Buddha’s Birthday & His Life
Today is the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism (we celebrate it on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month).
The historical Buddha was born into our world as Prince Siddhartha about 2600 years ago. Before the birth of the Buddha, Queen Maya had a dream of an elephant with six tusks came from the sky and entered through her right side, Queen Maya felt so blissful after and became pregnant.
[Before the Buddha’s birth, Shakyamuni Buddha was Bodhisattva Devaputra Svetaketu (护明菩萨) who expounded the Dharma and resided in the inner court of the Tusita heaven - the fourth heaven in the desire realm. The inner court of the Tusita heaven is where the future Buddha resides, so currently the future Maitreya Buddha is residing in the inner court of the Tusita heaven and await to come down after 4000 heavenly years there to be the future Buddha and expound the Dharma - the lifespan of beings in Tusita heaven is 4000 years, and each day in the Tusita heaven is equivalent to 400 years in the human realm, so Maitreya Buddha will come down after 576 million years (in ancient time one year has 360 days).]
Legend has it that the Buddha was born from the right side of Queen Maya (different from ordinary beings) and when the Buddha was born, there were nine dragons pouring fragrant water to bath the infant prince’s body (hence that’s why during the ceremony of the Buddha’s birthday we see people bathing the baby Buddha, this ritual also serves as a reminder to purify our body speech and mind). The baby Buddha then immediately walked seven steps to each direction, with lotus coming out from each step, and with his one hand pointing towards the sky and the other towards the earth, he said “in heavens and earth, I’m the supreme one. The three realms are all suffering, I shall help calm it.”
[the “I” here of course does not mean just the “I”, as the Buddha had no attachment to the self, rather it means the Buddha-nature that’s within all beings, the essence of who we truly are.]
And we knew about the rest of the story how the Buddha left his luxurious palace at the age of 29 to pursue the truth, so he can help all beings to transcend the cycle of reincarnation, to liberate from all suffering in life.
He cultivated extreme asceticism for 6 years and eventually realised enlightenment through the middle way (not to indulge in desire nor practice severe asceticism). He also realised how all beings have the same Buddha-nature (perfect awakened nature with perfect wisdom and blessings) but for afflictions and attachment one cannot realise.
He expounded the Dharma for 45 years and taught the path of awakening to as many beings as possible regardless of their backgrounds and caste system. And he entered Parinirvana at the age of 80 (please note that Parinirvana is not death! The Buddha didn’t “just die” like ordinary beings, he simply disappeared for the beings with lesser roots so they can be reminded of impermanence and cultivate diligently).
Shakyamuni Buddha still has countless incarnations in our world and other worlds to expound the Dharma. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will never really enter Parinirvana (only performances). In the Brahmajala Sutra the Buddha also told us he has come to our world for more than 8000 times; and in the Lotus Sutra, he also said he had in fact realised Buddhahood hundreds of thousands of millions of nayuta of eons ago! That’s why it’s so difficult for anyone to realise enlightenment in this life (as the Buddha didn’t just realise enlightenment in his life, he had in fact realised countless eons of ago, this is merely his performance).
As Pure Land Buddhists, we are extremely grateful for the Buddha to tell us about the Pure Land Dharma gate, to Nianfo and attain rebirth in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land. In the sutra the Buddha said the Pure Land path is the easiest path for all sentient beings to realise Buddhahood in the Dharma-ending age (1500 years after the Buddha entered Parinirvana), which is currently the age we are in now. In the Dharma-ending age, sentient beings are filled with too much desire and ignorance, and it’s almost impossible for anyone to realise enlightenment entirely through their own self-effort, hence, one shall rely on Amitabha Buddha’s power to attain rebirth in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land, and there one will realise enlightenment and the final Buddhahood easily and much quicker, there we will all realise Infinite Light and Life!
Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha！
Namo Amitabha Buddha！
