ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
BUDDHA AVATAR (Incarnation as Buddha) :
The twenty-third incarnation of Lord Vishnu was as Lord Buddha.
With the departure of Lord Krishna (Krishna Avatar), the Kali yuga set in. In this age, the true devotion to Vedas was replaced by empty rituals. To enlighten the world, Lord Vishnu descended the earth as Buddha, the enlightened one.
He was born as the crown prince of the Kapilavastu to King Suddhodana and Maha Maya (Mayadevi). He was named Siddhartha, meaning “All thing fulfilled”. But his mother died soon after his birth and was broughtup by Prajapati, the sister of Maya.
Buddha was saddened by death of living creatures, and vices like poverty. He wasn’t happy with any answers that were provided to him and he decided to find out the meaning and the absolute truth and he left his wife and child to a hermit’s life in the forest and became the enlightened one.
His preachings spawned off the religion of Buddhism now popular across the whole world. Buddha advocated the Middle Path, in which he offered a balanced, harmonious way of life, steering between two extremes of self-indulgence and total abstinence.
Buddhism rests upon four Noble Truths:
Suffering is universal, It is caused by desire and yearning
Suffering can be prevented and overcome
Eradication of desires can lead to removal of suffering.
To prevent suffering one has to conquer craving
and desire and this conquest leads to the attainment of nirvana or complete enlightenment.
The Noble Eightfold Path:-
Right understanding,
Right thought,
Right speech,
Right action,
Right livelihood,
Right effort,
Right mindfulness,
and Right concentration.
The Middle Way or Middle Path is the descriptive term that Siddhartha Gautama used to describe the character of the path he discovered that led to liberation. It was coined in the very first teaching that he delivered after his enlightenment. In this sutta – known in English as The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma – the Buddha describes the middle way as a path of moderation between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. This, according to him, was the path of wisdom. The middle path does not mean a mid point in a straight line joining two extremes represented by points. The Middle Way is a dynamic teaching as shown by the traditional story that the Buddha realized the meaning of the Middle Way when he sat by a river and heard a lute player in a passing boat and understood that the lute string must be tuned neither too tight nor too loose to produce a harmonious sound.
Lord Buddha – The founder of Buddhism
Some people regard Gautama Buddha as the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu, others say Balarama who was the elder brother of Krishna was the ninth avatar. There is a controversy regarding the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Balarama is the Avatar of Shiva, he is considered as the reincarnation of Shesh-Nag who was the Ram’s Brother Laxman in his previous Birth.
In Srimad Bhagavatam, it is said.
tatah kalau sampravrtte
sammohaya sura-dvisam
buddho namnanjana-sutah
kikatesu bhavisyati
Translation: “Then, at the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.”
There are conflicting and compromising views on whether the Srimad Bhagavatam text itself was doctored after Buddha’s period. The conflicting views on Buddha as the 9th Avatar in Dasavatara Puranam is understandable. After all, history has been written by more than one person and distortions and variations are inevitable.
According to Gita, when Arjuna asks Sri Krishna what forms he had manifested as since the beginning of Time, the latter gives a long list of beings..and finally says, and I paraphrase, “My glories are infinite and my forms numberless O Arjuna. But suffice to say whenever you see the best of anything, know it to be Me.”
In North India Buddha is considered as 9 avatars, and in South, India Balarama is generally considered the 8th avatar, and Krishna and Kalki become 9 and 10. But, Amar Chitra Katha’s Dashavatar book lists Krishna as 8, Buddha as 9, and Kalki as 10. Obviously, since it is a question of the most popular 10 avatars, the Dashavatar list is fairly variable. The truth is, the source of the famed Dashavatar talks about a million avatars, and no ten of them are important in any way in there.
Buddha is widely considered to be an avatar of the Kali Yuga because of his revolutionary thought process and how all of a sudden he was able to bring peace to many war-torn lands. Gautama Buddha was the founder of Buddhism, which became one of the four major religions of the world. The Buddhist Dasharatha Jataka represents Rama as a previous incarnation of the Buddha as a Bodhisattva and supreme Dharma King of great wisdom.
Buddhism took different forms in different countries. Some of them went against the main teachings of Buddhism such as non-violence, vegetarianism, ascetic life, etc, but in India, it has entered in to and become an integral part of our culture.
The Puranic tradition also highlights Buddha as Vishnu’s ninth incarnation. The sixteen chapters of the Agni Purana states that Vishnu incarnated as the son of Suddhodana under the name of Siddhartha later to be known as Buddha – the Enlightened One.
The historical Buddha is identified as Siddhartha. He was born in 563-483 B.C. as the prince of Kapilavastu today an area identified close to the Indo – Nepalese border. He was born as the son of Shakya Naresh Shuddhodhana of the Kshatriya clan. He was named Siddhartha. After his marriage, Gautam Buddha left the child Rahul and wife Yashodhara and went on the path of liberating the world from attachment and sorrow.
Prior to Buddha’s birth, Mayadevi had a dream that a white elephant entered her womb. At the time of the prince, birth astrologers predicted that he would renounce the world and would become a great spiritual teacher. Distressed by these predictions, King Suddhodana did everything in his power to keep Siddhartha totally engrossed in worldly activities. One day this young prince saw the distressing sights of an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a monk. These sights made him reflect on life its pain and suffering.
In the dark of the night, he left the comforts of the palace to become a monk. For many years he wandered in vain. Then he sat to meditate under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya searching within himself for the meaning and purpose of life and finally gained Enlightenment. He gave his first sermon at Sarnath to five ascetics and it is known as The Turning of the Wheel of Law or Dharmachakrapravartana. He preached a middle path to attain Nirvana or salvation.
His message and teachings are extremely simple yet tremendously powerful. He preached that to break out of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth one must overcome ignorance by understanding the four noble truths:
1. Life is full of suffering.
2. Ignorance causes suffering, which is due to craving and illusion.
3. There is an end to this suffering and that state is known as Nirvana, the end of rebirth where the self is free from the ego and bondage to this material world.
4. The only way to achieve this state of Nirvana is through the eightfold path which consists of right views, right thinking, right living, right speech, right effort, right memory, right action, and right meditation.
The symbolic significance of Buddh avatar of Vishnu is that he is an embodiment of compassion. There are three avatars, which occur in every Dwapara and Kali Yuga. These three avatars are Vyasa, Buddha, and Kalki. All the remaining avatars occur once in the cycle. Among them are the work of Vyasa, the division of the Vedas, the compilation of Puranas, and the preservation of texts.
It is the work of Buddha, those in the society to do hypocrisy and animal violence, etc. in the name of religion, to dissuade men from such devilish estates from Sanatana by means of sermon, For example, an abscess is cut from the body and separated so that it cannot harm other organs. The purpose of Kalki is to destroy Buddhists, Jains, and Mlechchas and re-establish the pure Sanatan and change the system.
