Remarkable Qualities of Buddha

By Buddhi Chaudhary 

According to the original texts-resources, during his forty-five years life time, the Buddha has taught vast amount of doctrine for the well fare of the all conditioned-living beings. Going through the meditation that has taught by the Buddha and apply it for the day to day life, we should realize what the right ways is for it first. We should recognize the barricade, blockade and obstacles of the way. Whenever, we recognize this way precisely and rightly, then our ways to the realizations of the doctrine is more profound and clear. And it is easier to approach the goals of life or ultimate happiness (Nibbana).

                                              First of all, we should have bit understanding the doctrine and marvelous or wonderful qualities of the Buddha, who the Buddha is and what he has, and then, we should move towards the ultimate goals of life or approach the ultimate truth. As well as, we must have good understanding about the four noble truths, eight fold paths, the concepts of rebirth, Buddhist-causality and three characteristics etc to have better practice in Buddhism or Buddhist meditation because this concepts are marvelous, wonderful, magnificent and glorious. We must have good recognition of those marvelous, wonderful and magnificent concepts or facts and through these, we must establish self-strength, self-confidence and self-faith within oneself. If-so-facto, we can step precisely and rightly upon the ways Buddha has cleaned for us to walk on.

                                                           That is the reason why, I am going to explain the signs of recognition the doctrine and qualities of the all knowing one and doors to step on ultimate truths, where there we can walk silently and peacefully.

                                                                                                                       As we all devotees know that the enlightened one was taught the virtuous doctrine about forty-five years of his life time. Throughout those ages of every single second, he betaken, applied or engaged in preaching the doctrine for the benefits, boon, congenial and constructive health, wealth and happiness of the all living beings. After this virtuous service to the world, the Buddha passed away. Whenever, the deities, Brahmins and people came to know the passing away of the enlightened one, they became gloomed and grief expressing their faithful-sympathizes towards the marvelous qualities of the Buddha. Whenever, we try to imagine the situation of the times, we can feel and understand the honors he has earned from the deities, Brahmins and human beings through these faithful-sympathizes. Throughout the cremation of the Buddha, we have to see the honors that were bespoke, betoken, connote and denote by the devotees of the times. 

 They begirded, bandaged, convolved or coiled with five hundreds robes. Many people dismay to believe these sorts of stories. Demonstrating some logical, reasonable and rational argument that whenever we be-girdle or win round with five hundreds robes; his body will be extremely ample, capacious, or big. But that statement is unacceptable, not right because its premises are invalid or they compare the robes with present days robed that monks are using. Robes of those days were extremely acute, delicate, microscopic or penetrating. Such a clothes or robes, still we can find in India. Still they are producing those kinds of clothes to use in the religious functions or activities.   

               After that, they bathed the body of the Buddha with sandalwoods and oils and did bed, bestowed or lay upon the sandalwoods crematorium or funeral pyre to burn the body and candled or ignited it. Unfortunately body did not burn. They tried several times but aborted.

                                      The Arahant and kings tried to burn the body of the Buddha too but, they also aborted. So the venerable Anuruddha, who is expert among the clairvoyant looked for the reasons of the incident through his divine power. Venerable Anuruddha saw Venerable Mahakassyapa the great is coming for the cremation ceremony and that is the reasons why, the body unable to burn. At the same time, venerable Kassayapa approached the crematorium place.

Determination of Venerable Kassayap:-

On his way to the Kusinara where there the Buddha was fall his last breathe, for the cremation ceremony, Venerable Mahakassyapa meets many people with vivid color flowers like Parasathu and Madara etc on their hands heading towards the city. According to the literature, these flowers could be seen in the heaven individually. They could be grown in the heaven only. Those flowers were worshiped by the divine deities to the Buddha which were carrying the devotees. While, venerable Kassayap too looking to the people and walking towards the cremation hall, determined himself “Oh, if I could see the sacred foot of the Buddha”

                                                                       Because of this determination of Venerable Kassayap, though the Arahant, kings and ministers tried to burn the sandalwoods and oily bathed body of the enlightened one could not burn. The most wondrous incidents of the moment is, whenever, venerable Kassyapa stepped near the death body and tried to bow his head down as a respect to the Buddha, the five hundreds of robes pulled automatically out and appeared his legs to be seen. Venerable Kassyapa’s wish also fulfilled.  Making amazed to all the participants for the ceremony, thereafter, the body started to burn itself. After few minutes, there were rains of the sweet smelling-flowers and honey upon the burning body of the Buddha which extinguished the flame.

                                            There are thousands wonderful and marvelous these sorts of incidents in Buddha’s life times. Whenever the flame gone out, the participated monks, sages or priest, kings, ministers and devotees opened the burnt body to see, what has happened? Alas! Except first and last robes among those five hundreds remained un-burn and rest of them were burnt, including the Buddha’s body. There were some relics to be seen and those elements were divided in to eight parts. 

