Avatar – Buddha

Sangham Sharanam Gacchami!

Dhammam Sharanam Gacchami!

Buddham Sharanam Gacchami!

I bow down and go to the Sangh, Dhamm (Religion) and Buddha for enlightenment.

Buddha means the enlightened one.

Buddha means unattached.

Buddha means the great leader.

An individual who guides lacs and crores of people to lead a simple and an austere life should be accepted as an Incarnation of God. And Buddha is no different. From the days of His sermons till today, He guides Humanity onto the path of peace and tranquillity. And till date and many years in future will He be the guiding light for Humanity.

Son of Mayadevi, Gautama is said to become either a great King or a great Monk. The parents are worried and are said to have kept him in the four walls of the grand palace built for him. Got him married at the age of 16 and had a son Rahul. But Gautama is inclined towards finding the way or the path of renunciation from miseries. His chatioteer Channa might have led him to those famous night trips around the city where he is said to have discovered old age, disease and death. And so he leaves his wife, kid and palace to find the path of greater good.

Sometimes I wonder can a prince be kept away from the truth of life? Can any person be kept away from it rather? I feel that Gautama always knew all the misery and he was continuously trying to find a path to come out of all this. And one fine day, he decided that enough is enough and left the palace with due permission from his wife. How can a Mahatma who leads an austere life forget his duty towards his consort? And Yashoda must also have consented to let him go and find his goal. I say so, cause once when Gautama became Buddha and He visited His father’s kingdom, it was Yashoda who urges her son Rahul to take up the life of a monk with the Sangh and a few days later, with due discharge of duties and permission of elders, herself joins the Sangh.

Also those who have come to guide the world, can they be stuck in all the worldly matters? Is a question which I always have. He got married and fulfilled his duties towards his wife, son and parents and left to find his own self.

The tree, under which He is said to have attained enlightenment, the Bodhi tree, still stands there with it’s full grandeur as a witness to the divine phenomenon. People all over the world today visit the place, to find peace and solace.

His philosophy, “Sarvam Dukham, Sarvam Kshanikam” explains to us the basic principle of Science, that the world is continuously fleeting and changing. And it is fact that everyone needs to acknowledge that there needs to be rationality behind any and every thought one propagates.

He talks about ‘Shunyatva (nothingness)’, not even emotions. Was there any reason for an enlightened soul to live on Mother Earth. But He not only did live but went around meeting people across villages, janpadas and kingdoms. Its was selfless love in action. His action is not out of pitiness towards our lives, but out of pure selfless love towards us, his brethren. People today have belittled Him and His philosophy and mould it according to their whims and wishes.

Another question which people frequently ask; Why are the followers of Buddha, a proponent of Ahimsa (non – violence), fish eating or meat eating? Has He allowed this? Friends, let us go back to the era when He lived. To propagate His thought, he approached the intellectual class at that time. This class did not respond to His call. So He accepted whosoever responded to His call. He accepted them as they are and yes believed that slowly they would change their ways of eating. And change, they did. But if it is translated as meat eating is allowed by Buddha, then it’s our misconception about Him. He cannot be blamed for the misinterpretation.

I purposely began with Sangham Sharanam Gacchami as opposite to what people say. Cause I believe that even He, The Enlightened One, will agree with it. Go the the Sangh first. Follow your “Dharma” second. And then come to me.

Buddha, as history tell us, is the first to establish a Sangh, for propagation of religion. He gave a very well designed way to spread religion through the Sangh. India will always be indebted to Him for this. And as a result, we see that Buddhist thought and philosophy has not only spread all over Asia, but also dominates the thinking process of Asia in a way.

On His Birthday, bow down to Him and may we be blessed to be accepted in the Sangh, He established.

Let us all set upon the path to find ourselves, answer our questions and attain Enlightenment

Let us all learn to understand in the right perspective, the work of the Buddhavtar.

Let us all together wake up and arise and keep on working for the upliftment of the Human race as a whole.

Buddham Sharanam Gacchami.