The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 23

Angulimala/garland of the finger was a notorious murderer who kills the passersby in the Jalini forest and adorns the garland made of their finger bones.  Buddha, who was in deep meditation envisaged that Angulimala is going to commit matricide very soon, which will bring the severest sin to him.  This sin would stop Angulimala in achieving the path of Dharma and Nirvana, all these years he was committing the sin out of ignorance, and it was not intentional.  Buddha thought Angulimala is wandering in the darkness of ignorance, he is lacking the guidance of a preceptor, he still has the right to attain the path of Dharma and Nirvana.  Buddha decided to help Angulimala from the deadly snare of killing his own mother.

Angulimala while wandering through the woods of Jalini, was proud of himself for collecting finger bones of 999 people.  He wanted to follow the instruction of his master to complete the killing of 1000 people and make a garland of their finger bones.  While he was wandering through the pathways, he saw Buddha was walking away all alone.  Angulimala rushed behind Buddha, but he could not chase Buddha.  He felt deeply exhausted, finding the same distance between them always, he could not get closer to Buddha.  Angulimala screamed “ Oh! Ascetic, stop there.” Buddha said, “ I have already stopped, it is you did not stop yet.”  Angulimala could not understand anything of Buddha’s speech.  He shouted “ Holy man should speak only the truth, you are still moving forward.  I am standing still, but you did not stop.”  Buddha said “ I am following non-violence/Ahimsa, I have stopped killing,  stopped harming and stopped pursuing the wrong livelihood, I have stopped all kinds of misconduct.  It is you have not yet stopped doing all the above I have mentioned.  How can you say that you have already stopped harming? You are still running with the sword behind me.”  Angulimala threw away his sword and fallen at the feet of Lord Buddha with the folded hand said “ You have spoken the truth.  I have not heard, not even in my master’s hermitage.” Buddha spoke “Everything arises and cease, the sword you were carrying laid down now.  Therefore leave all those thoughts associated with your wrong actions, don’t carry those thoughts in your mind that will spoil you,  focus your mind on good actions, your heart becomes cheerful and radiant.  Always be enthusiastic to earn merit by performing pious deeds,  follow good discipline, and morality that would brighten your mind.”  Angulimala attained wisdom by listening to the passionate speeches of Buddha. He took a vow to follow Buddhism and practice the same.  He was taken to Jetavana Monastery, later he was ordained as a monk, finally attained Nirvana.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 22

The villagers were talking about the unexpected death of a young courtesan Sirima, who has become a staunch devotee of Lord Buddha.  She was gorgeous with a lovely appearance; everyone remarked she is too young to die.  Once she had the opportunity to listen to the lecture of Lord Buddha, after that she gave up her duty as a courtesan and became an ardent follower of Buddha.  Thus she has attained an abundance of merit with the grace of Lord Buddha.    The villagers were in a hurry to cremate the dead body, but they were not able to perform their task, Buddha requested King Shudhodhana to order to keep the corpse for three days.  As per the order of the King, the body was kept for three days.  When Sirima came into the village Rajagir as a courtesan, all the villagers were expressed their desire to spend the night with her and spend pleasurable time in the association of her, now she is dead no one wants to keep her corpse, everyone wants to get rid of her corpse.

The King arrived at the place where the corpse of Sirima was kept in the wooden box.   The King announced, “I would like to sell the corpse of the courtesan for the highest price, I will start from the price she began to sell her body, who wants to buy for 1000 Kahapanas, who wants to start bidding?”  The villagers were shocked after hearing the announcement of the King; they whispered to each other, who is going to buy a corpse? Who is going to bid a lifeless body? Who is going to spend this much money on a corpse? She is dead for three days and her corpse started spreading foul smell, fluids are flowing out of the body, the smell of the corpse is intolerable, spreading all over the symmetry, who would buy the corpse with the foul smell?.  The King started to reduce the bidding price for the rotten corpse, no one in the crowd moved an inch further showing interest in it, finally, the King announced if no one wants to pay, ready to offer the corpse for free.  It was pitiful to note that none of the gentlemen came forward from the crowd, while Sirima was alive all these men were fighting to own her for a night.  Finally, her body was cremated under the instruction of the King, following the prescribed rite.

