The Life of the Buddha

by Ven. Ledi Sayadaw

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma- sambuddhassa

May the Fully Enlightened One dwell on my head!
It is for the good, gain, benefit, and happiness
Of gods and of men: that a Unique Being, the Bodhisatta,
On a Thursday, the full-moon day of July (Waso),
When the monsoon had set in, the timely rain well begun,
Took conception in Maha-Maya’s womb: the queen of Suddhodana,
At the request of gods and Devas who assembled together
From the ten thousand universes of the Jatikhettta [1]

II.

Great were the rejoicings after a lapse of ten months
When his noble birth took place at Lumbini, near Kapilavatthu,
Amid the veritable hues of the blooming sal trees,
On a Friday, the full-moon day of May (Kasone),
The sixty-eighth year of the Maha Era, the sixth century B.C.,
For the good and gain of many: men, deities, and gods.

III.

The royal prince was married to his cousin princess,
Both of them aged only sixteen, and they led
A happy and luxurious life for thirteen years.
Three palaces were built, to suit the three seasons
Of cold, of heat, of rains; and amid all comforts,
Prince Siddhattha realized the universality of suffering.
Upon seeing a decrepit man, a diseased man, a corpse and a hermit,
The four signs of the Devas, he renounced the world,
Made an historic journey in search of Truth and Eternal Peace,
On a Monday, the full-moon day of July (Waso),
His twenty-ninth year, in the full bloom of his youth.

IV.

For six strenuous years in the forest, after crossing the river Anoma,
The ascetic Siddhattha made a super-human struggle,
Practising severest austerities of various forms.
Finally he found the Middle Path and the Four Noble Truths.
On a Wednesday, the full-moon day of May (Kasone),
Seated under the canopy of the Peepul Bodhi tree,
He eradicated all defilements, dispelled ignorance.
Wisdom arose, darkness vanished. He became a Buddha--
An Enlightend or Awakened One--for the gain of many,
Spreading influence to the ten thousand universes.

To the Migadaya Deer Park at Isipatana the Enlightened One went,
Where the Pancavaggiya, the five energetic ascetics
Who attended on him during his struggle, were residing,
Precisely two months after he had attained Buddhahood.
In his thirty-fifth year, he expounded the First Discourse,
On a Saturday, the full-moon day of July (Waso).
Though addressing directly the diligent ascetics,
Devas and Brahmas from the ten thousand universes came
And took advantage of the golden opportunity of hearing
The Sermon: the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta,
"The Turning (or Establishment) of the Wheel of Truth."

VI.

Out of compassion for the good and gain
Of men, Devas and Brahmas, the Buddha Gotama taught the Dhamma.
Innumerable beings gained Nibbana: the Deathless.
Forty-five years after his long and successful ministry,
On a Tuesday, the full-moon day of May (Kasone),
The hundred and forty-eighth year of the Maha Era,
Upon attaining the ripe age of eighty years, he came
To Kusinara, the land of the Mallas, where he laid himself down,
Between the twin sal trees, mindful and self-possessed.
Then the Great Demise of the Buddha Gotama took place.
The Perfect One had finally attained Maha-Parinibbana.
Then there occurred a great earthquake, fearful and hairraising.
Celestial drums resounded with the attainment of ultimate extinction.

VII.

At the turn into Kusinara, in the Mallian sal-tree grove,
Lay the Blessed One’s Golden Body, in a befitting manner--
That of a Universal Monarch who turns the Wheel of Righteousness.
Many came, paying honour, respect, and veneration to the remains,
With music, garlands, and scents; making canopies and pavilions.
Mounted on a pyre built with all kinds of scented woods,
It caught alight by itself, producing neither cinder nor ash,
On a Sunday, the waning moon day of May (Kasone),
When the Perfect One’s Golden Body was consumed by the fire element (tejo-dhatu),
There remained sacred relics which Dona divided into eight parts
For fair distribution to the kings for erecting eight monuments.

VIII.

Great were the events that took place on the seven week-days
In reverence to the Exalted, the Worthy, the Happy One.
My salutation, adoration, veneration to him, with utmost faith:
I bow, lay prostrate, five points touching the ground (vandana).[3]
May I be peaceful and happy! May I gain Nibbana!
May all beings be peaceful and happy! May they gain the deathless!

FOOTNOTES:

"The field of birth [of a Buddha]." It includes ten thousand world systems.
This eighth verse, which is left out of some editions, is included in the original text (see Thinbongyi-tika).
I.e., the forehead, both forearms, and both lower legs.

Published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, IMC-UK, Splatts House, Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 0PE, England,
Tel: +44 1380 850 238, Fax: +44 1380 850 833.
Registered Charity No 280134.

imc.uk@virgin.net