[1] Q: What is Buddhism?
A: Buddhism is a body of teachings given out by the great personage known as the Buddha.
[2] Q: Is "Buddhism" the best name for this religion?
A: No. "Buddhism" is a western term. The best name for it is "Buddha-Dharma".
Note: Buddhism is more of a moral philosophy than a "religion", but common usage of the word has been applied to all groups of people who profess a distinct moral doctrine. The title "Vibhajja vada" --- one who analyses --- is another name for a Buddhist.
[3] Q: Would a person be a Buddhist just because his or her parents are?
A: No. A Buddhist is an individual who not only professes his or her belief that the Buddha was the noblest of Teachers, but also practices the Precepts in their daily life.
[4] Q: What is a male lay Buddhist called?
A: An Upasaka.
[5] Q: And a female?
A: An Upasika.
[6] Q: When was the Dharma first taught?
A: There is some disagreement as to the actual date, but according to Sinhalese Scriptures it was in the year 2513 of the (present) Kali-Yuga.
[7] Q: What are the important dates in the life of the Buddha?
A: He was born on a Tuesday in May, in the year 2478 (K.Y.); he retired to the jungle in the year 2506; he became Buddha in 2513; and, passing out of the round of rebirths, he entered Paranirvana in the year 2558 at the age of eighty. Each of these events happened on a full moon and are jointly celebrated during the great festival of the full moon of the month of Wesak (Vaisakha), corresponding to the month of May.
[8] Q: Was the Buddha a god?
A: No. Buddha Dharma teaches that there is no "divine" incarnation.
[9] Q: Was he a man?
A: Yes, but he was one of the the wisest and noblest of beings.
[10] Q: There were other Buddhas before him?
A: Yes, but that will be explained later on.
[11] Q: Was Buddha actually his name?
A: No. "Buddha" is a condition or state of mind, of a mind after it has reached the culmination of development.
[12] Q: What is its meaning?
A: AWAKENED ONE, or, "He who has the All-Perfect Wisdom. In the Pali language, the phrase is Sabbannu, "the One of Boundless Knowledge". In Sanskrit it is Sarvajna.
[13] Q: What was the Buddha’s real name?
A: "Siddhartha" was his royal name and "Gautama" (or Gotama) his family name. He was the Prince of Kapilavastu and belonged to the illustrious family of the Okkaka, of the Solar race.
[14] Q: Who were his father and mother?
A: King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, also called Maha Maya.
[15] Q: What people did this King reign over?
A: The Sakyas; an Aryan tribe of Kshattriyas.
[16] Q: Where was Kapilavastu?
A: In India, one hundred miles north-east of the City of Benares, and about forty miles from the Himalaya Mountains. It was situated in the Nepal Terai. The city now lays in ruins.
[17] Q: On what river?
A: The Rohini, now called the Kohana.
[18] Q: Is the exact spot of his birth known?
A: Yes. An archaeologist in the service of the Government of India discovered a stone pillar erected by the mighty Buddhist sovereign Asoka in the jungle of the Nepal Terai. The stone pillar was a monument to mark the very spot, known in those times as the Lumbini Garden.
[19] Q: Did the Prince have luxuries and splendors like other princes?
A: He did. His father, King Suddhodana, built him three magnificent palaces --- one for each of the three Indian seasons --- the cold, the hot, and the rainy --- of nine, five, and three stories respectively.
[20] Q: How were they situated?
A: Around each palace were gardens of the most beautiful and fragrant flowers, with fountains of spouting water, the trees full of singing birds, and peacocks strutting over the grounds.
[21] Q: Was he living alone?
A: No. In his sixteenth year he was married to the Princess Yasodhara, daughter of the King Suprabuddha. Many beautiful maidens, skilled in dancing and music, were also in continual attendance to amuse him.
[22] Q: How did he meet Yasodhara?
A: In the ancient Kshattriya, or warrior fashion, by overcoming all competitors in games and exercises of skill and prowess, and then selecting his bride out of all the young princesses, whose fathers had brought them to the tournament or mela.