King Shudhdhodhana and the people assembled in the symmetry listened to the teachings of Buddha “ It is the nature of all the things to arise, persist for a while and pass away.  It is the nature of all the living beings in the Samsara.  It is sobering to understand that the soul keeps taking several countless births on this Earth.  The person who is too attached to sound, taste, smell,  and physical sensations, cannot find liberation from this worldly existence.”

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 21

There was a  pious woman Uttara who was a staunch devotee of Lord Buddha, she had a conversation with her husband, he said “ Uttara, why did you ask for a large sum of money from your father.  I am your wedded husband; you could have asked me for that.  There was no need to bother your father.”  Uttara said “ Dear husband, since after the marriage I had little opportunity to perform religious and spiritual tasks, my father is a staunch devotee of Lord Buddha, I asked money to offer a meal for Buddha and his disciples for fifteen days.  It is not that I was intentionally refusing to take money from you.  My father shares the belief of Lord Buddha with me.” her husband replied, “ In that case, let it be as you wish.”  Uttara continued “ I wish to cook meals for Lord Buddha and his disciples for fifteen days all by myself.  I want to invite them to our house and serve meals.  I am afraid during that time I won’t be able to perform wifely tasks for you. Please excuse me for that.” Her husband said, “ In that case, let it be as you wish”.  Uttara resumed “ I have heard about a courtesan girl  Sirima who is charming and expensive, living in Rajgir, a few men got an opportunity to enjoy her beauty.  In these fifteen days, I am thinking of hiring Sirima to perform all the wifely duties to you.” Husband replied “ In that case, let it be as you wish.”  As per the conversion of the couple, the courtesan girl Sirima was brought to their house for living.

Uttara and her maidservant engaged in the preparation for inviting Lord Buddha and his disciples, they spend hours and hours in the kitchen preparing a sumptuous meal for Lord Buddha and his disciples. One day her husband arrived in the kitchen with the courtesan girl Sirima and asked: “ Uththara are you exhausted?” The husband thought, look at her, she is not letting others do the work, though she has enough employees in the kitchen, her face is murky and clothes are dirty, in fact, she should relax, instead, she is finding a way to get herself worn out of the kitchen tasks.  Uttara thought how heedless and pleasure-seeking is my husband, he is immensely wealthy so he is not thinking of earning piousness, and he is really foolish.  Sirima thought, Uththara is looking at me with a contemptuous smile as if she is scolding me, it is sickening to stick on here.  Sirima approached Uththara vehemently, seized the ladle from her hand and took a ladle full of boiling soup to pour on her face.  Uttara said “ Sirima I am grateful to you for taking up my place and serving my husband for these fifteen days.  It provided me a chance to earn some merit by serving Buddha and his disciples for fifteen days.  I will not get angry with you for the way you treat me.”  Sirima poured the boiling soup on Uththara’s face, but it did no harm on her face.  Soon all the employees of the Bungalow rushed into the kitchen saying “ How dare this prostitute attack our employer? Let us teach her a lesson so that she won’t forget. Come on.”  Soon Uththara came in the middle and said “ Do not hurt her, Sirima is like a friend to me, I owe her debt of gratitude, I am not angry on her,”  Sirima felt ashamed of her actions and fallen at the feet of Uththara.  Sirima said “ I am a courtesan girl employed by you, I have made a mistake, I have started assuming your husband like mine, that’s why I attacked you.  You are a noble person.  You have not shown any anger against my wickedness; your heart is filled with compassion and love. Kindly forgive me Uththara.”  Uttara said “ If you want to ask forgiveness, please do that to Lord Buddha. Tomorrow I will be completing fifteen days of offerings to Lord Buddha and his disciples.  Please come and attend the offering ceremony and listen to the speech about Dharma.”

The next day morning Lord Buddha arrived with his disciples.  He gave a lecture about anger “A person should overcome his hatred with kindness,  evil with goodness, stinginess with generosity, deceit with integrity,  and carelessness of speech with the words of wisdom.  People who are absorbed in worldly matters and pleasures, wrapped in sensual pleasures, intoxicated by immense wealth, luxuries, status, power and fame, cannot realize the beauty of nobility and truthfulness.”  Uttara and Sirima attained wisdom and earned abundance piousness with the grace of the Lord Buddha.  Later Sirima became the staunch devotee of Lord Buddha.