The Buddha is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu because of His greatness, wisdom and compassion for all human beings. Considered to be the founder of the Buddhist sect, Hindus even today undertake pilgrimages to Bodh Gaya and make obeisance to Lord Buddha. A few non-Hindu Western scholars hold the view that Buddha was a Hindu reformer. Kings in Nepal have been revered by their Nepalese subjects as forms of Vishnu many times.
In the ‘Satapatha Brahmana’ Buddha is acclaimed as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, holding the promise of salvation or nirvana, in the Kali Yuga. Another school of thought opines that Balarama, foster brother of Krishna was the ninth Avatar of Vishnu. However there is a conflict as some believe Balarama to be an incarnation of Sheshnaag ( the thousand-headed snake on which Vishnu reclines throughout periods of dissolution of the world.) Buddha as the ninth incarnation gained popularity because of the success of Buddha’s teachings amongst common folk.
To the Shakya King in Kapilavastu is born Gautam Buddha, a Prince among Princes. Abandoning his princely life, Buddha discovers the means of salvation through intense meditation. Once enlightened, he preaches his first sermon ‘The Turning of the Wheel of Law’ at Sarnath near Banaras.
Providing a simple meaning to human existence and its goal, he admonishes the Brahmanical orthodoxy of his times. Buddhism emerges as an organised religion, in the prosperous age of the mighty Kshatriya kingdoms along the Gangetic plain.
The birth of Pince Siddharth was a significant event in the history of mankind. He was born in 563 B.C. to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya in the royal grove of Lumbini between Devadaha and Kapilavastu.
He belonged to the Sakya clan of the Kshatriya caste of the solar race.. On the full moon day of Vaishakh 544 BC, Queen Mahamaya was journeying from the capital Kapilavastu to her parents in Devdaha. She stopped under the shade of two sal trees at Lumbini and gave birth to Buddha. Their kingdom Kapilvastu lay between the Nepalese foothills and the river Raptu.
The child was named Siddhartha. But even after enlightenment he was better known by his clan name— Gautam the Buddha. He was brought up by his mother’s sister, also his stepmother as his mother died soon giving him birth.
On the fifth day of the prince’s birth, the naming ceremony was performed with a prediction that the new born would be either a universal monarch or Buddha, the supreme enlightened one. Shocked by this prophecy, King Suddhodana enquired, “What will my son see that will be the occasion of his forsaking the household life?”
The soothsayer said, “Four signs of a man worn by age, a sick man, a dead body and a hermit”.
Gautam was a serious-minded child who instead of playing with other children often sat alone, lost in his own thoughts. Though Prince Gautam was a Kshatriya, he never hunted and instead tried to protect animals and birds. The King provided his son with all possible luxuries along with the best of education, taking care to protect him from any negative sight. In his youth, Prince Siddhartha married Princess Yasodhara who bore him a son, named Rahul. The king, had three palaces built for him, and at the age of sixteen gifted him forty thousand dancing girls. Yet thirteen years later Gautama left the mundane world in quest of, “The incomparable security of Nirvana free from birth and endless reincarnation.”
During one of his excursions, Siddhartha sighted four incidences which made him aware of the harsh sufferings of life. He saw a frail man weary from age, a diseased man, a starving beggar and a dead body. The events forced him to search for the ultimate truth that eventually changed his life.
At the age of twenty-nine, he abandoned his home in search of the answers to his questions, leaving behind his wife and son, his father and a crown of power and glory. After leaving his homeland, Siddhartha made his way to the hermitage of renowned sages of that time. But found these teachers’ range of knowledge was insufficient. He followed the path of self-mortification for six years but could not attain his desired goal.
Soon realizing the futility of such an endeavor which had weakened him, he took nourishing food. A woman Sujata offered him kheer and a grass cutter gave him a stack of grass to sleep on. Then he began intense meditation until he came to know the absolute truth. He meditated under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya at the edge of the river Niranjana, in the present state of Bihar in India.
At the end, in just one night of Vaishakh(C. 528 B.C.), Siddhartha came to know about his previous lives, the cycle of birth and rebirth and how to end infinite sorrow. Siddhartha became Buddha or the Enlightened One on his thirty-fifth birthday. He then spread the message of practicing ahimsa or non-violence and detachment from worldly desires, for attaining inner-peace and true knowledge for the next forty-five years. He taught as the Buddha or Shakyamuni (the sage of the Shakaya).
His teachings formed the basis of the Buddhism religion. At a time when people were losing faith in humanity and religion while sinning along with violence and greed was commonplace, Buddha brought with him peace for mankind. This incarnation reflects the intellectual and spiritual progress of human civilization.
From Gaya, the Buddha proceeded to Sarnath near Varanasi. Here five men became his disciples. Teaching them the truths he had discovered, he formed the first sangha or order of monks. Thereafter, he journeyed extensively, preaching truth and gained a large following comprising of scholars, sanyasis, kings and ministers. His day was divided between itinerant preaching in the morning and receiving visitors for discussion at night, with the afternoons reserved for private meditation.
He also went home as a bhikshuor monk. His father, stepmother, wife and son joined his sangha. In 483 BC, on the same day that he was born, and had attained enlightenment, the Buddha attained Nirvana, as he was freed from birth and endless reincarnation. His death or parinibbana occurred around the age of eighty.
Nirvana
Shortly before his death, Gautama assembled the members of his order, giving final instructions.
“Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves.”
His concern was uniquely with deliverance.”, ‘How is Nirvana attained?’
The first sermon of Buddha was held at the deer garden in Banaras. Buddha called his teachings midway between asceticism and indulgence. His ‘Four Noble Truths, the foundation of all Buddhist beliefs, are:
1. Existence involves suffering.
2. All suffering is caused by human desire and clinging to existence.
3. Getting rid of worldly desires is the end of suffering.
4. To be delivered one must follow the eightfold noble path etched by the enlightened one.
The Eightfold Noble Path is:
Right understanding
Right-mindedness
Right speech
Right action
Right living
Right effort
Right attentiveness
Right concentration
“Original Buddhism is atheistic, though the gods of Hinduism or Brahman were not explicitly denied, but nowhere did Gautama affirm that a transcendent deity should be invoked or his existence be formally acknowledged.” He was strongly opposed by the Brahmins for teaching that gifts to the Buddhist order were of more merit than sacrifices practiced by Hindus.
The number of Buddhists in the world ranges “from less than two hundred million, to more than five hundred million, with the lower number closer to reality.”
Buddhism in India
Buddhism flourished during the reign of King Ashoka (274 – 232 B.C.). “In the 2nd century before Christ, King Kanishka sponsored a fourth religious council at Kashmir where two radically different concepts of Buddhism, became known as Mahayana (great vehicle) and Hinayana (small vehicle).”
The relics of Buddhist saints came to be worshipped, images of Buddha were objects of veneration, monasteries were opened and Buddhism was transformed from an exotic cult to a religion of the many.
