Buddha Purnima

In News

• The PM recently recalled the principles of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

About Buddha Purnima

• Buddha Purnima, also known as Buddha Jayanti, is an auspicious day to mark the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha (founder of Buddhism).
  • Buddha is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as per Vedic literature. 
• Buddha Purnima falls on ‘Purnima’ or full moon night.
• The Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya is embellished with decorations and special prayers are held under the Bodhi tree on this occasion. 

About Lord Buddha

• Born: 563 BC in Lumbini (modern-day Nepal) as Prince Siddhartha Gautama.
  • Parents: Suddhodana (father) was the chief of the Shakya clan and Maya Devi (real mother) and Prajapati Gautami (foster mother).
  • Buddha is considered as the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

• He left his worldly possessions and princedom at the age of 30 to lead a life searching for the truth, seeking penance in the hopes of liberating himself from suffering (dukkha).
• He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya and gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi which is known as Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana (turning of the wheel of law).
• He taught in the area around Rajgir, where he was living in a forest monastery built by king Bimbisara of Magadha, and he lived the largest part of his life as The Buddha in Shravasti. 
• He delivered his last sermon in Vaishali.
• Most people believe he died in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, at the age of 80.

Buddha’s Teachings 

• Gautama Buddha preached Dharma (duty), non-violence, harmony and kindness. 
• Four Noble Truths : They comprise the essence of Buddha’s teachings, discovering the key to ending ‘suffering’. 

• Suffering (dukkha) is the essence of the world. The Buddha’s insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence.
• The cause of dukkha is craving. The natural human tendency is to blame our difficulties on things outside ourselves. But the Buddha says that their actual root is to be found in the mind itself.
• The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving. As we are the ultimate cause of our difficulties, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our responses.
• There is a path that leads from dukkha. Although the Buddha throws responsibility back on to the individual he also taught methods through which we can change ourselves, for example the Noble Eightfold Path.

• The Noble Eightfold Path : The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are: 

1. Right Understanding 

2. Right Thought

3. Right Speech 

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness and 

8. Right Concentration. 

• Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).

• The teachings were recorded around 25 B.C.E. in Pali language, into three Pitakas.
  • Vinaya Pitaka
  • Sutta Pitaka
  • Abhidhamma Pitaka

Source: PIB