The Tathagata

1. A Blessed Birth
More than two and a half millennia ago
All Stars assembled on a Full-Moon day in May
In the Sal-Bana Lumbini Garden on the foothills of the Himalayas
To welcome the birth of someone rare and extraordinary
To greet the Honored Light of the World.
On that auspicious day Queen Mahamaya took bath in a Lotus pond
As she did, all Lotus buds blossomed into flower
The sky became clear blue brightening the day
Marked by the perfect alignment and congruence of causes and conditions
As Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born to the Queen.
Bright, curious and sweet
The new-born smiled as if He had something to say
And there it was
All the Stars smiled back bestowing Ashirvada
To the baby with Lotus petal showers.
.  .  .
2. Royal Life and the Great Renunciation
The palace made everything smooth and enjoyable to raise the crown prince
But, there was something different about this prince
He was kind and sweet showing no sign of royal arrogance
At young age He proved to the royal court
That a wounded creature does not belong to the hunter
But to the compassionate one who is kind to give it new life.
He was strong and learned things quickly the palace had to offer
Princess Yoshodara came into His life with Prince Rahula born to them
But, Siddhartha felt like He was missing something
He asked Channa, His Charioteer to take Him beyond the palace courtyard
Seeing life outside changed His perspectives for ever
His heart cried seeing the suffering of all different kinds
His curiosity looked for answers what He saw
But, disappointed He was – as the answers were nothing close to his satisfaction.
He questioned, if happiness is cherished and held dearest by all
Then why it is so flitting? What are the hindrances deluding people?
He had to find the answer – the Truth
He had to sacrifice the comfort, perk and privileges of the palace life
He had to translate the love for His wife, son and family – to the love for many
And there it was – an unwavering resolution was born.
.  .  .
3. The Journey to Buddhahood
He had to go beyond – utterly beyond what were commonly believed
He had to mingle with common people to understand them better
He had to listen to the songs of lives and Nature – to know them better
In their emotional rise and fall – of joy, love, sadness, anger and despair
In life’s phases – of birth, growth, youth, waning, demise and transformation.
He had to prepare and perfect Himself to get the Jewel He was looking for
And there it was – at age 29 Siddhartha began His journey to Buddhahood.
Traveling corners of the subcontinental India and learning
Things from fellow people in similar pursuits
Helped Him acquire some skills – but not the answers He was looking for.
For the first time He realized dependence on imaginary beings
For one’s salvation and happiness is just a deluded illusion
That one has to be realistic to see things as they are
And feel confident that one has all the strengths to find ways to be happy
To be in peace and harmony.
.  .  .
4. The Perfections to Bodhi
The six years of pursuits helped Him
Mastering the practices of the Ten Perfections to Bodhi He needed
The Dasa Paramita:
The Dana Parami – Generosity, Altruism
The Sila Parami – Morality, Integrity
The Nekkhamma Parami – Let go, Non-attachment
The Prajna Parami – Wisdom, Awakening
The Virya Parami – Energy, Power
The Khanti Parami – Patience, Tolerance
The Dyana Parami – Meditation, Truthfulness
The Adhittahana Parami – Determination, Skillful Means
The Metta Parami – Loving Kindness, Non-violence
The Upekkha Parami – Equanimity, Calmness
And there it was – Siddhartha Gautama was ready
His final awakening is about to change the world for ever.
.  .  .
5. Austerity Hinders
In Bodhgaya - on the bank of a river
Sitting under the shade and tranquility of a Bodhi tree
He faced East in gratitude to His parents for giving Him the light to life
In deep mediation He sat
To unravel the Truth cloaked under the mysteries of delusion,
His courage and resolution shook the world.
But, continuous meditation made Him weak
Shujata, a village girl seeing the calm practitioner offered rice pudding
Siddhartha accepted a portion of the offer with humility
He took a portion to make sure that the girl had enough for herself,
Buddhist monastic communities follow this principle in earnest
In Dana ceremonies – they encourage Dana-Citta devotees to offer
What they can afford to share with the monks and temples.
Bathing in the river and eating the pudding made Siddhartha fresh and strong,
He realized that neglecting one’s health for unwavering pursuit
Is a hindrance rather than a means
That when body and mind are strong and in sync
Ways to wisdom open up to Bodhi.
.  .  .
6. The Profound Discovery
On a Full-Moon day in May at 35 years of age
The perfect final awakening happened – the Anuttara Samma Sambodhi
Siddhartha Gautama discovered a Way to Liberation – the Four Noble Truths
That changed the world for ever.