“Until the rise of the Gupta dynasty around 320 A.D., Buddhism fairly held its own in India. But under the Guptas, Hinduism became dominant. Buddhist religion was absorbed into the Hindu tradition which made Buddha an incarnation of Vishnu.
“Two types of Buddhism are easily recognized: the Mahayana in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and Nepal; the Hinayana in Thailand, Burma, Ceylon, Cambodia, India and Indonesia.”
Mahayana
“Mahayana introduced the idea of a deity into the religion. “For the purposes of popular religion, Buddha became the supreme deity, much as Krishna was for the average Hindu…
Hinayana
“Hinayana professes to follow the basic principles of the Pali canon is identified with primitive Buddhism. Certainly its emphasis on the four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path places it nearer to the original teachings of Gautama. Hinayana denies any god outside and above man and so logically concerns itself only with self, which it seeks to spare the trial of continuous rebirth by Nirvana annihilation.”
Man seeks salvation or nirvana. The teachings of the Buddha are solely to liberate human beings from the misery and sufferings of life, a universal aspiration. Rich and poor alike were attracted by the simplicity of Buddha’s teaching and his emphasis on complete equality of all, antithetical to the existing Hindu caste system.
Buddha Purnima
Buddha Jayanti also known as Buddha Purnima is the most sacred festivals of Buddhists, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Falling on the full moon of the fourth lunar month of Vaisakh (April or May) the day commemorates three important events of Buddha’s life
– His birth in 623 BC.
– His enlightenment in 588 BC.
– His attainment of Nirvana or the complete extinction of self at the age of 80.
Celebrations
Pilgrims come from the world over to Bodh Gaya for attending the celebrations. The day is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, religious discourses, constant recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of Buddha’s statue and symposia. The Mahabodhi Temple wears a festive look, festooned with colourful flags and flowers.
Buddhists bathe and wear only white clothes. They gather in their viharas for worship, giving alms to monks. They reaffirm their faith in the five principles termed pancsheel:
1. Not to take life
2. Not to steal
3. Not to lie
4. Not to consume liquor or other intoxicants
5. Not to commit adultery
Buddhists refrain from eating meat and eat kheer or rice cooked in milk and sugar, sharing it with the poor. They set up stalls in public places to offer clean drinking water and show kindness to animals.
Sarnath and Bodhgaya are two of the most important pilgrimage centres for the Buddhists.
LIFE STORY OF LORD BUDDHA
DASHAVATAR – EVERY ERA HAS A HERO
Dashavatara (Sanskrit: दशावतार, daśāvatāra) refers to the ten main incarnations or avatars of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu God of Preservation. Lord Vishnu is said to descend in form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. It is believed that whenever injustice and negative forces prevail on Earth, Lord Vishnu comes in various forms to uproot them. God Vishnu incarnates on Earth from time to time to eradicate evil forces, to restore the dharma and to liberate the worthy ones or devotees from the cycle of births and deaths.
All the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu are recognized in many of the sacred scriptures. It has been described in the Bhagavata Purana, shloka 12.2.16-17 that, “At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion. Lord Viṣhṇu — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all moving and non–moving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all — takes birth to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work.” The stories of the ten incarnations or Dashavatar are told in the Vishnu Purana and depict the theory of evolution represented through a story.
Lord Vishnu in his full avatar as Lord Krishna announces the general principle governing His entry into the world in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Shloka 7-8: “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of righteousness, I myself appear millennium after millennium.”
Above all, Lord Vishnu, the Supreme God, the Preserver of the Universe and the Maintainer of the World, Himself has said that “Your future is in your hands only. The well-being of the people walking on the path of goodness and the end of the miscreants and sinners is certain by me. At the end of Kali Yuga, when the pot of sins will get filled, I will take incarnation on the earth. By using the means of truth and justice, I will be throw the evils of falsehood and injustice. The earth will become sinless once again. Humanity will enter into such an age, where the strings of truth, justice, and character will move ahead the chariot of the world.”
All the ten divine incarnations of Lord Vishnu are a symbol of His heroic lives in different ages in the world. Moreover, He is also known as ‘Yugandhar’ meaning “the one who starts a new age”. Accordingly, Lord Vishnu will incarnate in the form of God Kalki, His tenth and final main incarnation and will end the presently prevailing Kali Yuga, the Age of Darkness and bring back Satya Yuga, the Golden Age in the world. Most of all, He has been acknowledged as ‘God’ in all of His ten main incarnations in the world. Now, it is up to you to decide as to whom you want to support. You think and decide whether you want to be with and support a Hero, Star and God of the Universe or a poisonous snake, prince of evil and demon king Kali, villains of the world and evil people. Think wise and decide right.
Dashavatara and Gautama Buddha
As we all know Dashavatara is an important ingredient of our Hindu mythology. Lord Vishnu, one of the principal Hindu Gods, descends on the earth in different incarnations (Avatars) to save the world from the ill effects of bad people. There are ten such occasions in our epics although the tenth one is yet to take place. That is the Kalki Avatar which will end the Kaliyuga.
The first seven Avatars are Meena, Kurma, Varaaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama and Rama. There is no ambiguity about these in literature. There is no ambiguity about the tenth (kalki) either. But there are different versions concerning the eighth and the ninth ones. According to Wikipedia there are five different narratives. They are KRISHNA-BUDDHA, BALARAMA-KRISHNA, BALARAMA-BUDDHA, KRISHNA-VITHOBA and BALARAMA-JAGANNATHA.
The fourth and the fifth variants above can be disregarded as they are parts of regional folklore. We are left with three candidates for two slots – Krishna, Balarama and Buddha.
Balarama and Krishna are characters appearing in Mahabharata. Although Balarama has a relatively minor role in the epic, he partnered Krishna in killing their maternal uncle Kamsa. On the other hand, Buddha is a part of history. He lived in India during the seventh century BCE and was the founder of Buddhism. It is also a fact that our epics predate Buddha’s lifetime by many centuries and it is unlikely that authors would have foreseen the emergence of Buddha.
All things considered, it can be conjectured that the avatars were originally BALARAMA-KRISHNA and later got modified to KRISHNA-BUDDHA. According to Wikipedia, the latter version is widely accepted today. There are many devotional Stotras and hymns which adhere to this narrative. For example, the well-known Ashtapadi (Palaya Pryodhi Jale) has the following lines
nindasi yajña-vidheḥ ahaha! śruti-jātam
sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam |
keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra
jaya jagadīśa hare ||8||
Another popular Dahavatara stotra (Vedodhara Vichaara mate…) contains these lines (meaning)
He left the town and his virtuous wife for the sake of killing the sorrow of humans,
He won over the cities by his form of search,
My salutations the greatly wise one who has pure wisdom,
And I request him to look after me who am a devotee of Vishnu.
The question to be probed then is about the appearance of Buddha in the Hindu mythology. When and how did this happen?
There are also two associated questions.
Why did Buddha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, found a new religion or propose a new way of life?