[23] Q: How could a Prince , amid all this luxury, become all-wise?
A: He had so much natural wisdom that even as a child he seemed to understand all arts and sciences, almost without study. He had the best teachers, but they could teach him nothing that he did not seem to comprehend immediately.
[24] Q: Did he become Buddha in his splendid palaces?
A: No. He left all and went alone into the jungle.
[25] Q: Why did he do this?
A: To discover the TRUTH about existence.
[26] Q: What did he relinquish?
A: His beautiful palaces, his riches, luxuries and pleasures, his soft beds, fine dresses, rich food and his kingdom. He even left his beloved wife and his only son, Rahula.
[27] Q: How old was he when he went into the jungle?
A: He was in his twenty-ninth year.
[28] Q: What convinced him to leave all that men usually love and go into the jungle?
A: Seeing a very old man broken down by age, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and a dignified hermit. Plusn the useless and depraved life he was leading.
[29] Q: What were these different forms?
A: As a very old man broken down by age, as a sick man, as a decaying corpse, and as a dignified hermit.
[30] Q: Why would these sights, so familiar to everybody, cause him to go into the jungle?
A: While we often see such sights, he had not. The Brahmana astrologers had foretold at his birth that he would one day resign his kingdom and become a Buddha. His father, the King, not wishing to lose an heir to his kingdom, carefully prevented Siddhartha from seeing any sights that might suggest to him human misery and death. No one was allowed even to speak of such things to the Prince. He was almost like a prisoner in his palaces and flower gardens. They were surrounded by high walls and everything was made as beautiful as possible, so he would not wish to go and see the sorrow and distress that are in the world.
[31] Q: How did he escape from the palace?
A: One night, when all were asleep, he arose, took a last look at his sleeping wife and infant son; called Channa, mounted his favorite white horse Kanthaka, and rode to the palace gate. The Devas had thrown a deep sleep upon the King’s guards who watched the gate, so that they could not hear the noise of the horse’s hoofs.
[32] Q: Where did he go?
A: To the river Anoma, a long way from Kapilavastu.
[33] Q: What did he then do?
A: He sprang from his horse, cut off his beautiful hair with his sword, put on the yellow dress of an ascetic, and giving his ornaments to Channa, ordered him to take them back to his father, the King.
[34] Q: What then?
A: He went by foot toward Rajagrha, the capital city of King Bimbisara, of Magadha.
[35] Q: Who visited him there?
A: The King with his whole Court.
[36] Q: Thence whither did he go?
A: To Uruvela, near the present Mahabodhi Temple at Buddha Gaya.
[37] Q: Why did he go there?
A: In the forests were hermits --- very wise men, whose pupil he afterwards became, in the hope of finding knowledge of which he was in search.
[38] Q: Of what religion were they?
A: The Hindu religion; they were Brahmanas.
[39] Q: What did they teach?
A: The four Jhana meditation and the eight Jhana meditation respectively, that by severe penances and torture of the body a man could acquire perfect wisdom.
[40] Q: Did the Prince find this to be so?
A: No; he learned their systems and practiced all their penances, but he could not discover the cause of human sorrow, nor the way to absolute emancipation.
[41] Q: What did he then do?
A: He went away into the forest near Uruvela, and spent six years in deep meditation, undergoing the severest discipline in mortifying his body.
[42] Q: Was he alone?
A: No; five Brahman companions attended him.
[43] Q: What were their names?
A: Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Assaji.
[44] Q: What plan of discipline did he adopt to open his mind to know the whole truth?
A: He sat and meditated, concentrating his mind upon the higher problems of life, and shutting out from his sight and hearing all that was likely to interrupt his inward reflections.
[45] Q: Did he fast?
A: Yes, through the whole period he took less and less food and water until, it is said, he ate scarcely more than one grain of rice or of sesamum seed each day.
[46] Q: Did this give him the wisdom he longed for?
A: No. He grew thinner in body and fainter in strength until, one day, as he was slowly walking about and meditating, his vital force suddenly left him and he fell to the ground unconscious.
[47] Q: What did his companions think of that?
