THE SERMON AT BENARAS

GAUTAMA Buddha (563 B.C. – 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess.

Gautama Buddha lived from 563 BC to 483 BC. He was born in a royal family of northern India so he was a prince. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of 12, he was a sent to a school to study holy books of Hindu religion. He returned from the school after four years. Then he got married to a princess.

They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty.

For 10 years they lived as per tradition of royal family. They had a son.

At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms.

Living in the royal family, prince Siddhartha did not have any chance to see or experience problems of the world. At the age of about twenty five, once prince had gone for hunting. He saw a sick person, an aged person, a funeral procession and a monk who was begging for alms.

These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

These scenes affected him to such an extent that he immediately left his home. He went to the world outside his home in search of spiritual knowledge regarding the scenes of sadness he had seen.

He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came.

He roamed to different places for seven years. Finally he sat under a peepal tree. He promised to himself to remain there only till he got the spiritual or the ultimate knowledge.

Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).

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After seven days he understood the spiritual knowledge. He gave a new name to the peepal tree as Bodhi Tree. He started teaching and sharing his new understandings. Then he was called the Buddha (The person having knowledge)

The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.

The Buddha gave his first religious speech at the city of Benares. It is the most holy space of the river Ganges for taking a holy bath. That speech is not lost, it is saved. It is famous even today. That sermon is written in following paragraphs. This sermon explains wisdom of Buddha about a type of pain that cannot be easily understood.

Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said, “She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.”

Kias Gotami had only one son. Her son died. She became very sad. She carried the dead child to her neighbours. She requested them to give some medicine so that her son becomes alive. The people said that she had become mad because medicine cannot make a dead person alive.

At length, Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, “I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can.”

After a long time (after meeting many people) Kisa Gotami met a person who gave a suggestion to her. The man told that he could not give medicine for her child, but he knew a doctor who could give medicine.

And the girl said, “Pray tell me, sir; who is it?” And the man replied, "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.” Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried, “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.”

The girl (Kisa Gotami) requested the man to tell the name of the doctor. The man asked her to meet Sakyamuni, the Buddha. Kisa Gotami went to Budddha. She started crying. She requested Buddha to give medicine to her son to make him alive again.

The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustardseed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”

The Buddha told that he wanted some mustardseeds to treat her son. The girl (Kisa Gotami) became happy and promised to buy some mustardseed. Buddha said that mustardseeds should be brought from a house where death has not occurred in any of their relation or friends.

Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustardseed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many.

Helpless Kisa Gotami went from one house to another. People expressed their sympathy to her and gave her some mustardseed. She asked them if anyone has died in their family. They said that many people have died in their family. Number of dead people are more than number of alive people.

Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again.

They requested Kisa Gotami not to remind them of their pain of losing their family members. There was no house where no one had died. Kita Gotani became very tired and hopeless. She sat on the side of a road. She watched lights of city. Lights became brighter and then got switched off again.

At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief!

Finally the darkness of the night had spread everywhere. She considered destiny of mankind. Their life starts, grows and the life ends again. Now she understood that she had become selfish in her grief.

Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

Death is common to all. Everybody will die someday. In this world of sadness, one who gives up selfishness, can live for forever in memory of people.

The Buddha said, ‘‘The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings.

Buddha said that life of every living being in this world is full of trouble, short and full of pain. Because there is no method by which a living being can avoid death. It is natural for every living being to die after becoming old. Every living being is of this nature .This is the rule of this world.

As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.

A ripe fruit has the danger of falling down from the tree early. Similarly, young ones are more in the danger of dying. Every pot of clay made by potter finally breaks someday or the other. Same is life of living beings. It will end someday. Every young and adult, fool and wise, all will die.

“Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations.

Those who die, move away from life. A father cannot save life of his son, and a relative cannot prevent death of another relative.

Mark! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

Please note that while relatives are watching and expressing sorrow, one by one every living being is carried away by death. It is just like an animal is carried away for killing. The complete world is affected by death and damage. Therefore wise people do not become sad because they know the nature of the world.

“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation.

Nobody will obtain peace of mind by becoming sad or weeping. Instead, his pain will increase and his body will also suffer. He will make himself sick and weak but the dead person will not become alive by his sadness.

He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”

One who wants to live in peace should keep away from sadness, complaint and sorrow. One who has removed these emotions from his life will become calm and obtain peace of mind. One who has overcome sorrow will become free from sorrow and remain calm. God would always bless such person.

Textual Questions Q.1. Who was Gautama Buddha? When and where was he born?
Ans. Gautama Buddha was a Prince who was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. He had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. He attained enlightenment under a Peeple tree and named the tree as 'Tree of Wisdom'.

Q.2. Mention the incident which prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a beggar?
Ans. One day during his hunting trip, Prince Siddhartha came across a sick man, an aged man, a monk asking for alms and also witnessed a funeral procession. He could not understand the cause of those sufferings. So he left home and became a beggar to find the cause of human suffering.

Q.3. Why was Kisa Gotami sad ? What did she do in her hour of grief?
Ans. Kisa Gotami was sad because her only son had died. In her hour of grief, she went from house to house and asked for medicine to cure him. She had become selfish in wanting her son back.

Q.4. Kisa Gotami again goes from house-to-house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for the second time? Does she get ? Why not?
Ans. Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. She asks for some mustard seeds. The Budhdha had asked her to bring the seeds from a house where no death had ever taken place. But she was unable to find such a house. It made her realise that death is inevitable and that no one can deny the nature's cycle.

Q.5. What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end ?
Ans. In the end, Kisa Gotami realised and learnt that death is common to all and that no one could avoid dying. People weep over their dead ones but it is only the wise who do not grieve as they have accepted the truth. A person should only try to seek inner peace.

Q.6. How did Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life?
Ans. Kisa Gotami was in deep gief because her only son had died. She went from door to door, seeking help. Someone directed her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. The Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. This raised a hope in Gotami's heart that her son could be revived. But the condition imposed by Sakyamuni was that the seeds must be from a house where there had been no death. But she was unable to find any such hous. Now she realized the bitter truth that sorrows are a part and parcel of life.

Q.7. What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment ? Why?
Ans. Prince Siddhartha Gautama was deeply pained by the sufferings he saw around him. He left home to find he cause of human suffering. After wandering for seven years, he finally sat under Peepal tree to meditate till he received enlightenment. A spiritual understanding about the cause of human suffering came to him and 'The Buddha’ set out to share it with the world to relieve the mortals of their sufferings.

Q.8. What does the Buddha say about the world ?
Ans. The Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Inevitably there is death and decay.

Q.9. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
Ans. The Buddha wanted to make her understand that death is the common to all and no one can avoid dying. There can be no medicine that can bring the dead back to life. The Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand this very fact of life.

Q.10. How did Kisa Gotami come to realize the fact that death is the common end of life?
Ans. The Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard - seeds from a house where no death had ever taken place. Kisa Gotami failed to find any such house. Thus she came to realize that death was the common end of all.

Q. 11. With what does the Buddha compare the death and decay of human beings?
Ans. The Buddha compares the death and decay of human beings with ripe fruits and earthen vessels. Ripe fruits are early in danger of falling; so also, mortals ever remain in danger of death. Earthen vessels always end in being broken; so is the case with human beings. Every human being is fated to die in the end.