The second question concerns the recognition by the Hindu devotees. Of the ten avatars, Hindus worship mostly three. They are Rama, Krishna and Narasimha. The most notable among the non-worshipped avatars is that of Buddha. There are no Hindu temples featuring Ramanvami and Janmashtami are popular Hindu festivals. But Buddha Poornima is not.
10 Lines on Gautama Buddha: According to the Dashavatar or Ten incarnations concept, Lord Gautama Buddha is considered the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born as Siddharth Gautama, in Lumbini, Kapilvastu, which is present in modern Nepal. The name of his father was Shuddhodan, and the name of his mother was Mahamaya. He was born into a wealthy family of King. Even being born in such a rich and royal family, he renounced all the material luxuries to attain spiritual happiness.
According to Gautama Buddha, a soul aims to detach himself from the birth cycle and attain moksha, or salvation. Such a transition in his thought process took place when he once out of his kingdom saw three people out of which one was an older person; the other person was suffering from some disease while the other was a deceased person. By seeing these people, he understood that one should renounce all the worldly pleasures to seek spiritual happiness. Thus, he founded Buddhism, to awaken people and lead them on a spiritual path. The teachings of the Buddha were initially made in the Pali language. He died in 483 BCE or 400 BCE aged 80, Kushi Nagar, Malla Republic.
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Set 1 – 10 Lines on Gautama Buddha for kids
Set 1 is helpful for students of Classes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Gautam Buddha is said to be the founder of Buddhism.
The name of his father was Shuddhodan, and the name of his mother was Mahamaya.
Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. at Lumbini, Kapilvastu Nagar, and The Kingdom of Nepal.
Gautama Buddha had a wife named Yashodhara.
The name of his son was Rahul.
Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment by meditating for twelve long years.
The teachings of Lord Buddha have been made and inscribed in the Pali language.
Lord Buddha taught people to be kind to men and animals as well.
According to Buddha, desire is the cause of all suffering.
Lord Buddha was the most significant philosopher of all time.
Set 2 – 10 Lines on Gautama Buddha for School Children
Set 2 is helpful for students of Classes 6, 7 and 8.
Gautam Buddha was the founder of Buddhism.
His last name was Siddhartha before he left all the earthly pleasures.
He was the Prince of Lumbini, Kapilvastu Nagar, born to the King Shuddhodan and his mother was Mahamaya who died
just after seven days of his earth.
He was brought up and raised by his stepmother Mahaprajapati.
On seeing three kinds of people, including a diseased person, a dead body, and an older person, his mind changed to become an ascetic.
He was married to Yashodhara, and they had a boy born out them named ‘Rahul.’
Gautama Buddha got enlightenment under a Bodhi tree.
Gautama Buddha is considered to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, according to the Hindu mythologies.
Gautama Buddha was the preacher of peace in the world. According to Gautama Buddha, the ultimate aim of life is to attain salvation.
Set 3 – 10 Lines on Gautama Buddha for Higher Class Students
Set 3 is helpful for students of Classes 9, 10, 11, 12 and Competitive Exams.
Gautama Buddha was a great philosopher and was the founder of Buddhism.
Gautama Buddha was born in 563 BCE or 480 BCE Lumbini, Shakya Republic and died in 483 BCE or 400 BCE aged 80, Kushi Nagar, Malla Republic.
Gautama Buddha was born to a king family in the Sankhya clan and was formerly known as Siddhartha Gautama before he renounced the world.
He taught people about preaching peace and attaining moksha, that is, salvation as it releases the soul from the cycle of birth.
Gautama Buddha said that expectations are the root causes of suffering, so one should not expect.
Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under a pipal tree known as “the Bodhi tree”— In Bodh Gaya, Bihar.
Buddha, in the literal meaning, means “The awakened one”.
He practised meditation by learning it from his teachers and taught his disciples about the same thing.
The Jataka tales are a compilation of the stories of Buddha in his previous birth.
After, attaining Nirvana, Buddha could take complete control over his senses and abandoned desire, hatred, and ignorance.
Questions on Gautama Buddha
Question 1.
Where was Gautama Buddha born?
Answer:
Siddhartha Gautama, the last name of Gautama Buddha, was born in 563 BCE or 480 BCE at Lumbini, the Shakya Republic presently in Nepal.
Question 2.
What is the main aim of Buddhism?
Answer:
Buddhism teaches that the ultimate aim of life is to attain salvation by getting detached from birth cycles.
9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu | Story of Gautam Buddha
It is believed that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu was Gautam Buddha. If we compare, Gautam Buddha doesn’t have any power as the rest of the Vishnu avatar’s had. He was a complete human who expounded the four noble truths (Arya Satya) conceiving suffering, its cause, its destruction and the way to the elimination of sorrow.
In southern tradition the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is considered as Balarama, brother of Lord Krishna. But in northern tradition Balaram is replaced by Buddha. According to puranas, Lord Vishnu was born as Gautam Buddha to mislead those who deny the vedic knowledge.
In the 13th century poet Jayadna defines Vishnu incarnation as Buddha to end the animal slaughter in vedic sacrifices. And in contemporary Hinduism, Buddha is revered by Hindus who usually consider “Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism”.
|| Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
Abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskritam
Dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge ||
Is Gautama Buddha Avatar of Vishnu
Why does Purana and Buddhist Chronology does not synchronize with each other. While they seem to be saying about the same person. When Analyzing this question. It becomes apparent that we have merged two Buddhas. The Adi Buddha or Avatar Buddha of Vishnu and Shakya Buddha or Gautama Buddha into One. Let us Analyze
Let us summarize what we have regarding each Buddha
Adi Buddha
Adi Buddha is avatar of Vishnu was born on 1887BC to Mother Anjana in Kikata (Bodh Gaya).
The Adi Buddha Established the Philosophy of Ahimsa, Non Violence. He preached against ritual Animal Sacrifices that has crept into Vedic Hinduism. He emphasized the divine in all beings and divinity of all souls arousing compassion for all.
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha was was born around 560BC in Royal Family of Suddhodana and Mayadevi in Lumbini in Nepal. Siddhartha received his name Gautama from his spiritual Master Gautama Muni, who belongs to Kapila dynasty(as per Sundarananda Charita). He left home his royal comforts to find enlightenment. He went to Bodh Gaya to meditate and got enlightenment.
Gautama Buddha philosophy that is Monist (the God, is inert, nonactive and without any characteristic) and that reaching the same inert and non-active state through Nirvana is the goal. For attaining freedom from all suffering and end cycle of rebirths, one should attain Nirvana. Gautama Buddha is the propagator of Bahyatmavada, Jnanatmavada and Sunyavada, three pillars of Atheism. He Went to Bodhgaya to medidate because of its spiritual potency as the birthplace of Adi Buddha.
Buddhist Texts
Threvada Texts refer to six Preceding Buddhas (Those who have been awakened) as Vipasyin, Sikin, krakuccanda, Konagamara and Kashyapa, also they say Maitreya as the Buddha of the future.
