why
they are high & low, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate all
in accordance with their particular mixture of good & bad kamma.
"This was the second knowledge I attained in the second watch of the
night. Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose as happens in one who is mindful, keen, &
determined. But the satisfaction that arose in this way did not
invade my mind nor remain. With the mind thus concentrated,
absorped, bright, intact, purified, pliant, malleable, steady,
& attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of
the ending of the mental fermentations. I realized how it actually
develops, that:

Caused by Ignorance, Mental Construction emerges.
Ceasing of Ignorance therefore ceases Mental Construction.
Caused by Mental Construction, Consciousness emerges.
Ceasing of Mental Construction therefore ceases Consciousness.
Caused by Consciousness, Name-&-Form emerge.
Ceasing of Consciousness therefore ceases Name-&-Form.
Caused by Name-&-Form, the Six Senses emerge.
Ceasing of Name-&-Form therefore ceases the Six Senses.
Caused by The six Senses, Contact emerges.
Ceasing of The six Senses therefore ceases Contact.
Caused by Contact, Feeling emerges.
Ceasing of Contact therefore ceases Feeling.
Caused by Feeling, Craving emerges.
Ceasing of Feeling therefore ceases Craving.
Caused by Craving, Clinging emerges.
Ceasing of Craving therefore ceases Clinging.
Caused by Clinging, Becoming emerges.
Ceasing of Clinging therefore ceases Becoming.
Caused by Becoming, Birth emerges.
Ceasing of Becoming therefore ceases Birth.
Caused by Birth, Ageing, Sickness & Death emerge.
Ceasing of Birth therefore ceases Ageing, Sickness & Death.
Caused by Ageing, Sickness & Death, Misery emerges.
Ceasing of Ageing, Sickness & Death therefore
ceases all Misery!


So seeing:


Such is Misery...
Such is the cause of Misery...
Such is the end of Misery...
Such is the way leading to the end of Misery...

Such was the mental fermentations...
Such is the cause of fermentation...
Such is the end of fermentation...
Such is the way leading to the end of fermentation.'

When my mind saw that, realized that, it was instantly freed of
the fermentation of sensuality, released from the fermentation of
becoming, unobstructed by the fermentation of ignorance.
With release, there was the knowledge,
'Released.' I realized that 'Birth is ended, this Holy life
is fulfilled, the mission is completed.
There is no further state in this world.'
"This was the third knowledge I attained in the third watch of the
night. Ignorance was destroyed; certainty arose; darkness was
destroyed; light arose -- as it happens to one who is mindful, keen,
& determined. But the satisfaction that so arose, did not obsess my
mind nor remain." At this very moment of attainment of Omniscience,
the 10 thousand worlds quaked 12 times & became gloriously adorned.
Throughout this galaxy flowering trees bloomed, lotuses blossomed,
and wines & trees bore fruit, the dark spaces of the hells and
between the worlds became illuminated by a flood of radiance
surpassing even that of 7 suns. Fully & perfectly Enlightened - The
Buddha - perceiving this immense glory spoke these solemn 2 verses,
which never has been omitted by any of countless thousands of prior
Buddhas:

Through this round of countless existences have I searched
yet failed to find the Creator who framed this formation:
What Misery! - Endless Birth, Death & Pain !

Now I see that 'the Constructor' of this structure is Craving.
Never shall this construction be build again as all the rafters
are shattered and the main beam is busted & broken.
At the elimination of Craving this mind has reached rest…

Then, friends, I myself a subject birth, ageing, sickness, death,
pain, sorrow & mental degradation, having fully comprehended the
danger in all what is subject to birth, ageing, sickness, death,
pain, sorrow & mental degradation, searching the unborn, unageing,
immune, deathless, unburning, happy, pleasant & pure supreme
security from the oppressing bondage of craving, of becoming, of
views, and of ignorance, entered this unbecome, unborn, uncreated,
unconstructed, undiverse, unformed, unchangeable, unconditional,
unimaginable, undecaying, unageing, unending, undeceiving, universal
unity, this supremely safe, immune, death & painless state called
Nibbana. This vision of certainty arose in me: "This release is
irreversible, this is the last birth, the endless reappearance is
finally ended...."



--ooOoo--





In the full moon of May 2530 years ago this event took place!
May all beings with advantage Celebrate this very Vesak Day!
May 15, 2003


Notes:

Edited excerpts of MN 26+36 & dependent origination
have been inserted.


# The 10 Perfections of the mind is: Generosity (dana),
morality (sila), retraction (nekkhamma), wisdom (pañña),
enthusiasm/persistence (viriya), patience/forbearance (khanti),
honesty (sacca), determination (adhitthana), good will (metta),
and equanimity (upekkha)


* The 5 great donations are the gifts of treasures, child & wife,
royalty, limb & life.

: - ]