leven van buddha deel 2

tusita

heaven, buddha waited here for his last rebirth after collecting merits in former lives

place of birth buddha

lumbini

buddha birth aspects

-supernatural conception → descended from heaven (tusita) into mothers womb (sometimes as white elephant depicted)

-mother gives birth standing up

-born from the side hip (to escape impurities)

-showered by heavenly water

-can walk and talk from the beginning

buddhas life in the palace

-mahamaya (mom) dies 7 days after buddhas birth

-his aunt raises him

-luxury, large harem, education in wordly affairs

-marries with Yasodhara, Rahula = son

four encounters buddha

-sick man

-corpse

-old man

-ascetic/holy man

=> this teaches him impermanence and duhka (suffering)

=> chooses to escape the palace as a result of this

ascetic period

-after departure from palace

-has a spiritual master, learns to meditate, extreme fasting and breathing exercises

-6 years

ending ascetic period

-village girls give rice

-starts the middle path after recalling childhood experience of bliss

-in some biographies, mother interferes from heaven

meditation under bodhi tree

-plek: bodh gaya

-encounters demon king mara → high ranked god in realm of desire, lord of death and rebirth, goal: keep living beings in the realm of desire

-enlightenment: three knowledges => previous births, transmigration of all beings, asravas

-god Brahma says he should teafch the dharma

what is asravas

negative inclinations that lead to suffering

→ kama: sensual desire

→ bhava: clinging to existence

→ drsti: views (nihilist, ego, the world…)

→ avidya: ignorance of four noble truths

the first sermon

-teaching four noble truths + middle way

-where?: deer park in sarnath (important pilgrimage site today)

-conversion of former ascetic companions

four noble truths?

1) life is ultimately suffering (duhka) => old age, sickness, death, impermanence

2) cause of suffering => ignorance (of impermanence) leads to thirst (trsna), leads to clinging

3) there is freedom from suffering (nirodha), by getting rid of the causes

4) noble eightfold path makes you free from suffering

conversions

-brahmins: by making a metafor of fire => everything is burning because of suffering

-king of kosala: by the great miracle at sravasti => buddha multiplies himself

-teaches human beings and deities (converts god Indra) and his mother in heaven

=> during 45 years of teaching, the community increases and becomes more institutionalized (with donations)

buddhas death?

-where?: kusinagari

-lays down between two sala trees

-expires into nirvana without any residue remaining => parinirvana, ending cycle of rebirth and death

-householder cunda serves ‘pig delight’