The Buddha's Enlightenment

01/10/25

What is enlightenment

A state of complete understanding into the true nature of reality.

Some words used in Buddhism to describe enlightenment are

• Awakening - a new perspective, ‘opening your eyes’

• Insight - see things in a different way

• Comprehension - understanding how things really are

• ‘Blowing out’ - extinguishing desires, suffering and rebirth

What is an ascetic

A person who has renounced the world in pursuit of eternal bliss.

What is asceticism

A lifestyle characterised by abstinence (when you refrain from doing something) from sensual pleasures for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals.

Why did Siddhartha choose to live an ascetic life

He realised that true happiness is not found in wealth, luxuries or possessions because none of these items last forever. He wanted to live in perfect and eternal bliss so he lived in this way.

What was Siddhartha’s life like when he was an ascetic

• Joined five ascetics in a forest

• They punished their body through deliberate starvation to overcome suffering (by exposing themselves to it deliberately)

• He did this for six years, surviving on just one grain of rice a day

• He used the idea of overcoming suffering by getting used to it

• He was also meditating

What caused Siddhartha to abandon extreme asceticism

When a young cowgirl, called Sujata, offered him a bowl of milk-rice. Siddhartha realised that he had become too weak to even meditate and so he accepted the food.

What is the Middle Way

A way of living that avoids both extreme luxury and extreme asceticism

What did Siddhartha do to try and achieve enlightenment? Where did he do this?

• He realised that the ‘Middle Way’ is the best way and the only way to become enlightened

• So he sat in meditation under a fig tree and was determined that he would not move until he had achieved enlightenment

• (The tree was called the ‘Bodhi tree’

Who is Mara? How did he try to stop Siddhartha from achieving enlightenment?

Mara is a devil figure who tried to tempt Siddhartha to abandon his goal:

• He tried to stop him from achieving enlightenment by scaring him with his armies

• Trying to tempt him with his daughters

• Mara tried to claim Siddhartha’s seat as his own and asked him to prove his right to sit there

Why did Siddhartha touch the ground before becoming enlightened?

He touched the ground and asked the Earth to be his witness (to say that the Buddha does have the right to sit there). He then became enlightened with Mara (possibly symbolising dukkha) defeated.

What did Siddhartha learn when he became enlightened?

• Gained knowledge of his previous lives

• Realised how all things come to exist and pass away, that all things are constantly changing

• He saw how people have negative feelings and cravings even though it brings them suffering

Why is the Buddha’s enlightenment important

• Demonstrates that suffering can be overcome

• Shows us how we can achieve enlightenment

• He gained insight about the true nature of the world

Why does ‘Demonstrates that suffering can be overcome’ matter

When Siddhartha achieved enlightenment, he was liberated from dukkha and the cravings (tanha) and attachments that cause it. By achieving enlightenment, he also achieved nirvana.

Why does ‘Shows us how we can achieve enlightenment’ matter

The Buddha is a human being like the rest of us and this means we can achieve enlightenment by following his example of the middle way and meditation.

Why does ‘He gained insight about the true nature of the world’ matter

Siddhartha gained a true understanding of the world, such as that it is characterised by the three marks of existence – dukkha (suffering), anicca (impermanence) and anatta (non-self), and he taught his followers about this. Without his teaching based on the insight he gained from his enlightenment we would not know what causes suffering or how to end it.