Putting aside the bonds offspring have for their parents, and giving up the love he felt for his wife and child, the Lord renounced the world and dedicated himself to the quest of truth. He did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, for the good, the welfare and the happiness of gods and humans, out of compassion of the world.
Turning his 
back on wealth and royal glory, and all the security they provide, the Lord renounced his palace to live in the lonely forest. He exchanged a golden palace for the roots of the trees. He did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world.
back on wealth and royal glory, and all the security they provide, the Lord renounced his palace to live in the lonely forest. He exchanged a golden palace for the roots of the trees. He did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world. Assailed by Mara and his army, attacked by fearful shapes and sounds, enduring menace and doubt, the Lord remained calm and resolute, never being diverted from his noble quest. He overcame Mara and his army for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world.
When the Lord attained enlightenment and achieved his high purpose, he decided to teach what he had realized to others, rather than enjoy the happiness of liberation alone. The Lord did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world.
When he heard that Angulimala was waylaying travelers and murdering them, the Lord disregarded the dangers of the lonely roads and went to teach him the Dhamma of peace. He did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world. When the Lord could have partaken in royal banquets, he was content to eat scraps and simple fare. He could have worn cloth of gold gowns but he was satisfied with a robe of rags. The Lord did this for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world.
Disregarding the heat and dust of summer and the icy gusts of the winter, the Lord traversed long roads and paths, byways and jungle tracks, to teach the Dhamma to one and all. He undertook such journeys for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion of the world.
Although abused by Asurinda, denied alms by the people of Pancasala, and mocked by the ascetic Nigrodha, the Lord never turned his back on the hostile, but remained open and friendly to all. He acted thus for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, for the good, the welfare and the happiness of gods and humans, out of compassion of the world.
Composed by Bhante S. Dhammika
Composed by Bhante S. Dhammika
Marvellous indeed Bhante! I am happy that I was born in a condition to be able to hear about the Lord and His Teachings and meet inspiring members of His Sangha such as Bhante yourself. But at the same time I am also saddened by the fact that I cannot meet the Lord himself and realise the Ultimate under His guidance, and I miss all of that just by 2500 years compared with the many Kappas needed before another Sammasambuddha arises!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog, Bhante! A source of inspiration. Is there a particular book on the life of Buddha that you most enjoyed and would recommend for the lay Buddhist?
ReplyDeleteDear Bhante,
ReplyDeleteYou have mentioned "Abused by Nigrodha" ? .The Name Nigrodha seems to be a Jain Name, what is the story behind this.
Could you pls explain.
Dear Buddha, Nigrodha (meaning Banyan in Pali) was a wandering ascetic of no particular sect who mocked and belittled the Buddha in his absence, boasting that he could easily defeat him in debate, but who proved not to be up to the task when in the Buddha’s presence. This is mentioned in the Digha Nikaya III,38.
ReplyDeleteDear Paul, there are many good books on the life of the Buddha. Two of my favorites are Hans W. Schumann’s ‘The Historical Buddha’ and Michael Carrither’s ‘The Buddha’. The first looks at the historical evidence and the second at the Buddha’s meditation practice, transformation and realization. They are together very good reads.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhante,
ReplyDeleteI'll look into both these books
I had asked because the name Nigrodha stuck a Familiar chord.
ReplyDelete"Nigrodha Kumar" was the name of the Young Novice who Preached Dhamma to King Ashoka.
While he was Ashokas Nephew, his father was killed by Ashoka succession Battle to Throne of Magadha (Bihar).
Her mother ran way and gave Birth to a Boy under a Banyan Tree.(Ref : Amarchitrakatha)
Dear ven. S. Dhammika,
ReplyDeleteI have a question about the thesis you present in this nice post and also in your book GQGA. The thesis is about the life of Lord Buddha, concretely about the reasons he renounced the worldly affairs and went forth. If I understand correctly, you say he did it to find a cure for human suffering and because of compassion for the others. As it writes in GQGA he wanted, I quote "to dedicate himself to the world" .
As far as I know/have read the story of Buddha, only after enlightenment the compassion for others arose. After the enlightenment he had a kind of debate with himself about should he or should he not present Dhamma to the world. To our luck he decided he would present it to the world and he thought Dhamma unselfishly for the next 45 years.
I think it sounds nicer that Buddha left his wife and son because of good of others, but I doubt it. I think he did it only to find the cause and cure for suffering, the will to help others arose 6 years after.
P.s: I'm not expert on Buddhism, just a lay person. I like your books, especially Broken Buddha that cleared some illusions about Theravada. I find this book very humorous also.
With kind regards, Gregor Ackermann
Dear Gregor, that is very much a possibility but we have no concrete way of proving either. But the common belief that the propensity for compassion can only come about if one has continually reinforced/cultivated it throughout one's life is reinforced by the buddhist teachings about kamma. Of course then again, there have been stories of people undergoing remarkable changes in attitude after profound life experiences, which Angulimala too did. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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