of Buddhism that spread across Asia in all directions. In Buddha’s later years, it is Ananda who keeps accounts of his teachings and the events of his life. These are carefully preserved in the suttas (discourses) of the Pali canon and the sutras (scriptural texts) of the Kan Gyur.
Buddha passed away at the age of eighty in the village of Kushinagar, in what is today the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. There he lay in the lion posture, on his right side, with his right hand supporting his head and his other hand placed lightly on his left thigh. His last words reminded his disciples that “all compounded things are by nature impermanent,” and he advised them “in mindfulness” to strive on. It is recorded that on his deathbed, when asked by Ananda what should be done with his earthly remains, Buddha answered that, like those of a king, the remains of a tathagata (an exalted one) should be enshrined in a stupa (reliquary). To satisfy the demands of the kings and princes of the surrounding states, Buddha’s relics were eventually divided into eight parts and placed in eight golden boxes (and so today there are eight types of stupa, each different in design). When the boxes were laid on the altar table, it is recorded that three rainbows arose from them. Below the relics were placed the five offerings of the senses: incense (sense of smell); food (sense of taste); flowers (sense of sight); music (sense of sound), and beautiful objects (sense of touch).
BUDDHA AND STUPAS
Ananda’s records also reveal Buddha’s advice on stupas. Buddha explains that when anyone sees a stupa and merely thinks, “This is the stupa of the Exalted One,” the heart of that person will become calm and happy, and they would be reborn in the happy realms of the Pure Land (the western paradise of the Buddha Amitabha, see here). Even today, one of the most significant rituals that Buddhists of all traditions observe is circumambulation of the holy stupa. There are beautiful stupas in Borobodur in Indonesia and Myanmar (Burma). The two that I love to visit and highly recommend are Bouddhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, and the Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, India.
The legend of Boudhanath stupa reveals how it was built by a woman whose four sons dedicated the virtue to take rebirth as beings who were instrumental in bringing Buddhism to Tibet. It is said that one of the sons reincarnated as the great guru Padmasambhava (see here), who is regarded as the Buddha who brought Buddhism to Tibet, while another son reincarnated as the great king Songtsen Gampo, who was responsible for spreading Buddhism across the country.
The Mahabodhi stupa is the fountainhead of Buddhism and the holiest pilgrimage place, for Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya. Circumambulating this stupa is incredibly purifying. As you walk clockwise around it, you can feel some of its energy embracing you and sending you into a very light place.
Happiness and sadness don’t come from outside; They come from one’s own mind.
LAMA KYABJE ZOPA RINPOCHE
The stupa respresents Buddha’s holy mind – Dharmakaya – and each part of the stupa shows the path to enlightenment. When seeing the Boudhanath stupa, Nepal, for the first time, close your eyes and make a fervent wish. It is said that anyone doing so will have their wish granted.
Basic Buddhism
Buddhism is both simple and profound. On a daily basis it advocates watching the mind so that all thoughts, actions, and words manifest a kind and compassionate attitude toward all others. It is the loving heart that places others above self. Herein lies the ultimate wisdom of existence. When you understand that the existence of all things, all beings, and all concepts is empty except in relation to other things, beings, and concepts, then you will be close to becoming awakened, so crossing into a state of permanent happiness.
When you succeed in eliminating ignorance and replacing it with real wisdom, suffering comes to an end, because in understanding the true nature of existence you are no longer bound by the illusions of samsara. You awaken and escape the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
When there is no end to samsara, then life and death are governed entirely by the laws of karma, so existence is a never-ending cycle of continuous rebirth in the Six Realms of Existence (see here). The quality of your rebirth and the realm into which you are reborn are determined by your karmic score card. It is karma – the law of cause and effect – that gives life its moral code. The Buddha thus advised doing everything to create good karma, for this has the power to propel you into a rebirth in circumstances that are conducive to practicing Dharma, thereby having the chance to attain enlightenment. Practicing Dharma means showing generosity, having a good heart, purifying negative karma, and creating good karma. It also means embarking on the spiritual path that leads to enlightenment.
There are three types of karma: karma that you create and see its result in this life; karma that you create and see its result in your next life; and karma that you create and see its result after many lifetimes.
LAMA KYABJE ZOPA RINPOCHE
Fresco showing the Six Realms of Existence. Rebirth in the human realm is considered to be most conducive to the practice of Dharma – Buddha’s teachings which show the path to enlightenment.
THE FOUR IMMEASURABLE THOUGHTS
When practicing Dharma, Four Immeasurable Thoughts should arise. These are:
1 Immeasurable equanimity – being free of the bias of liking some and disliking others, so remaining tranquil and unattached
2 Immeasurable compassion, wishing that all beings are freed from suffering
3 Immeasurable joy in the highest happiness and liberation of all beings
4 Immeasurable loving kindness, wishing for the happiness of all living beings.
Buddhism does not believe in a supernatural and omnipotent Creator God. Salvation does not come from the intervention of a divine entity. Instead, Buddha’s teachings advocate the practice of compassion and loving kindness toward all living beings, combined with meditation practices to develop wisdom. It is the union of compassion and wisdom that leads to liberation and awakening.
Prayers to the buddhas are supplications to receive the wisdom to understand the true nature of reality – what are referred to as “realizations.” Every living being possesses buddha-nature. It is by living a moral life, practicing compassion, and meditating on the steps that lead to the awakened mind that can be developed to high levels of concentration and wisdom, leading to