Amara Simha Buddhist scholar, who wrote Amarakosha gives eighteen names of Vishnu avatara including the name Sugato (Which Shankara calls Buddha) and seven names of Shakya Simha Buddha without any mention of Sugato. So we can even argue that Shankara talks about avatar Buddha not Shakya Buddha. Amarakosha states the Lord Buddha is also known as Samanta Bhadra, whereas Gautama Buddha is a human being.
In Lalita Vistara, it is described how Gautama Buddha medidated on the same spot as the predecessor Buddha. The original name of Bodhgaya is Kikata, after Gautama attained enlightment there, it came to be known as Buddha gaya. Even today the rituals of worship is preformed by sannyasis of Shankaracharya sect.
Lankavatara Sutra, the famous buddhist work says that Ravana King of Lanka first worshipped Vishnu incarnation Buddha then successive and future Buddha.
Analysing Buddhist texts like Prajna-Paramita sutra, Astasahastrika prajna- paramita sutra, Sata-Shastrika Prajna, Pramita Sutra, Lalita Vistara shows three categories of Buddha namely
Human Buddhas: Like Gautama, who came to be known as Buddha after enlightment.
Bodhisattva Buddhas: Personalities like Samanta Bhadraka who were born enlightened.
Adi(Original-First) Buddha: the Avatar of Vishnu.
Hindu Texts
Bhagavata Purana says “At the commencement of the Kāli-yuga will Vishnu become incarnate in Kikata, under the name of Buddha, the son of Jina, for the purpose of deluding the enemies of the gods.”
Puranas say that Adi Buddha was born in Ikshvaku Dynasty.
How Two were merged.
Adi Shankara, in discussion with others treated both of them as one person and did not discriminate between the two. Shankara Sunya philosophy is similar to Buddhist Nirvana. With his Mayavadha philosophy he not only stopped rise of Buddhism in India, but also started its decline. However acharyas who came after him did not agree and they came with corrections for clear vedic View
Vishnuswami -Suddha Advaitha
Ramanuja – Vasistadvaitha
Nimbarka – Dvaita Advaita
Madhva – Dvaitha
Chaitanya – Acintaya Bheda Bheda
Historical Accounts
Adi Buddha is contemproary of Srenika(Sunika) whose father was Hemajit or Kshemajit or Kshetroja or Ksetrauja. Son of Srenika is Kunika. His son is Dharshaka.
Gautama Buddha is contemproary of Bimbisara(Son of Bhatiya or Bhattiya), King of Magadha with Capital at Rajgirh. Bimbisara made married alliances with many kings of India. His first wife Kosaladevi was the princess of Kosala, daughter of king Mahakoshal and sister of Pasendi or Prasenjit. The marriage ended the hostility between Kosala and Magadha. Ajatsatru was Kosaladevi`s son. Bimbisara conquered Anga and send Ajatsatru as the ruler there. Champa was the capital of Anga. Bimbisara was assasinated by his son Ajathashatru. Gautama Buddha then went to sravasti, Capital of Kosala ruled by Prasenjit. Most of the teachings come from Sravasti. Buddhist, Puranic and Jain Accounts confirm Gautama Buddha to be the contemproary of Bimbisara.
Jain scriptures, described King Bimbisara as a disciple of Mahavira who frequently sought his teachings. As per Jain texts, he is referred to as King Shrenika of Rajgriha (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisara sent Jivaka to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Pradyata, the king of Avanti.
Mahavamsa traces the Shakya dyansty to Ikshvaku dynasty and starts the dynasty with Ikshvaku.
Let us see the list of Contemproary kings as various religious texts
Puranas List
Shishunaga(40yrs)(Desposed Pratyodya)
kakavarna(36yrs)
kshemdharman(20yrs)
Khastrojas (40yrs)
Bimbasara (28yrs)
Ajatashatru (25yrs)
Darshaka(26yrs)
Udayin (33yrs)
Nandivardhana (40rys)
Mahanandin (43yrs)
Buddhist List
Sisunaka
Kalashoka (Sons Bhadrasena, Korandavarna, Mangura, Sarvanjaha, Jalika, Ubhaka, Sanjaya, Koravya, Nandivardhana and Panchamaka)
All 10 sons ruled simultaneously.
How Reliable is Buddhist Historical sources
Indologists have been saying Puranas are not reliable, let us see how unreliable Buddhist texts are. It is from Buddhist texts that Indologists arguments come. There two schools of sources. Tibetan and Sinhala. There is Chinese source, which comes later.
Let us take the kings around Buddhas time
Lankan Tradition
Dipavamsa
Bimbisara(52yrs)
Ajatasattu (32yrs)
Udayabhadda (16yrs)
Nagadasa (24yrs)
susunaga (10yrs)
kalasoka
Ten sons of Kalasoka (22yrs)
Candagutta(24yrs)
Bindusara
Asoka (37yrs)
Mahavamsa
Bimbisara (52yrs)
Ajatasattu (32yrs)
Udayabhadda (16yrs)
Anuruddha, Munda (8yrs)
Nagadasaka (8yrs)
Susunaga (18yrs)
Kalasoka (28yrs)
ten sons of Kalasoka (22yrs)
Nine Nandas (22yrs)
Candagutta (24yrs)
Bindusara (28yrs)
Asoka (37yrs)
Burmese Tradition
Bimbisara
Ajatasattu (35yrs)
Udayabhadda (15yrs)
Aururddha, Munda (9yrs)
Nagadasaka (4yrs)
Susunaga (32yrs)
Kalasoka 28yrs
bhaddasena and 8 brothers (33yrs)
Uggasenananda and 8 brothers (21yrs)
candagutta (24yrs)
Bindusara (27yrs)
Asoka
Tibetan Tradition
Asokavardhana
Bimbisara
Ajatasatru
Ujayain or Udayibhadda
Munda
Kakavarnin
Sahalin
Tulakuel
Mahamandala
Presenjit
Nanda
Bindusara
Asoka
Jain Tradition
Srenika
Kunika
Udayin
(Total 60yrs)
Nine Nandas
Candragupta
Bindusara
Asoka
Buddhist dates
1)Sources of Buddhist: First Where do Buddhist sources come from, they are not there from time immemorial like Purana or Jain sources. They are from definite time frame that is after Gautama Buddha. Mainly after the state patronage of Buddhism. Now how does Buddhist dates start from Ikshvaku dynasty. They should have got from some source. where else Purana. These Buddhist chronologies before Buddha are from Purana sources. If Puranas are the source of many Buddhist dates, how can Indology scholars choose to reject Puranas and take Buddhist sources.
2)Indian Dates: Dates from Purana or Buddhist or Jain are all Indian dates. Indologists are just playing one against other.
3)Not the Same Kings: Jain and Purana Chronology names does not tally with Buddhist Chronology names on contemporary kings
4) Differences within Buddhist: There are two main dates for Buddhists. One from Sinhala Buddhist and other Tibetan sources. There are two sources from Sinhala. That is Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa. There are differences between the two dates, but let us not overplay the differences.