A: They fancied he was dead; but after a time he revived.
[48] Q: What then?
A: The thought came to him that knowledge could never be reached by mere fasting or bodily suffering, but must be gained by the opening of the mind. He had just barely escaped death from self-starvation, yet had not obtained the Perfect Wisdom. So he decided to eat, that he might live at least long enough to become wise.
[49] Q: Who gave him food?
A: He received food from Sujata, a nobleman’s daughter, who saw him sitting at the foot of a nyagrodha (banyan) tree. He arose, took his alms-bowl, bathed in the river Neranjara, ate the food, and went into the jungle.
[50] Q: What did he do there?
A: Having formed his determination after these reflections, he went at evening to the Bodhi, or Asvattha tree, where the present Mahabodhi Temple stands.
[51] Q: What did he do there?
A: He determined not to leave the spot until he attained perfect wisdom.
[52] Q: At which side of the tree did he seat himself?
A: The side facing the east.
Note: No reason is given in the canonical books for the choice of this side of the tree. An explanation could be found in the popular legends about certain influences coming from the different quarters of the sky, but the Buddha thought that the perfected man was superior to all extraneous influences.
[53] Q: What did he obtain that night?
A: A: The way to extinguish desires. Just before the break of the next day his mind was entirely opened, like the full-blown lotus flower; the light of supreme knowledge, or the Four Truths, poured in upon him. He had become Buddha --- the Awakened, the all-knowing --- the Sarvajna.
[54] Q: Had he at last discovered the cause of human misery?
A: At last he had. As the light of the morning sun chases away the darkness of night, and reveals to sight the trees, fields, rocks, seas, rivers, animals, men and all things, so the full light of knowledge rose in his mind, and he saw at one glance the causes of human suffering and the way to escape from them.
[55] Q: Had he great struggles before gaining this perfect wisdom?
A: Yes, terrible struggles. He had to conquer in his body all those natural defects and human appetites and desires that prevent our seeing the truth. He had to overcome all the bad influences of the world around him. Like a soldier fighting desperately in battle against many enemies, he struggled; like a hero who conquers, he gained his object, and the secret of human misery was discovered.
[56] Q: What use did he make of the knowledge thus gained?
A: At first he was reluctant to teach it to the people at large.
[57] Q: Why?
A: Because of its profound importance and sublimity. He feared that few people would understand it.
[58] Q: What made him alter this view?
A: He saw that it was his duty to teach what he had learnt as clearly and simply as possible, and trust that the truth would impress itself upon the popular mind in proportion to each one’s individual Karma. It was the only way of liberation, and every being had an equal right to have it pointed out to him. So he determined to begin with his original five companions, who had abandoned him when he broke his fast.
[59] Q: Where did he find them?
A: In the deer-park at Isipatana, near Benares.
[60] Q: Can the spot be now identified?
A: Yes, a partly ruined stupa, or dagoba, is still standing on that very spot.
[61] Q: Did those five companions readily listen to him?
A: At first, no; but so great was the spiritual beauty of his appearance, so sweet and convincing his teaching, that they soon turned and gave him the closest attention.
[62] Q: What effect did this discourse have upon them?
A: The aged Kondanna, one who “understood” (Anna), was the first to lose his prejudices, accept the Buddha’s teaching, became his disciple, and entered the path leading to Arhatship. The other four soon followed his example.
[63] Q: Who were his next converts?
A: A rich young layman, named Yasa, and his father, a wealthy merchant. By the end of three months the disciples numbered sixty persons.
[64] Q: Who were the first women lay disciples?
A: The mother and wife of Yasa.
[65] Q: What did the Buddha do at that time?
A: He called the disciples together, gave them full instructions, and sent them out in all directions to teach his doctrine.
Note: With Brahmanism not being offered to non-Hindus, Buddhism is consequently the oldest missionary religion in the world. The early missionaries endured every hardship, cruelty, and persecution, with unfaltering courage.
[66] Q: What was the essence of it?
A: That the way of emancipation lies in renunciation and virtue.
