“Of all the spiritual teachers of India, Buddha has left the deepest trace. Although Hinduism suppressed Buddhism in India, Buddha’s teachings spread strongly throughout Asia. After his death, numerous schools and canons emerged, all of which, despite their differences, agreed on one thing: Buddha is a great teacher who showed the path to final liberation through persistent effort and one’s own strength.
The Lalitavistara sutra tells the story of Buddha’s life, enlightenment, and his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. It is a sacred text in the Northern Buddhist tradition, widely spread in Nepal, Tibet, and China. In the second half of the 19th century, through the British Royal Asiatic Society, the text came into the hands of European scholars who translated it into French, German, and English. Thus, the West got to know Buddhism more closely through Lalitavistara.
The text is a compilation of legends of various ages that existed separately before being unified into twenty-seven chapters.” The Dhammapada is a collection of verses. It is believed that the earliest parts of the version that has reached us date back to the 1st century BC, while some parts were added in the 3rd century. The fact that it is written in Sanskrit and in a peculiar mixture of Sanskrit and the vernacular language suggests that it is not a uniform text by one author. The chapters begin with prose (in Sanskrit), but usually end with verses (in the mixture of Sanskrit and the vernacular language); sometimes verses also appear in the middle of chapters, mainly summarizing and emphasizing what has been said in prose form. All of this leads to the conclusion that there must have been an older collection of Buddhist literature on which this text was based. Since large parts of it do not differ much from Pali texts describing the life of the Buddha, some researchers assume that it was originally a Hinayana sutra that was adapted in the spirit of Mahayana teachings. Others believe that there must have been an older source from which both Buddhist canons originated. Sanskrit and Pali languages.
In any case, it is not known when the text took on its current form. However, whenever and however it originated, the text contains the main events of Buddha’s life and all his major teachings. Among them is the fundamental doctrine of Buddhist philosophy – pratityasamutpada (dependent origination), which speaks of the chain of causality. This is, because that is. This is not, because that is not. This arises, because that arises. This ceases to exist, because that ceases to exist, are phrases that frequently appear in Buddhist scriptures. Pratityasamutpada teaches that all physical and mental phenomena are conditioned by certain factors. Nothing arises “by itself,” but rather owes its existence to certain causes, not by chance or the will of a higher being. Ignorance lies at the beginning of this chain as the primary cause, and insight into the impermanence and conditioned nature of all phenomena liberates one from the bondage of attachment to the transient.
Achieving perfect and complete enlightenment
The mind of the Bodhisattva was tranquil and entirely pure, perfect, radiant, devoid of excitement, free from all inhibiting passions, agile, perfectly balanced, decisive and without hesitation. And in the last hour of the night, when dawn breaks, at the moment the drum sounds, the Bodhisattva carefully prepared his mind and directed it well to overcome suffering and the source of suffering, and to transmit the vision of knowledge that destroys ignorance.
Then he realized: This world is truly miserable, subject to birth, old age, illness, and death, the changes of existence and rebirth. No one knows how to escape from this cycle which is great suffering: old age, illness, death, and so on. Alas! What can end this great suffering? No one knows!
Then Bodhisattva realized: What causes old age and death by its very existence, what is the (conditional) cause of old age and death? Then he understood: When there is birth, from it arise old age and death; birth is the (conditional) cause of old age and death.
Then Bodhisattva realized the following: What causes old age and death by its very existence. birth, what is the conditioned cause of birth? And then he understood: When existence comes into being, birth arises from it; the conditioned cause of birth is existence.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What by its own arising causes existence, what is the conditioned cause of existence? And then he understood: When attachment exists, existence arises from it; the conditioned cause of existence is attachment.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What by its own existence causes attachment, what is the conditioned cause of attachment? And then he understood: When craving exists, attachment arises from it; the conditioned cause of attachment is craving.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What by its own existence causes craving, what is the conditioned cause of craving? And then he understood: When sensation exists, craving arises from it; the conditioned cause of craving is sensation.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What by its own existence causes sensation, what is the conditioned cause of sensation? And then he understood: When contact exists, sensation arises from it. Memory; the conditioned cause of feeling is touch.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What, by its very existence, causes touch, what is the conditioned cause of touch? And then he understood: When there are six senses, touch arises from them; the conditioned cause of touch is the six senses.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What, by its very existence, causes the six senses, what is the conditioned cause of the six senses? And then he understood: When there is name-and-form, the six senses arise from them; the conditioned cause of the six senses is name-and-form.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What, by its very existence, causes name-and-form, what is the conditioned cause of name-and-form? And then he understood: When there is consciousness, name-and-form arise from it; the conditioned cause of name-and-form is consciousness.