The Tibetan Buddhist dates are more closer to Puranas date. But there are major differences. Such as when did Buddha lived. Date of Ashoka etc.
There is also Burma (Myanmar), though based on Lankan sources has a mind of its own because it has direct contact with puranic sourcse.
Chinese and Japanese follow Lankan, though they also have direct contact with puranic, so there are differences.
Indology Confusions
By Combining two Buddhas Indology scholars have discredited the Purana accounts and thus Indian History. Whenever the Puranas refers Adi Buddha they will cite Gautama Buddha to discredit and vice verse.
Colonel Kennedy, argues that the Buddha of the Purana and Buddha the founder of the Buddhist system of religion have nothing in common but the name, and that the attempted identification of these two is simply the work of European scholars, who have not been sufficiently careful to collect information, and to weigh the evidence they have had before them.
Jacobi Believes that Kakavarna(Puranas) = Kalashoka (Sinhalese Buddhist Literature) = Udyain (Jain Literature)
The Cambridge and Oxford histories of India accept 483 B.C as the date of Buddha’s nirvana. But, William Jones, on the basis of Chinese and Tibetan records infers that Buddha lived in the 11th century B.C. Historian Fleet, who makes a study of ‘Rajatarangini’, thinks that Buddha lived in the 17th century B.C. Chinese monk Fa-Hien puts Buddha’s Nirvana at 1050 B.C. These contradictory theories may confuse one altogether.
Indology scholars just pick and choose to discredit Purana sources. The history that Buddha lived in the 5th century B.C was propounded by E.J Rapson who writes that the exact date of Buddha’s Nirvana is not known and hence the popularly accepted year of Buddha’s Nirvana is imaginary. Sastry states that Western scholars arbitrarily skipped 12 centuries of Indian history because their ‘hypothesis’ about Alexander’s invasion did not match with centuries-old Indian chronology.
Lord Buddha
Gautama Lord Buddha is mentioned in the puranic texts as ninth of the ten avatars of Vishnu. He is the founder of Buddhism. Lord Buddha is often described as a yogi or saint. He is supposed to be incarnated in order to bring mankind closer to the dharma.
Buddhist teachings are based on the principles of nonviolence, atheism and complete faith in Dharma. In almost all the major puranas, Lord Buddha is depicted as a preacher of atheistic Vedic views in order to restore the Dharma and a critic of animal sacrifice. Lord Buddha was a compassionate teacher who preached the path of non-violence.
Lord Buddha is known as the prince who renounced his throne in order to lead the path of peace. He is the founder of the Buddhist religion which is now famous across the world. He was born as Siddhartha, the crown prince of the Kapilavastu. Since childhood, Lord Buddha was saddened by death of living beings and felt anguish and pain in learning the fact that humans can kill each other.
He wasn’t satisfied with the answers that were provided to him by the learned masters of his court. So, one day, at dawn he decided to find out the answers and the meaning of life. In search of absolute truth, he abandoned his wife and child. After years of wanderings, he became the enlightened one. He spread his knowledge and wisdom across and was soon followed by many disciples that lay a strong foundation of Buddhism. Buddhism is a spiritual way to end human sufferings and attain liberation by meditation and following a certain lifestyle of vegetarian, alcohol free, honest living.
A number of radical figures of modern Hinduism, including Mahatma Gandhi,SarvepalliRadhakrishnan, Swami Vivekananda and many others have been inspired by Lord Buddha’s life and teachings.
The life of the Buddha
The life story of the Buddha begins in Lumbini, near the border of Nepal and India, about 2,600 years ago, where the man Siddharta Gautama was born.
Although born a prince, he realized that conditioned experiences could not provide lasting happiness or protection from suffering. After a long spiritual search he went into deep meditation, where he realized the nature of mind. He achieved the state of unconditional and lasting happiness: the state of enlightenment, of buddhahood. This state of mind is free from disturbing emotions and expresses itself through fearlessness, joy and active compassion. For the rest of his life, the Buddha taught anyone who asked how they could reach the same state.
“I teach because you and all beings want to have happiness and want to avoid suffering. I teach the way things are.”
– The Buddha
Buddha’s early life
India at the time of the Buddha was very spiritually open. Every major philosophical view was present in society, and people expected spirituality to influence their daily lives in positive ways.
At this time of great potential, Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha, was born into a royal family in what is now Nepal, close to the border with India. Growing up, the Buddha was exceptionally intelligent and compassionate. Tall, strong, and handsome, the Buddha belonged to the Warrior caste. It was predicted that he would become either a great king or spiritual leader. Since his parents wanted a powerful ruler for their kingdom, they tried to prevent Siddharta from seeing the unsatisfactory nature of the world. They surrounded him with every kind of pleasure. He was given five hundred attractive ladies and every opportunity for sports and excitement. He completely mastered the important combat training, even winning his wife, Yasodhara, in an archery contest.
Suddenly, at age 29, he was confronted with impermanence and suffering. On a rare outing from his luxurious palace, he saw someone desperately sick. The next day, he saw a decrepit old man, and finally a dead person. He was very upset to realize that old age, sickness and death would come to everyone he loved. Siddharta had no refuge to offer them.
The next morning the prince walked past a meditator who sat in deep absorption. When their eyes met and their minds linked, Siddhartha stopped, mesmerized. In a flash, he realized that the perfection he had been seeking outside must be within mind itself. Meeting that man gave the future Buddha a first and enticing taste of mind, a true and lasting refuge, which he knew he had to experience himself for the good of all.
Buddha’s enlightenment
The Buddha decided he had to leave his royal responsibilities and his family in order to realize full enlightenment. He left the palace secretly, and set off alone into the forest. Over the next six years, he met many talented meditation teachers and mastered their techniques. Always he found that they showed him mind’s potential but not mind itself. Finally, at a place called Bodhgaya, the future Buddha decided to remain in meditation until he knew mind’s true nature and could benefit all beings. After spending six days and nights cutting through mind’s most subtle obstacles, he reached enlightenment on the full moon morning of May, a week before he turned thirty-five.
At the moment of full realization, all veils of mixed feelings and stiff ideas dissolved and Buddha experienced the all-encompassing here and now. All separation in time and space disappeared. Past, present, and future, near and far, melted into one radiant state of intuitive bliss. He became timeless, all-pervading awareness. Through every cell in his body he knew and was everything. He became Buddha, the Awakened One.
After his enlightenment, Buddha traveled on foot throughout northern India. He taught constantly for forty-five years. People of all castes and professions, from kings to courtesans, were drawn to him. He answered their questions, always pointing towards that which is ultimately real.
Throughout his life, Buddha encouraged his students to question his teachings and confirm them through their own experience. This non-dogmatic attitude still characterizes Buddhism today.
“I can die happily. I have not kept a single teaching hidden in a closed hand. Everything that is useful for you, I have already given. Be your own guiding light.”