                                                                                                                               Some of the relics are small and also there were other which is invisible. Those scattered relics were recognized as the elements of his forehead. Next relics were recognized collar bone and another were called tooth relics which are currently situated in Sri Lanka at Kandy mountain kingdom. 

                                                    After seeing those relics, all the monks, nuns, kings, ministers and devotees became very sympathy and solemnity. They started to cry. “Alas! This is the man who has thirty two virtuous qualities and who used to make sounds like lion”s roars, isn’t it?”

                                                    In one hand, there were monks, nuns and devotees still crying, other hand kings and ministers were fighting for the relics saying “Thought there are many main cities but Buddha came to our city and passed away so the relics belong to us,” king Mallas expressed their appertained and ownership. About this quarrel, in Sanchi Stupa has been sculpted. The Brahman Drona wonderful among the wondrous other sages interceded, interfered or intervene the quarrel of those kings and ministers and divided the relics in to each groups. While dividing the relics, the Brahman hided three elements for him and others gave to the king, ministers and devotees. Among those relics, one he put in his cap cell or matted hairs. Another one put in his waist robes and the last one put under his legs and hided with flowers.

                                                                                                                             These incidents were looking by the participant deities from the up in the sky. While the Brahman was intervening or interceding the quarrel of the kings and ministers, Sakka came down and took one relics from the Brahman’s cap cell and built the golden pagoda in Tavatisma heaven.

                                               The kings from the Nag (cobra or snake) world have been came to see the cremation ceremony. Jayasena was the king of that world. The king Jayasena took the relics which was hiding under Brahman Drona’s feet and built the golden pagoda to be worshipped by the “Virupakkha” snakes king. And relics hidden in waist robe of the Brahman were took by the devotees from the Gandharva kingdom and started to paying respect. 

                                              The left tooth relic was given to the kingdom of Kalinga, right collar bone relics to the local people and left collar bone was taken by the Arahant Suman. The left tooth relics kept by the local people hundred years and paid respect. Currently, the right collar bone relic is residing in the Brahman world. And the left collar bone relic was brought to Sri Lanka and sated upon the Thuparama Pagoda which is considered as the first pagoda in the country.

                                                                                    The protectors of this relic were by the venerable Arahants. The relic of frontal (forehead) was given to the venerable Sarabhu. He brought that frontal (forehead) relic to the Sri Lanka which was kept protecting generation to generation after venerable Sarabhu to venerable Chullapinda Patik Tissa. King Kakavanna Tissa built the pagoda in the city of Seruvila northern part of the country and sated the relics in it respectively. In present day, this pagoda was recognized as a Seruvila Pagoda where there the Buddha’s frontal (Forehead) relic is residing. Look how wonderful and marvelous the qualities of the enlightened one are. These wondrous qualities are not just stories to be said and listened. These all happened in ancient time two thousands and five hundred years ago.  There are lots of provable doctrines facts in the Tri Pitaka.

                                                               These are very few examples for the wonderful and marvelous qualities of the Buddha. Not only the wonderful incidents but there chastened, cleared, fleckless, immaculate and cleaned or pure doctrines too are realized and achieved or approached ultimate happiness (Nabbana). Due to these sorts of wonderful and marvelous qualities of the enlightened one, people started to like much and more and that was a problems to the non-religious people, especially south Indian. 

                                                        Due to those invading from the south India, the relics faced to many troubles. The most dangerous was faced by the tooth relic which was situated in the kingdom of Kalinga country. Because of this invasion, there were many damages and harms to the relics as well as destruction or deprivation to the monks and temples where they resided. 

                                                       During the 5^th century, this situation was developed until 3^rd and 4^th century, it was not big problems. In this period Krishna and Vishnu’s teaching were over powered the country but whenever, in later period Savagism dominated the country, much and more damages and destructions began to occur. They destroyed Buddhist monasteries and pagodas, Buddha images were blown up or burst and burnt thousands of books. They killed Buddhist monks. 

                                                                             According to the historical evidences, during the 8^th century, one of the acutest or cruelest heathen called Sankharacharya destroyed whole Buddhist monasteries, pagodas; Buddha images and killed or burnt thousands of monks putting inside one room. Whatever useful things there would be, he possessed it oneself of. He annexed or appropriated the Kanchi Pur Buddhist fortress to the Hinduism. These damages continuously, they did and that is quite long information. I should not mention about those information because we can talk about it according to the time or time to time.

                                                                                                  While destroying all those Buddhist sacred places in India, they came to know that Sri Lankans are practicing Buddhism more deeply. They afraid, because of their misdeeds to the Buddhism in India, those Sri Lankan Buddhist will make trouble in back to them. During the 8^th century, they composed a Ramayana to be recited the qualities and reincarnations of Vishnu and they made Sri Lanka as the abodes (Kingdom) of demons. They created the king of demons who abduct the wife prince Ram to the demons abode. 