Then the Bodhisattva realized: What, by its very existence, causes consciousness, what is the conditioned cause of consciousness? And then he understood: When there are karmic circumstances, consciousness arises from them; the conditioned cause of consciousness is karmic circumstances. Then he realized the Bodhisattva: What, by its very existence, causes karmic circumstances, what is the conditioned cause of karmic circumstances? And then he understood: When there is ignorance, karmic circumstances arise from it. Ignorance is the conditioned cause of karmic circumstances.
And so, monks, the Bodhisattva realized: Ignorance is the conditioned cause of karmic circumstances; karmic circumstances are the conditioned cause of consciousness; consciousness is the conditioned cause of name-and-form; name-and-form is the conditioned cause of the six senses; the six senses are the conditioned cause of contact; contact is the conditioned cause of feeling; feeling is the conditioned cause of craving; craving is the conditioned cause of clinging; clinging is the conditioned cause of existence; existence is the conditioned cause of birth; birth is the conditioned cause of aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and despair. Thus, great suffering arises.
O monks, by focusing his mind on the source of suffering, on teachings that have never been heard before, he gave wisdom, he gave vision. It gave realization, great knowledge, discernment, and understanding. And there came light…
Then Bodhisattva pondered: By the absence of what does old age and death not exist, and by the cessation of what does old age and death disappear? And then he understood: By the absence of birth, old age and death do not exist; and by the cessation of birth, old age and death cease.
Then Bodhisattva realized: By the absence of what does birth not exist, and by the cessation of what does birth cease? And then he understood: When there is no existence, birth does not exist; and by the cessation of existence, birth ceases.
And Bodhisattva pondered again: By the cessation of what does non-existence not exist? And so on, down to the finest detail, through the cessation of clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six senses, name-and-form, consciousness, all the way to the cessation of karmic conditions. And by the cessation of what do karmic conditions cease, and by the cessation of what does the creation of karmic conditions cease? And then he understood: By the absence of ignorance, karmic conditions do not exist, and by the cessation of ignorance, karmic conditions cease. And further: By the cessation of karmic conditions, The cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness, the name-and-form ceases, and so on through the cessation of the six senses, touch, feelings, craving, clinging, and existence, all the way to this: with the cessation of birth comes the cessation of aging and death, sorrow, grief, pain, and despair. Thus comes the cessation of great suffering.
So it is, venerable one, that the Bodhisattva once again focused his mind on previously unknown teachings, giving wisdom and vision, giving realization, great knowledge, prudence, and understanding. And there came light…
At that moment, venerable one, I recognized, in accordance with truth, the suffering associated with feelings; I recognized the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, the path leading to the cessation of suffering. In accordance with truth, I recognized: This is suffering due to desire, this is suffering due to existence, this is suffering due to touch, this is suffering due to viewpoint, all sufferings cease without exception; all sufferings cease without a trace.
This is ignorance, this is the source of ignorance, this is the cessation of ignorance, and this is the path leading to the cessation. And ignorance vanished into thin air. I could see it all clearly, in accordance with the truth. Here, ignorance disappears without a trace or shadow…
Oh, monks, during the last watch of the night, at the moment the drum sounded, in an instant… the Bodhisattva attained complete, perfect, unsurpassed enlightenment, and he attained the three knowledges.
Then, oh monks, the gods exclaimed: “Friends, shower flowers! The Bhagavat is truly the perfect and complete Buddha.”