1 of 3

Write now Article Tools

Page 8 of 8

the monsoon season. There are many other stories of the Buddha converting dangerous thieves and of him refusing to teach until the poor were fed.

The Buddha's fame led to some jealousy and accusations about him making women pregnant were occasionally made but were never shown to be true.

For the last 25 years of his life, his constant companion was Ananda. During this time, many more rules for the Sangha were made, including the rule about no sexual intercourse for ordained members, which came about when a monk visited his ex-wife who wanted a son. The rules for helping the sick followed the example of the Buddha who looked after a diseased monk who had been neglected by the community. Regular meetings were held where the rules were recited, and these were added to as the need arose. The Buddha often taught in parables, such as the blind men and the elephant. He is shown to have had disputes with other religious teachers as he criticised many of the religious views of the time.

Death

At the age of 80 the Buddha became ill and died. Before he died, he told Ananda that Buddhism needed no leader to succeed him as all that was needed was the dhamma. He advised that each Buddhist should think for themselves and examine teachings carefully before accepting them.

The legend says that the Buddha could have lived forever if Ananda had asked him to. There is division over how he died. Some accounts say that he had food poisoning from a meal of sweetpig and was in great pain, but still reassured the lay follower who donated the meal it was not his fault. Other accounts say that he recovered from this illness but died soon after from other causes.

He died in a small place called Kusinara, which symbolises his humility. Legend says that he lay on his right side between two sal trees which bloomed out of season. He criticised Ananda for being upset, reminding him that all things are impermanent. He asked for last minute questions from his disciples and reminded them that the dhamma should be their teacher from now on. His last words were decay is inherent in all compounded things, so be mindful and vigilant in working out your own salvation.' He finally went into deep meditation and passed through several jhanas before Parinibbana or the final nirvana of death.

After his death there was a wake of six days of music and remembrance and then he was cremated as he had instructed. The bones were distributed as relics to the rulers of the different tribes and kingdoms and were placed in stupas or burial monuments so that people could give offerings and devotion. It is notable that the relics were given to the lay people and not the monks, who should not be concerned with external things such as relics.

Significance of His Life for Buddhists

Ultimately, the Buddha's life is greatly impacted by the events from his conception onwards and it doesn't matter whether we take them as miraculous signs and literal truth or myth and legend. In fact, most Buddhists take many events in his life as mythological because they put the emphasis on his teaching and the symbolism and meaning behind it rather than factual events. And possibly this, along with the lack of a deity, is what makes Buddhism as much of a philosophy of life as a strict religion. It's also something which makes Buddhism so attractive to some followers and so off-putting to others.

Learn more about this author, Ben Hughes.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• ...
• 6
• 7
• 8

Add your voice

Know something about The life of the Buddha: Dissemination?
We want to hear your view. Write now!