– The Buddha, while leaving his body at the age of eighty
Biography of The Buddha
Siddhartha, who later became known as the Buddha – or The Enlightened One – was a prince who forsook the comforts of a palace to seek enlightenment. He realised the essential unreality of the world and experienced the bliss of Nirvana. After his enlightenment, he spent the remainder of his life teaching others how to escape the endless cycle of birth and death.
Buddha was born approximately 400 BCE in the district of Lumbini, which is now modern-day Nepal, close to the Indian border. He was brought up in a palace with all the comforts and luxuries possible. Growing up a young noble prince, it is said his father sought to shield the young prince Siddhartha from the pain and suffering of the world. It is said his father had a premonition that Siddhartha would one day renounce the world.
However, at one point in his early adult life, Siddhartha sought to find a greater meaning to life. In disguise, he left the palace and wandered around the kingdom. Here, Siddhartha came across different people suffering from old age and illness and witnessed death. This showed him the transitory nature of life, which had a great impact on him. As a consequence, Siddhartha resolved to seek a deeper meaning of life.
Secretly, Siddhartha left the palace – leaving behind his wife, son and all the worldly comforts that he had enjoyed. He devoted himself to meditation, seeking enlightenment amongst the ascetics of the forest.
In his intense quest for enlightenment, Siddhartha fasted excessively so his body wasted away; however, despite his great efforts enlightenment still remained a far cry. At one point, a passing woman gave him some food to eat and Siddhartha realised it was a mistake to seek enlightenment by torturing the body. He regained his strength and resolved to follow a ‘middle path’, avoiding excesses of both fasting and feasting.
On one day, Siddhartha resolved to sit under a Bodhi tree until he attained enlightenment. For several days, he sat in meditation seeking Nirvana. He was tested by various forces which tried to prevent him realising the goal.
However, Siddhartha was successful and entered into the blissful consciousness of Nirvana for several days. On returning to normal consciousness, Siddhartha the Buddha (Buddha means ‘enlightened one’) made the decision to spend the remainder of his life teaching others how to escape the inherent suffering of life.
For many years, Buddha travelled around India, especially around the Ganges plain and in Nepal, teaching his philosophy of liberation. His teachings were transmitted orally and not written down until many years after his death.
Many stories relate to the life of the Buddha in this teaching phase. His essential teachings were of love, compassion and tolerance. The Buddha taught that a seeker must have compassion for all living beings and this was the most important teaching. Although the Buddha disliked formal rules, a monastic following sprung up for those interested in following his path. He advocated strict celibacy for those wishing to follow his monastic path.
The Buddha would often give talks on enlightenment, but on one occasion, he simply held up a flower and maintained silence. Many left not understanding the point, but when later questioned, the Buddha replied that his real teaching could only be understood in silence. Talks could only give limited intellectual information which was not real enlightenment.
The Buddha sought to avoid deep philosophy, he avoided using the term God, preferring to talk about the practical way that a person may escape the cycle of birth and rebirth and attain enlightenment. Like many spiritual teachers, he often taught in parables to keep his teachings simple and practical.
The Buddha attracted hostility from those jealous of his popularity and spiritual development. One of his own monks Devadatta later became jealous of the Buddha and sought to split the community. He even tried on three occasions to kill the Buddha, but on each occasion, he failed. The Buddha was a contemporary of Jain teacher Mahavira, but though they had great mutual respect, they did not physically meet.
The Buddha passed away after many years of teaching and travelling throughout India. On his deathbed, he told Ananda (his dearest disciple) that he should now rely on his teachings and own ethical conduct to be the guide of his life.
“For centuries the light of the Buddha has shone as a beacon beckoning men from across the sea of darkness. Like lost children, millions of seekers have reached out to the light with their heart’s inmost cry, and the Buddha has shown them the Way. The world stood before the Buddha with its ignorance, and the Buddha, the Enlightened One, gave man Truth. The world offered its age-old suffering to the Buddha’s heart and the Buddha, Lord of Compassion, showed man the Dharma.”
An Insight into the Life and Teachings of Gautam Buddha
An iconic figure of Sakyamuni Buddha is enough to perceive the grandeur of this historical leader who influenced the social and political frame of India. There was an unprecedented charm in Buddhist teachings and Buddhist philosophy, something that is as relevant then as it is now. If you haven’t got a chance, to read or learn about Buddha, this is your chance to know him and connect to him, the way you have not thought so far. Stay with us, as we take you in the life of one of the most influential people in the world that walked on the face of the earth in millions of years.
What Do We Know about the Historical Buddha?
No written records about the birthday of Gautam Buddha were found from his lifetime or from the one or two centuries thereafter. However, most people accept that this one of the great spiritual gurus lived, taught, and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era during the reign of Bimbisara (c. 558 – c. 491 BCE, or c. 400 BCE), the ruler of the Magadha empire. He died during the early years of the reign of Ajatasatru, who was the successor of Bimbisara. Another widely accepted time frame for his life is between 563 BCE and 483 BCE. More recently his death is dated between 411 and 400 BCE, while at a symposium held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha’s death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not been accepted by all historians. Although, birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha or Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on May 12 each year and is a major Buddhist festival.
The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhārtha Gautama/Buddha was born into the Shakya clan, a community which was inhabiting on the periphery of the eastern Indian subcontinent. According to Buddhist tradition, this place was called Lumbini (in modern-day Nepal). He was raised in Kapilvastu, the Shakya capital, which may have been either the present day Tilaurakot in Nepal or Piprahwa in India.
Parents:
Gautama was born as a Kshatriya, the son of Suddhodana, elected chief of the Shakya clan, whose capital was Kapilavastu. His mother’s name was Maya (Mayadevi) and she was a Koliyan princess. Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived, she dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side. As was the Shakya tradition, when Queen Maya became pregnant, she left for Kapilavastu (her father’s kingdom) to give birth. However, Gautama is said to have been born en route Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree. Thus, the birthplace of Buddha is Lumbini, which is in modern-day Nepal.
Biographical Source:
The sources for the life of Buddha sometimes conflict with the traditional biographies which include:
Buddhacarita which is the earliest biography and is also an epic poem written by the famous poet Asvaghosa in the 1st century CE.The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography on Gautam Buddha, it dates back to the 3rd century CE.The Mahavastu from the Mahasamghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography which was probably composed in 4th century CE.The exhaustive Dharmaguptaka biography of the Buddha is entitled the Abhiniskramana Sutra, and one can also find several Chinese translations of this dating between the 3rd and 6th century CE.The last composition, Nidanakatha by Buddhaghoṣa is from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka and dates back to the 5th century.
Other important sources of information pertaining to the life of Gautam Buddha are Jataka tales, the Mahapadana Sutta, and the Achariyabhuta Sutta.
Was Gautama Buddha an avatar of Lord Vishnu?
