February 24, 2023
 
Before entering Parinibbāna, the Buddha instructed:
 
“Yo vo Ānanda, mayā dhammo ca vinayo ca desito paññatto, so vo mamaccayena satthā…”
 
– Ānanda! The Dhamma and Vinaya (Disciplinary Rules) that I have taught and explained will be your teacher after I am gone.
 
The Commentary to Mahāparinibbānasutta explains that:
 
Dhammo: The Dhamma comprises the complete collections of Discourses (Suttapiṭaka) and the Higher Teaching (Abhidhammapiṭaka).
 
Vinayo: Disciplinary Rules consist of the entire collection of Rules (Vinayapiṭaka)
 
After becoming the Self-enlightened Buddha and being titled Gotama Buddha, the teachings (Dhamma) were imparted by Him for 45 years until He entered Parinibbāna. These teachings were compiled into the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka, also known as the Three Pāḷi Baskets, which consist of the Sutta (Collection of Discourses), Vinaya (Codes of Discipline), and Abhidhamma (Analytic/Higher Teaching). This comprehensive Dhamma encompasses 84,000 Dhammakkhandhas, or portions of the Dhamma.
 
During the last watch, the Buddha gave his disciples a final reminder, saying:
 
“Handa dāni bhikkhave āmantayāmi vo, Vaya-dhammā saṅkhārā, appamādena sampādetha.”
 
– Oh, bhikkhus (monks), bhikkhunis (nuns), upāsaka (laymen devotees), upāsikā (laywomen devotees)! This is the final advice and reminder from the Tathāgata:
 
All conditioned phenomena, including the five aggregates, are impermanent and subject to decay. Therefore, you must diligently strive to fulfill your duties in accomplishing the Four Noble Truths through mindfulness and practicing the four foundations of mindfulness. (Excerpted from Ngày Rằm Tháng Tư Trong Phật Giáo – Bhikkhu Dhammarakkhita Hộ Pháp)
 
After delivering this final exhortation, the Buddha closed his eyes and entered the first, second, third, fourth, and Formless Absorption (Arūpa jhāna) stages. He emerged from each stage before re-entering them, beginning with the first jhāna and progressing to the fourth Form Absorption (rūpa jhāna) stage. From the deep Absorption, he entered a state of complete silence and solitude, devoid of any signs or remnants, like a gentle breeze passing by, and he passed away into Nibbāna (Parinibbāna).
 
As the moment unfolded, a tremendous earthquake shook the ground while thunder boomed and lightning flashed across the sky. Sālā flowers cascaded down from the trees, blanketing the forest floor. Learned monks interpreted this as an auspicious sign of the passing away of a Perfectly Self-enlightened One, as it was one of the eight causes and conditions and a natural phenomenon related to the laws of the mind (cittaniyāma) and the law of Dhamma (dhammaniyāma).
 
Even though people had witnessed and acknowledged the event, the sudden disappearance of the Great Awakened One from the world triggered a range of emotional reactions. Some were left shocked and bewildered, while others remained calm and composed. Such diverse responses are a natural part of the common human experience.
 
Brahma Sahampati then appeared to have a clear understanding of the Truth, uttered in the verse quoted: “All beings are in the world, abandon the body composed of the five aggregates; just as the Master, the Peerless One in the world, the Mighty in wisdom, the Tathāgata has passed away into Parinibbāna.”
 
As for the deva king Sakka, who is a noble disciple, expressed:
 
“Impermanent are all component things,
They arise and cease, that is their nature:
They come into being and pass away,
Release from them is bliss supreme.” (Translated by Piyadassi Thera)
 
The Venerable Anuruddha, who was an Arahant, spoke,
 
“No movement of the breath, but with steadfast heart,
Free from desires and tranquil — so the sage
Comes to his end. By mortal pangs unshaken,
His mind, like a flame extinguished, finds release.” (Translated by Sister Vajira & Francis Story)
 
The Venerable Ānanda, at the time just a stream-enterer, uttered the stanza: “Then there was terror, and the hair stood up, when he, the All-accomplished One, the Buddha, passed away.” (Translated by Sister Vajira & Francis Story)
 
A sudden commotion from humans, wind, branches, and leaves disrupted the calm and quiet environment of the sālā forest. Despite many monks having attained the stream-entry state, they were still consumed by their emotions and unable to restrain themselves. Amidst the chaos, a loud shout reverberated, “The sun and the moon are out. The eyes of the world become blind!” Meanwhile, another person quietly wept and murmured, “With the departure of two great disciples and now the Master, the current situation is nothing but desolate emptiness. Oh, how sorrowful!”
 