Laying out the Way began by saying to dispel the darkness of ignorance
To see the brightness of the reality of things as they are:
That mind is the forerunner and breeder of everything one does,
Unique in the history of the world
Mind is defined as the sixth sense that enjoys the freedom in spacetime
To roam and give birth to consciousness together with the five body senses
And by tappining on one's stored senses of moral compass and memory,
That one must take ownership of it – to direct towards the Right direction
To let all sentient beings become happy,
That Transience describes all existence – defining the Fluidity of things
That the rise and fall of Duality is a visible manifestation of Multiplicity within
That melts into the sublimity of Unity - when tranquil
Opening the direction to the Middle Way - the Way of simplicity, balance and stability,
That nothing exists on its own accord – without depending on others
That a healthy seed sown today – rebirths into a healthy tree tomorrow
But, tomorrow’s health also depends on contemporaneous factors
That a noble is defined by wholesome thoughts and deeds not by the lineage of birth.
Understanding all these enlightens one to see
The rationality of the Four Noble Truths
Understanding all these enlightens one to see the reality of Emptiness
In one’s impression of the cobweb of unhappiness in life
In the non-existence of any permanency in the concept of soul.
Enlightenment achieved – the Tathagata Buddha was born
The Samsara Wheel was conquered
The Reversibility of processes – transformed into the Tathagata Irreversibility
Radiance of Nirvana – of eternal bliss glowed in Him
Elevating the Shakyamuni to a rarely achievable stage
The stage of completion without any residual
The stage of ultimate symmetry of equilibrium and unity, peace and tranquility
To a scale transcending human comprehension – transcending sectarian boundaries.
Exalted and Grandeur – it was,
The world affectionately began calling Him the Bagavan Buddha
The Samma Sambuddha.
As it happened, the Bodhi tree blossomed with fresh buds of leaves
All Stars welcomed the discovery by singing in unison – Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu
The Buddha touched the Earth in gratitude for witnessing the event
And decided to teach what He discovered
The non-dogmatic Way for the benefit of many – for the happiness of many.
.  .  .
7. First Turning of the Wheel
The Tathagata taught in Sarnath:
The Path is the sublime Way to follow diligently – to do things Right:
By being conscientious and heedful in everything one thinks and does
To remain awake in calmness to view things as they really are
By cleaning up the thought processes to purity
To see the dynamics of the universe as they head to reach equilibrium.
The Path is the sublime Way to follow diligently – to do things Right:
To be awake in calmness to remain upright with moral values
Watching out that talks and speeches are friendly and soothing to hear
Watching out that opinions and judgments are not impaired
Watching out that actions and reactions are harmonious
Watching out to pursue a harmless livelihood
Respecting and recognizing the rights of all lives to thrive without fear.
The Path is the sublime Way to follow diligently – to do things Right:
To remain awake in calmness to strengthen one’s views and morality
By making all efforts to sharpen and purify the mind
By being mindful in what one thinks and does
By meditating to relax and be happy – with letting things go
By meditating to train and still the mind – to the softness of sublimity
By meditating to find joy – diving deep into things and knowing the Truth,
To derive strength and power
To let pragmatism manage life’s contingencies in happiness and harmony.
Thus the Yana was put in motion – by first turning the Wheel of Dhamma
And there it was – the Noble Eightfold Path – the Wheel to Happiness was born.
.  .  .
8. The Way
The Tathagata taught in Sarnath:
This Way is for one to be happy and let others become happy
By understanding that some Truths are so common
That they define life and Nature – one must accept them to be happy.
That, some others are simply the making of mind
Giving birth to unwholesome thoughts and deeds
In societal actions and reactions
One must understand these mind processes – to purify them to be happy.
It is the Middle Way – the Jewel lying within the Lotus core
It is the Way of Eight radiating Dhamma spokes interlinked at the wheel rim
The Wheel to Happiness – the wheel to prolong the happy experiences.
It is the Way for simplicity, balance, symmetry and stability
It is the Way for invoking friendly reciprocity from others
It is the Way for harmonious living
In personal joy, in relationship mutual-respect, in family deference
In social cooperation, in peace for world harmony.
This Way – is not speculative but based on universal laws
This Way – is testable, and verifiable by experience
This Way – is worthy to follow in one’s lifetime.
It is the Way of the sublimities – Love, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity
It is the Way to let the Bodhi sprout – to the brightness of the Truth
It is the Way to be enlightened in supreme wisdom
It is the Way – the Sabbe Sattva Hithaya, Sabbe Sattva Shukhaya Dhamma
It is the Way to liberation – to the bliss of Nirvana,
And there it was – the unfolding of the Buddha’s Way.
.  .  .
9. The Sambuddha
Bagavan Buddha – the supremely compassionate One:
World remembers You each year on a Full-Moon Day in May-June
To pay homage and refresh our understanding of Your teaching
Your meticulous identification and definitions
Of what are wholesome and what are not
In one’s thought processes and deeds – in one’s well-being,
Lucidly highlighted in the beauty of 423 short versus in the DHAMMAPADA.
