The most ancient scripture that details how the Buddha spent his last few days prior to attaining the Buddhahood is the ‘Mahā Vagga’ Pali in the ‘Vinaya Pitaka’. This letter aims to provide a brief understanding of the life of the Buddha according to this text. According to the text, attaining Buddhahood is described as achieving ‘Abhisambodhi’.
The term ‘Abhisambodhi’ is composed of “Abi” meaning deep, and ‘Sambodhi meaning understanding. According to the ‘mahāvaggapāli’, after attaining Buddhahood pattamabhisambuddha, or the one who attains Buddhahood first), the Buddha spent seven days close to the Bodhi tree. The translation of’ pattamabhisambuddha’ by the Buddhajayanthi Pela and Pali Grantha Samithi is “recently fully awakened.” However, defining ‘pattamabhisambuddha’ as “the one who attains Buddhahood first” is also accurate.
Let’s discuss some significant incidents during the time period in question. In the first week after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent his time in a state of profound ease and bliss near the Bodhi tree. In the second week, the Buddha reviewed and reflected on the profound understanding he had just received, confirming the wisdom he had attained through enlightenment. Third is meeting some important people to the Buddha. Lastly, meeting with Sahampathi Mahābrahma is discussed.
Among the three points mentioned above, the first point is staying in a state of ‘vimuttipatisaŋvedi’ which refers to constantly returning to a state of bliss and liberation. In Pāli, pati and in Sanskrit, prathi mean recurring or happening again. Although immersing in a state of ‘vimuttipatisaŋvedi’ involves living in a tranquil environment in solitude, it is a yogic or meditative task. Attaining liberation brings mental bliss. Hence, continually returning to that state means immersing in a state of bliss. In summary of vivarana and attakathā, the Dhamma meaning of vimutthipatisaŋvedi is to continue immersing in a state of complete (arpanā) liberation and bliss after attaining arahantship through the fourth Jhāna. Later, in the āttakathā, this has been termed as palasamāpattisuka. Patisallāna means this, Pati towards, Sallāna (derived from Shly) rest. In short, it means reverting to the blissful state experienced before. Technically, he is experiencing the bliss of Nibbana again and again. According to the Abhidhamma, he recreates palacitta and continues to remain in the fourth Jhāna citta.
The second point is that during the first week after attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha reviewed the Paticcasamuppāda (Dependent Origination) in his mind each night. Through this contemplation, he gained a profound understanding of how mental constructs perpetuate endless stressful situations and how to systematically eliminate them to end suffering. This unique insight of the Buddha can be explained as follows…
Saŋkāra, or mental formations, arise due to a fundamental ignorance of life, a process described as avijja paccayā saŋkāra (ignorance conditions mental formations).
These mental formations give rise to mental agility or consciousness, which is referred to as saŋkāra paccayā viññānaŋ (mental formations condition consciousness).
With the presence of consciousness, both mental and physical aspects come into being, known as viññāna paccayā nāma-rūpaŋ (consciousness conditions name and form).
These mental and physical activities lead to the development of the six sense bases, including the mind, termed nāma-rūpa paccayā salāyatanaŋ (name and form condition the six sense bases).
When the six sense bases are established, sensory contact with objects occurs, whether willingly or unwillingly, described as salāyatana paccayā passo (six sense bases condition contact).
This sensory contact leads to feelings of enjoyment or discomfort, known as passa paccayā vedanā (contact conditions feeling).
Feelings give rise to craving, described as vedanā paccayā tanhā (feeling conditions craving). Craving then leads to attachment or clinging, known as tanhā paccayā upadānaŋ (craving conditions clinging).
This attachment sustains the cycle of existence in samsara, referred to as upādana paccayā bhava (clinging conditions becoming).
Becoming leads to the arising of new life, described as bhava paccayā Jāti (becoming conditions birth).
As a result of new birth, the cycle continues with inevitable frustration and suffering, known as jāti paccayā Jara-maranaŋ (birth conditions aging and death).
In the first week after attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha reviewed the paticcasamuppada (Dependent Origination) from beginning to end and from end to beginning while sitting at the base of the Bodhi tree during the three phases of the night. At the end of each phase, the Buddha exclaimed in delight. Having grasped and reviewed the essence of paticcasamuppada, the Buddha felt a deep sense of joy. He expressed his happiness during the first and second phases of the night with the following exclamation:
“yadā bhave pāthbhavanthi dhamma āthāpino Jhāyatho brāhmanassa,
athassa kaŋkā vapayanthi sabbā yatho pajānāti sahetudhammaŋ.”
This translates to- “The great man who is meditating and attempting to comprehend the constructs that create life is able to understand them, and he realizes the paticcasamuppāda. This state expels all his doubts.”
This reality is known as paticcasamuppāda because it outlines the driving forces of life. Paticcasamuppāda, or Dependent Origination, explains how various conditions and causes interdependently give rise to the phenomena of existence, thereby illustrating the process by which life perpetuates itself and suffering arises.
When paticcasamuppāda is thoroughly understood, all doubts are dispelled. During the middle phase of the night, the Buddha’s exclamation differed slightly from the first one. The last part of his exclamation stated, “yatho khayaŋ paccayānaŋ āvedi,” which means that understanding how the conditions (paccayā) are eliminated also expels all doubts. If one realizes how ignorance (avijjā) and other factors create life and knows how to eliminate them, then there are no doubts. It is important to study how the introduction to paticcasamuppāda is presented in both stanzas. In the first stanza, the constructs are referred to as hetu whereas in the second stanza, they are termed prathya.