One of the most controversial questions concerning Hinduism and Buddhism is whether Gautama Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu or not. This question is critical for both religions because both Vishnu and Buddha are highly revered in these religions. Traditionally, most Hindus believe that Lord Buddha was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, but most Buddhists do not believe so. Vaishnavites also do not agree with this. Some Vaishnavites believe that Balarama was the eighth and Lord Krishna was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. But then, the question arises, why would Lord Vishnu take two avatars at the same time. Some Vaishnavites believe that Sugata Buddha was the ninth incarnation. This article is an attempt to solve this mystery.
Was Gautama Buddha an Avatar of Lord Vishnu?
Dashavatara are the 10 main incarnations of Lord Vishnu that span from Satya Yuga to Kali Yuga. They are as follow:
1. Matsyavatara.
2. Kurmavatara.
3. Varahavatara.
4. Narasimhavatara.
5. Vamanavatara.
6. Parashurama.
7. Lord Rama.
8. Lord Krishna.
9. Lord Buddha or Lord Balarama.
10. Kalki Avatara.
There is no confusion about the other incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
What could be the possible reasons behind calling Lord Buddha an avatar of Lord Vishnu?
1. Many Hindu scriptures say so. Hindus believe that Puranas and other texts are written by sages who do not lie.
2. Buddha was a Hindu by birth. Per some stories, his horoscope indicated that he would either be a great king or a great sage.
3. Per a legend, the mother of Buddha had a divine dream in which she saw a six-tusked white elephant entering her womb.
4. Some Buddhists believe that it was a conspiracy of Brahmins to denigrate Buddhism. By declaring Buddha an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Buddhism was reduced to be a sect of Hinduism.
Which scriptures say that Gautama Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu?
No Buddhist scripture mentions him as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. These are only the Hindu texts that say so. There are some major and minor Puranas, as well as some epics that say so. They are as follows:
1. Vishnu Purana – 3.18.
2. Bhagavata Purana – 1.3.24, 2.7.37, 3.15.26.
3. Garuda Purana – 1.1, 2.30.37, 3.15.26.
4. Agni Purana – 16, 49.8.
5. Linga Purana – 1.71.
6. Padma Purana – 3.252.
7. Naradiya Purana – 2.72.
8. Harivamsha – 1.41.
9. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra – 2:1-5/7.
10. Gita Govindam by Jaidev.
Gautama Buddha remembered his past births but never said that he was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
When Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment, he remembered all his previous births. He used to refer to his past births when teaching his disciples. There is no single incidence where he mentioned that he was Lord Krishna or Lord Rama in his previous birth. Per the Jataka tales, Prince Vessantara was his last birth.
If he was an avatar of Lord Vishnu, why would he hide the truth? It would have been easier for him to preach if he had announced and proved so.
Was Balarama an avatar of Vishnu?
The general belief is that Balarama was an incarnation of Sheshanaga, as was Lakshmana in the Ramayana. Lakshmana and Balarama both were born to protect Lord Vishnu in his human forms and also to help them achieve their goals. The role Balarama played in the Mahabharata was that of an assistant rather than a leader. Other than that, Balarama favored Duryodhana, who was an Asura in a human body. He wanted to kill Bheema when he broke the rules of wrestling. Some Hindu texts mention that once Balarama drank Varuni and lost control over his body. I do not think any avatar of Lord Vishnu would do so.
Therefore, I do not think that Balarama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
If neither Buddha nor Balarama, then who was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu?
As we saw above, Balarama was not an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It means Lord Krishna was the eighth incarnation. Then the question arises who was the ninth if Gautama Buddha was also not an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The other possibility is Sugata Buddha. Some Vaishnavites believe that he was the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu, who helped Lord Shiva kill a demon. But this is not a widely accepted concept.
Currently, Hindus believe that the ninth avatar has already happened, and the only remaining avatar is Kalki who would be the tenth. Then either there is something missing from the Hindu history or something is kept secret from the masses because how would the tenth avatar come before the ninth.
Was Buddha an avatar of Indra?
According to a legend, on the day of conceiving, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama had a dream in which she saw a six-tusked white elephant entered her right side.
Interestingly, Airavata is a white elephant that is the carrier of Indra and has six (or 10) tusks. It could be a sign that Indra entered the womb of Queen Maya because many times, gods communicate through dreams.
Therefore, there is a possibility that he was an incarnation of Indra.
Was it a conspiracy of Brahmins?
It may be or may not be, or it just could be a confusion with Sugata Buddha, who is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu per some Vaishnavites. We know that Buddha is not the true name of Gautama Buddha. Actually, it is an epithet.
It is for sure that when Gautama Buddha was alive, no one called him an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Gautama Buddha died around 483-400 BCE. That was after the Mahabharata. It means that Veda Vyasa did not mention him in the Puranas, and it was a later addition. Because of Buddhism, the existence of Hinduism was endangered.
Therefore, to save Hinduism, some Brahmins might have declared him as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and edited the Puranas.
Sikhs believe that he was the 23rd incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Initially, Sikhism was a sect of Hinduism. Therefore, it is possible that Sikhs also believe him to be an incarnation of Vishnu.
Death and aging of Gautama Buddha:
There are different versions of the story about the death of Gautam Buddha, but the most widely accepted theory is that he died of food poisoning.
The last meal that he had was offered to him by Chunda, a blacksmith. It was some kind of pork (or mushroom) that was tainted. He fell violently ill after this. According to the NCBI website, he contracted the pig-bel disease (necrotizing enteritis) caused by the toxins of Clostridium perfringens infection. Some people believe he was deliberately poisoned. Some scholars believe he died of old age and not of food poisoning.
It is also an accepted fact that he suffered from age-related diseases. He was 80 years old when he died.
Hindus believe that incarnations of Lord Vishnu do not age or do not die of minor illnesses like food poisoning.
Therefore, it is unlikely that he was an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Hindus do not generally worship Buddha.
Although Hindus believe him to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, his worship is less common than other gods. Very few Hindus keep his image at home and worship it. He is generally considered the god of Buddhists.
There is no Asura involved in Buddha’s story.
Generally, when Lord Vishnu incarnates, there is some association with Asuras, but in the case of Gautama Buddha, there was no Asura involved in the story.
Conclusion:
Before coming to any conclusion, let us summarize the pivotal points in this article.
1. Gautama Buddha remembered his previous births but never claimed that he was Lord Krishna or Lord Rama in his earlier life.
2. No one declared him an avatar until he was alive.
3. Puranas were likely edited after his death to save Hinduism from the increasing influence of Buddhism.
4. Gautama Buddha getting old and dying of food poisoning is unlikely in the case of an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
5. If the legend of Queen Maya dreaming of a six-tusked white elephant is true, it is possible that he was an avatar of Indra. In the Mahabharata, there is a story where Lord Krishna orders the people of Gokul not to worship Indra. After that Indra’s worship might have gradually stopped. Hence, it is possible that he incarnated as Buddha and threatened Hinduism to take his revenge.
Therefore, I think most probably Gautama Buddha was an incarnation of Indra.