                          They made them feel that Sri Lankans are acting against the God Vishnu. They began to say that Sri Lankans are anti-God impious or sinful people. Killing to the impious and sinful is the duty of the righteous armies. And during the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th century, they transcript all the Ramayana scripts from Sanskrit to Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages which was spoken by southern Indians. In every Hindu temples, they recited Ramayana. With these powers, during the 10^th century, Rajendra went to Sri Lanka and invaded whole the country. From the 1017 to 1071 Sri Lanka worked under Tamil government. 

                                                                     At the time, he brought Hindu faith and astrological prophesies to the country. He did spread these prophesies among the all Sinhalese. Mean while, in the interim, king Vijaya defeated back the Hindu invasion and united the country again. 

                                      Thereafter the Kalinga Magha invaded the city of Anuradhapura and Polannaruwa and destroyed all the Buddhist monasteries, rich Buddha images and Buddhist libraries. He also killed the monks and devotees. 

                                                                                                                        Mahavansa quoted about it thus as a “Mara who came to destroy the land of doctrine.’’ The best example for the above mentioned statements is temple of the God Siva. Normally, we say that it was continuously abided or existed about 2500 years. But that is not true. After the war with Kalinga and Magha, the Polannaruwa kingdom has been destroyed and disappeared due to isolations.   Until 19^th century, the kingdom was enclosed with huge trees, grasses and it was the place home of the tigers, lions, bears and dears. No signs of humans.

                                                         But, due to wonderful and marvelous qualities, dignity and nobleness, demarche or principled in policies exemplary and role modeling characteristics of the Buddha, Buddhism still remained as it was its beginning.

                                                                                                                     Before this baneful or destructive periods, in Sri Lanka lived the great Arahants. This arahants often would fly with their celestial power to the heavens and again to the earth and would protect the relics of the Buddha.

The left tooth relic of the Buddha which was worshipped by the Nag king Jayasena was established at the bank of the Anoma River, on the Ramdhama pagoda where there the Nag king Mahakala used to bath. Later on that the left tooth relics of the Buddha was professed on the rivers stream and got by the Nag king. He and his followers protect the tooth relics many years.                                                                Somehow, that tooth relics also went to Sri Lanka and the king Dutthagamini established the tooth relics on the huge pagoda called Ruwanveli Saya. At the same time, building friendship with Nag king, venerable Mahinda brought the right tooth relics of the Buddha to the country. 

                                                                                                         While everything was going good in the country, king Kakavanna tissa’s sister princess Somavathi got married to his own brother’s son prince Giri Aba. Few years of time, both of them resided at city of Magampura. Thereafter, they went to the Seru Nagaram (in present day, it is recognized as Seruvila city). The king of the Seruvila city accepted them happily. He built city named “Soma” at the bank of the river and gave it to the couple. They ruled the city happily and peacefully. 

Wondrousness of princess Somavathi:-

 Princess Somavathi has a strong desire to build the monasteries, pagodas and offer to the monks on the name of the Buddha. One day, the couple invited at the palace to the monks for the lunch and at the end of the ceremony, she expressed her desires of building monasteries, pagodas and offer to the monks. It was very essential or necessary to find the relics out for the pagoda to be established. That necessities fulfilled by the venerable Mahinda (above mentioned story) bringing the left tooth relics of the Buddha from the world of Nag. Thus, we could build the monasteries, pagoda and residence hall for the well fare of the monks, nuns and lay devotees. During above mentioned Kalinga Magha invasion this monastery and pagoda also had destroyed.

In 1940, monks from the Mavathu monastery know about this valuable pagoda and walked out to the forest in search of it. In this journey of searching the pagoda, they became a destitute or lost ones way. Gradually, time moved from morning to be night. At night 11.PM, they saw the brightening light dazzling from one side of the jungle. They walked towards the light. Few yards walking, they found a huge one eight hundred years old dazzling with brightened light pagoda. After this finding, the faithful devotees could worship. Comparing to other marvelous pagodas in the country, it has a valuable quality of radiation (According to time being, it is dazzle with wonderful Buddha’s radiation).

                            Last time, whenever monks from the Mahameuna Meditation Center built a nine inch Buddha image and bathed it with smelly water and flowers. They lighted the lamps and offered flowers to the Buddha image. When the ceremony was over, making surprised to all the participated faithful Buddhist devotees, the radiation of the Buddha was appeared around the image. After fifteen minutes dazzling, the radiation disappeared again. What a marvelous and wondrous qualities of the Buddha.

                                                                                                                           So, all the Buddhist faithful devotees, our attempt through this small article is to clarify or show the marvelous, wondrous and unimaginable qualities of the Buddha. Even though, the passing away of the Buddha was happened 2554 years ago, his wondrous and marvelous quality still appears time to time. Imagine, think, and contemplate, what a great qualities this amazing man had.        

                                                    With this facts and information, the whole conditioned living beings should open the door, power, courage to realize the thousands of thousands worth doctrine that was taught by the Buddha.  

May the Triple Gem bless YOU