Four hallowed places of Buddhists worship

By Premasara EPASINGHE

The flowers bloom. The entire environment is pleasing to the eye and mind. The Buddhist world is making elaborate arrangements to celebrate Vesak - the Birth, Enlightenment and the Parinibbana of the Buddha.

Prince Siddhartha was born in 624 BC at Lumbini in Nepal. He attained Enlightenment in 589 BC. The Buddha's Parinibbana occurred in 544BC. The Buddha lived for 80 years.

Vesak is an ideal time to visit the four most important places of worship in India.

The Buddha expressed His views on the four important places of worship to His most loyal attendant Ven. Ananda thus:

“Ananda, there are four places that a devotee, a pious person of mine, should visit and look upon with ‘feelings of reverence.”

What are these four places?

* Lumbini - where Prince Siddhartha was born.
* Buddhagaya - the place where Prince Siddhartha attained Enlightenment.
* Saranath - Isipatana, Migadaya, where Siddhartha Gautama Buddha delivered His first sermon Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta. The Blessed One delivered His first sermon to a group of five - Vappa, Baddhiya, Mahanama, Assaji and Kondanna. The five ascetics, became Panchavaggiya Bhikkhus and founded the future Order of the bhikkhus.

. Kusinara (Kusinagar) where Gautama Buddha's Parinibbana occurred.

Lumbini

The great Emperor Ashoka (270-230 BC) who hailed from Maurya dynasty was India's foremost patron of Buddhism and the first monarch to rule over united India. In his 20th year of coronation, (249 BCE), he inscribed on a pillar the following words: Hida Bude Jate Sakyamuni (This is the place where the Buddha was born).

Lumbini was a flourishing and prosperous village. Emperor Ashoka, constructed four stupas and a stone pillar topped with a figure of a horse.

Lumbini, is the birthplace of Sakyamuni, Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhist scriptures often refer to it as Lumbini Gardens. It was in Kapilavastu, now Southern Nepal. Prince Siddhartha's father, King Suddhodana, was the ruler of the country. Presently, it is known as Tilonakot in Nepal.

The Blessed One, frequently visited His home town Kapilavastu, even after Enlightenment and delivered many sermons. As a result, King Suddhodana attained the Shrotha - Panna (Level of Stream Entry). Prince Siddhartha's son Prince Rahula was accepted into the monastic order as a novice at the city of Kapilavastu.

According Accariya Abbhutadhamma Sutta of Majjhima Nikaya, many miraculous things happened, on the day Queen Mahamaya delivered Prince Siddhartha in the beautiful sal garden. Lumbini wher he was born is at the foothills of Himalayas.

Buddhagaya

When I turned the historical pages of Chinese Pilgrims - Ven. Hinen Tsiang and Fa Hien's, records, they describe “Lumbini, where Prince Siddhartha was born as a place of heaven on earth.”

The Light of Asia - Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini in 624 BC. Today, millions of Buddhists all over the world visit this place to venerate the Buddha.

Buddhagaya, is 105 km from Patane - the ancient city of Pataliputra. The temple of Gaya - has a tower of 55 m or 180 feet. The present tower was restored around 1880. The Buddha attained Supreme Buddhahood under the Asatu Bo tree on the Vesak Full Moon Day in 589 BC.

Buddhist literature is fascinating. Ariyapariyesana Sutta of the Majjima Nikaya, describes the wonderful place where the Buddha attained the Bliss of Deathlessness in the following words:

“I wandered by stage, through the Magadha country, until I reached Senanigam. There I saw a delightful grove with a clear flowing river, glitter as it were molten gold under the sun.”

It was here he made a firm resolution, sat under the Bo-tree “Let my skin, veins, bones remain; let the flesh and the blood of this body dry up; never will I abandon this seat without reaching the state of Sammasambodhi.

It was on the Vesak Full Moon Poya Day, the Awakened One, attained the Imperturbability of Nibbana by realising Dhamma.

Thirty-seven factors of Enlightenment based on the Four Noble Truths, the Dependent Origination and three characteristics of existence of all animate and inanimate things.

Then we worship Saranath-Isipatana-Migadaya, where the Buddha delivered His first sermon Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta - “Turning of the wheel of Dhamma” to Panchavaggiya ascetics Vappa, Bhaddhiya, Mahanama, Assaji and Kondanna, who were Buddha's first disciples of the Buddhist Order.

The place where Gautama Buddha's, Parinibbana took place was known as Kusinara. Kusinagar, the capital of Malla in North India, was one of the 16 major states in the age of Shakyamuni.

Kusinara is about 52 km from Gorakhpur. A horizontally reclinig Buddha statue is there.

In Maha Parinibbhana Sutta, the Buddha states, “Ananda let us cross the Hirannavati River, and so to Malla's Sal Grove, in the vicinity of Kusinara. Prepare me a bed between the twin sal trees, my head to the north.

I am tired Ananda.” The Buddha lay down in the lion posture, placing one foot on the other, mindful, fully aware in senses.

The Buddha spoke, “Ananda get me some water to drink.”When Ananda went to the river, the water was muddy, as a herd of elephants had just crossed the river. He failed in the first attempt to fetch pure water to His Master.

The Blessed One was in severe pain.

He was not able to drink a sip of water, in the first call. However, in the second attempt Ven. Ananda collected purified water for The Buddha to drink.

Ven. Ananda began to weep. The Buddha consoled him, saying “Don't grieve Ananda. I am now 80 years old. I am like a worn-out cart.”

According to the Buddhist literature, The Buddha fell ill and attained Maha Parinibbana.

Last words

In His last address to the bhikkhus the Buddha uttered, “O Bhikkhus, I declared to you - all conditioned things are of nature to decay. Strive on with diligence.”

“Handa’ dani bhikkave amantayami vo vaya Dhamma sankhara appamadena sampadetha.”

With these words, The Buddha in His last birth entered Jhanas - ascending and descending order from the 1st to 4th and eventually passed away at Kusinara on the Vesak Pura Pasalosvaka Poya day in 544 BC.

The Buddha was accorded a state funeral, under the direction of his cousin Anuruddha, a disciple of the Buddha. The funeral ceremony was conducted by Maha Kassapa Thera, who resembled very much like Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

The relics were distributed into eight shares, given to the representatives of the eight kingdoms in the ancient India.One noteworthy feature of the Buddha's life was that all the four important events such as the birth, Enlightenment, first sermon and passing away took on a Vesak Full Moon Poya day. And all the events took place outdoors.

This shows that the Buddha was a great environmentalist in the world. The Compassionate One loved environment, animals and all human being. He was a fountain of compassion and kindness.