As Venerable Anuruddha observed the forest shrouded in sorrow, he arose and spoke out, offering an admonition to all present:
“Dear Venerable friends and lay devotees! Don’t be sad, don’t shed tears. Have you forgotten or ignored the teachings of the Blessed One? Remember the Teacher’s final words: ‘All conditioned things are subject to decay. Strive on with diligence.’ Do you still remember?” (Excerpted from Đức Phật Niết Bàn, CẢ ĐÊM, RỪNG SĀLĀ KHÔNG NGỦ
Minh Đức Triều Tâm Ảnh)
 
As mentioned earlier, the location where the events occurred, Kusinārā, was eventually revealed to the foot-traveling Sangha. Together, we circumambulated and offered a robe to the Buddha statue enshrined within a Stupa. The statue is painted yellow. As I gazed upon His swollen feet carved on the statue, I was overwhelmed with emotion, and tears streamed down my face. I felt incredibly fortunate to exist in this world, inherit the treasure of Dhamma, and follow in the footsteps of the Buddha. It was even more poignant and emotional when I walked step by step on the misty miles following the Buddha’s Footsteps. It was as if I had found again the old ancient path, found my true self. The profundity and authenticity of these emotions deeply touched me as I set foot on the sacred location of Kusinārā.
 
The Sangha walked through numerous sacred sites such as Bodhgaya, the place of enlightenment; Varanasi, the place of turning the wheel of Dhamma; Lumbini, the place of birth; and finally, Kusinārā, the place of entering Parinibbāna (the Final Cessation). The road to these sacred places was not an easy one, as it took more than two months filled with hardships and unpredictable sicknesses to reach here. However, after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha constantly used His feet to wander for 45 years to help those who had karmic connections with him. Given the immense difficulties and obstacles the Buddha had to overcome, one can only imagine how much more challenging the journey must have been for Him.
 
Although He has passed away, He left a priceless treasure that benefits all sentient beings. In honor of His virtue, a stupa was constructed to commemorate His relics after His death. Over time, the stupa gradually deteriorated and the relic site was eventually buried underground for many years. Today, it has been excavated and restored, allowing the four-fold Sangha to pay homage and express their admiration.
 
The stupa dedicated to the Relics, located behind the Nibbāna Stupa, measures 45 meters in height and 80 meters in circumference. The Stupa symbolizes the Buddha’s 80 years of age and 45 years of teaching the Dhamma to help all beings. Surrounding the two stupas are the old brick foundations that depict various aspects of the Buddha’s life, which have been renovated.
 
Upon completing our visit to the sacred site and returning to our stopover, I unexpectedly encountered familiar monks, nuns, and devotees on a pilgrimage. It was a fortuitous meeting in our ancestral land without any prior arrangement, and we felt a profound spiritual connection. They, too, could have a direct, physical encounter with Āloka rather than merely seeing him in pictures or reading about him in journals.
 
With regard to Āloka, he has endured days of illness, experiencing nightly vomiting and a persistent runny nose. I took him from doctor to doctor, to hospitals both big and small, where they would hold him down to give injections, but his condition persisted. It wasn’t until we arrived in Kusinārā that I took him to a large hospital, 70km from the Sangha, where x-rays revealed that his leg bones were injured and his lungs were severely inflamed. Again, Āloka was given more injections and medication, but his health began to improve significantly.
 
In the previous days, despite his illness, Āloka had refused to ride. We put him in the car and continued on our journey. After a long distance, a monk quickly came to inform me, “Bhante! Bhante! Āloka has jumped out of the truck and is walking.”
 
I hurriedly walked back to meet him, and just like that, he slowly followed me with heavy steps. His appearance was that of a dog full of energy and resilience, and anyone who sees him would feel compassion for him on this journey of Following the Buddha’s Footsteps.
 
May all beings, as well as our generous benefactors, find peace and solace in the radiance of the great Father. May we all diligently cultivate wisdom, attain right view, and successfully cross the bank of delusion to reach the shore of enlightenment.

#chuahuongdao #chuahuongdaotemple #sbsstupas
#buddha #buddhism #Dhutanga #dhammajourney
 
Source: Dhammacetiya