The same constructs are referred to as both hetu and prathya because they serve as both causes and conditions. One construct leads to the emergence of another, and this interconnectedness results in the creation of clusters of constructs rather than isolated ones. The concept of paticcssamuppāda, or dependent origination, highlights that these origins occur in clusters. When a single construct is active, it demonstrates both unity and prominence.
The teachings of the Buddha are distinct in the world because they emphasize both the prominence and unity of these constructs. In paticcasamuppāda, the prominence of the constructs that produce results is evident, while pratya highlights their interconnected unity. When discussing causes, only one cause is typically mentioned, but when explaining pratya, many interconnected constructs that arise together are considered. As noted in the commentary, “commentary- paccayāti sahajātapaccayabhavena,” this emphasizes the simultaneous and interconnected nature of these constructs.
Hetu and pratya are two reciprocal factors (commentary – Aññamaññavevacana), meaning every cause becomes a condition and vice versa. In ancient texts, when paticcasamuppāda is explained, these terms highlight the prominence and independence of constructs. However, in the Abhidhamma, there are two ways to explain bhava kāraka dharma: through the paticcasamuppāda theory and the paccayākāra theory. In the Patthāna, the multiple nature of conditions is elucidated through the paccayākāra theory.
In the third point, let’s focus on the meeting of two people. Under the Ajapala banyan tree, the Buddha encounters a tough-looking Brahmin named Huŋhuŋka/Huhuŋka. The Brahmin, known for his arrogance, often reprimands others. He asks the Buddha how one becomes a Brahmin. The Buddha, understanding the Brahmin’s mentality, provides a tailored answer. Two factors directly influence the Brahmin’s status. First, to be a true Brahmin, one must transcend the Huhuŋka attitude and become Nihuhuŋka, which relates to one’s attitudes. Second, it is crucial to study the Vedas deeply to be considered a brahmin. By Vedas, the Buddha refers to the culmination of the four paths of wisdom. The Buddha explains that when one refrains from sin and becomes Nihuhuŋka, he is fit to be a Brahmin. Brahmavāda derives its term from Brahmana. The Buddha utilized the Brahmin’s existing knowledge to explain his theory, facilitating the Brahmin’s understanding. A Brahmin should not possess ussada, which includes rāga (attachment), dōsa (aversion), mōha (delusion), māna (conceit), ditti (wrong views), klesa (mental defilements), and karma (actions). These negative qualities must be eliminated.
In addition to the meeting mentioned above, the Buddha also encounters Thapassu and Bhalluka at the Rajayathana tree. They offer sweets to the Buddha and express their desire to be his devotees until their death. The Buddha recognizes Thapassu and Bhalluka as his first devotees (upāsakānaŋ pathamaŋ saranaŋ gaccantānaŋ) and gives them a prime place. However, it is uncertain whether they comprehended the profound Dhamma of the Buddha, as the Vinaya Mahā Vagga does not record the Buddha delivering any specific Dhamma to them. Becoming an Upāsaka (lay devotee) and follower was a common practice in those days. Perhaps due to their elevated mental status or because they were the first devotees, Tapassu and Bhallika were given a special place. The Buddha himself doubted whether people could grasp his profound Dhamma.
The fourth important point is that the Buddha initially felt discouraged about trying to make ashānimagna, ashāyatta, and ashābhinandika people understand his profound Dhamma, which can only be grasped by the wise. However, Maha Brahma Sahampatī encouraged the Buddha to preach his Dhamma, emphasizing that those with fewer defilements would deteriorate their lofty status if they did not hear the Dhamma. Although small in number, Maha Brahma Sahampatī requested the Buddha to teach the Dhamma to those capable of understanding it. This encouragement led the Buddha to decide whom to preach his Dhamma first. He thought of teachers, Ālārakālāma and Uddakarāmaputta, who were wise (Pandito), clever (Vyatto), intelligent (Medhavi), and had fewer defilements (Alparajaska). However, upon realizing that both had passed away, the Buddha then considered the Pancavaggiya theros. These were the ascetics who had assisted the Buddha on his journey to attaining Buddhahood.
There are a few important factors to understand from this. After attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha spent his time in contemplation as follows:
- At the base of the Bodhi tree where he attained enlightenment – seven days in the same paryankāsana (seated posture).
- Under the Ajapala banyan tree – seven days in the same paryankāsana.
- Under the Midella tree – seven days in the same paryankāsana.
- At the Rajayathana tree – seven days in the same paryankāsana.
- Under the Ajapal banyan tree – seven days in the same paryankāsana.
According to the Maha Vaggapali, there is no mention of the Buddha spending seven weeks after his enlightenment; it only speaks of five weeks. The idea of seven weeks is a later addition. While the Buddha’s stories have been embellished over time, the most ancient texts remain authentic and intact. The Buddha taught that the unique Dhamma he understood under the Bodhi tree is paticcasamuppāda (Dependent Origination). The Four Noble Truths, which are based on paticcasamuppāda, were formulated to make this profound teaching easier for the public to grasp. However, when explaining paticcasamuppāda, the use of terms like “cause” and “condition” separately can undermine its true and profound meaning.
After attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha did not immediately preach his profound Dhamma to those he encountered. For example, the Huhunka Brahmin merely asked questions to clarify his doubts, and Thapassu Bhallika simply became devotees of the Buddha. Jain texts provide evidence of this practice of following a religious teacher.
The Pancavaggiya theros abandoned Siddhartha Bodhisattva when he gave up extreme ascetic practices (Attakilamathānuyoga). They were traditional seekers of truth. The first two people who understood the Dhamma did so by listening to it. The Pancavggiya Theros were chosen by the Buddha as an expression of gratitude for their support during his quest for enlightenment.
©Satipatthana Magazine