Bagavan, we remember You:
The Araham – the One who was totally free from defilements
The Samma-Sambuddho – the One who discovered the Four Noble Truths
The Vijja-Carano-Sampano – the One who practiced what He taught
The Sugoto – the One who has chosen the right words at the right time and occasion
The Lokovido – the One who deeply saw the dynamics of the six worlds
The Anuttaro-Puriso-Dhamma-Sarati – the One who was a skilled leader
The Satta-Deva-Manussanam – the One who was the teacher of gods and humans
The Buddho – the One who was fully awakened and attained Nirvana
The Bagava – the One who has developed special powers.
Beloved Master, You traveled far and wide for 45 years
To give impetus to the momentum You set in motion
To help people to be happy by finding the Bodhi in them – the Truth.
.  .  .
10. World Celebrates the Buddha Day
Bagavan Buddha:
Your teaching reverberates in life’s experiences
As did in the past – so does in present times – as will in the future
That life was never smooth – never is – never will be
Because most often we fail to see things as they really are,
The systems of Fluid, Solid and Life – defining Nature and all sentient beings
In the relativity of Dualities.
Because most often we fail to act and react with harmony in mind
Because everything that exists are transient and interdependent
Because unbalanced clinging to them causes misery.
Because seats of power most often fail to see things from a wider perspective,
With their arrogance, myopic view and greed adding to prolong human suffering
By enforcing governing actions, laws and strategies that are often not
Conscientious, heedful and diligent - ennobling unsustainable practices and policies.
Therefore You taught, one must understand all these
To realize that collective happiness must be a human destiny
For all entities to live harmoniously together – with mutual respect.
You have shown us the dignified Way for the benefit of many
You set an outstanding example – in the consistency of Your teaching and practices
You brought to us the wisdom of Truth, warmth and hope.
Your friendly teaching tells us to have self-respect and unite:
All of us together – men and women of different social standing and upbringing
All of us together – of different prerogatives and inclinations.
The Teacher of all teachers:
At Vulture Peak on the Rajgir Hills
You said, go without fear among the multitudes who are grounded to reality
Purified, clear, sharp and free from defilement
Teach on a wide scale in a room of great compassion
Let the mind of kindness and patience be the robe
Let the Emptiness of all phenomena be the seat
Teach with deftness, metaphors and odes
Teach them to realize that all phenomena are Entangled
Impermanent and Interdependent – high, medium and low,
That one must be skillful to untie the Entanglement
By treading the enlightened Way of Simplicity, Balance and Wisdom
To complete the circles of the rolling wheel without creating residuals
To achieve the joy and bliss of Nirvana in total liberation.
Bagavan, Your Dhammakaya - the Mahabodhi lives on
To show all humanity the Light of wisdom through to the eternity
To see the beauty in wisdom and happiness
To find equilibrium and the Jewel lying within,
It is up to us to understand and take advantage of Your teaching.
Humanity vows to You in gratitude for showing the Light
And we will continue to keep You in our heart and prayer for ever.
.  .  .
There we have it. A 10-stanza narrative piece of poetry looking into what happened more than two and a half millennia ago. The time was an extraordinary epoch in ancient history – with the Buddha’s (Buddhist Calendar 624 - 544 BCE) discovery telling the world – to see things rationally and simply – for all things that happen in us and around us. For the first time – he gave the power to individuals for their liberation, peace, happiness and harmony – saying, be a light unto yourself.
This is the 3rd piece I have posted on the Buddha Day marking the celebration, with the previous pieces in 2021 the Enlightenment and in 2020 Revisiting the Jataka Morals. This day on 16 May 2022 celebrating the Buddha Jayanti – also marks the opening and inauguration of the Gautam Buddha International Airport at the birthplace of the Tathagata in Lumbini, Nepal. The other essays of the annual series celebrating the Full-Moon Vesak – remembering and honoring Shakyamuni Gautama Buddha – his auspicious Birth, Enlightenment, and MahapariNirvana – are: The Way of Simplicity, Balance and Wisdom post on 22 May 2024 Vesak; and the 5 May 2023 Vesak post, Something Different.
Finally, a few lines of poetry from Jiddu Krishnamurti's (1895 – 1986) tribute, The Immortal Friend 1928, Boni & Liveright: . . . As I looked - At the sacred feet that once trod the happy - Dust of India, - My heart poured forth its devotion, - Limitless and Unfathomable, - Without restraint and without effort. - I lost myself in that happiness. - My mind so easily and strangely - Understood the Truth - He longed for and attained. - I lost myself in that happiness. - My soul grasped the infinite simplicity - Of Truth . - I lost myself in that happiness . . .
I like to dedicate this piece to all humanity. Despite all the progresses humans made in science and technology – the world remained cruel as before (if not worse) – with social leaders and media bragging about who are superior to whom – who are wealthier and more powerful to whom – giving rise to immense mistrust – constantly adding fuel to conflicts.
.  .  .
Happy Vesak the Buddha Day!!! On this Auspicious Full-Moon Day – let Metta touch everyone’s heart to bring Peace and Harmony across the Globe. Have a joyous life in Appamada – in conscientiousness, heedfulness and diligence – whenever – wherever – whatever

. . . . .

- by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 16 May 2022