[67] Q: Tell me what name he gave to this course of life?
A: The Noble Eightfold Path.
[68] Q: How is it called in the Pali language?
A: Ariyo attangiko maggo.
[69] Q: Where did the Buddha then go?
A: To Uruvela.
[70] Q: What happened there?
A: He converted a man named Kashyapa, renowned for his learning and teacher of the Jatilas, a great sect of fire-worshippers, all of whom also became his followers.
[71] Q: Who was his next great convert?
A: King Bimbisara, of Magadha.
[72] Q: Which two of the Buddha’s most learned and beloved disciples were converted about this time?
A: Sariputra and Moggallana, formerly chief disciples of Sanjaya, the ascetic.
[73] Q: For what did they become renowned?
A: Sariputra for his profound learning (Prajna), Moggallana for his exceptional spiritual powers (Iddhi).
[74] Q: Are these wonder-working powers miraculous?
A: No, but natural to all men and capable of being developed by a certain course of training.
[75] Q: Did the Buddha hear again from his family after leaving them?
A: Yes. Seven years later, while he was living at Rajagrha, his father, King Suddhodana, sent a message to request him to come and let him see him again before he died.
[76] Q: Did he go?
A: Yes. His father went with all his relatives and ministers to meet him and received him with great joy.
[77] Q: Did he consent to resume his old rank?
A: No. In all sweetness he explained to his father that the Prince Siddhartha had passed out of existence, as such, and was now changed into the condition of a Buddha, to whom all beings were equally akin and equally dear. Instead of ruling over one tribe or nation, like an earthly king, he, through his Dharma, would win the hearts of all men to be his followers.
[78] Q: Did he see Yasodhara and his son Rahula?
A: Yes. His wife, who had mourned for him with the deepest love, wept bitterly. She also sent Rahula to ask him to give him his inheritance, as the son of a prince.
[79] Q: What happened?
A: To one and all he taught the Dharma as the cure for all sorrows. His father, son, wife, Anada (his half-brother), Devadatta (his cousin and brother-in-law), were all converted and became his disciples. Two other famous ones were Anuruddha, afterwards a great metaphysician, and Upali, a barber, afterwards the greatest authority on Vinaya. Both of these gained great renown.
[80] Q: Who was the first Bhikkhum?
A: Prajapati, the aunt and foster-mother of Prince Siddhartha. With her, Yasodhara and many other ladies were admitted into the Order as Bhikkhunis or female devotees.
[81] Q: What effect of the taking up of the religious life by his sons, Siddhartha and Ananda, his nephew, Devadatta, his son’s wife, Yasodhara, and his grandson, Rahula, have upon the old King Suddhodana?
A: It grieved him much and he complained to the Buddha, who then made it a rule of the Order that no person should be ordained without the consent of his parents if alive.
[82] Q: Tell me about the fate of Devadatta?
A: He was a man of great intelligence and rapidly advanced in the knowledge of the Dharma, but also being extremely ambitious, he came to envy and hate the Buddha, and at last plotted to kill him. He also influenced Ajatashatru, son of King Bimbisara, to murder his father and to become his --- Devadatta's --- disciple.
[83] Q: Did he do any injury to the Buddha?
A: Not the least, but the evil he plotted against him recoiled upon himself, and he met with an awful death.
[84] Q: For how many years was the Buddha engaged in teaching?
A: Forty-five years, during which time he preached a great many discourses. His custom and that of his disciples was to travel and teach during the eight dry months, but during the season of Was --- the rains --- they would stop in the pansulas and viharas which had been built for them by various kings and other wealthy converts.
[85] Q: Which were the most famous of these buildings?
A: Jetavanarama, Veluvanarama, Pubbarama, Nigrodharama, and Isipatanarama.
[86] Q: What kind of people were converted by him and his disciples?
A: People of all ranks, nations and castes; rich and poor, mighty and humble, the illiterate and the most learned. His doctrine was suited to all.
[87] Q: Give some account of the decease of the Buddha?
A: In the forty-fifth season after his attaining Buddhahood, on the full-moon day of May, knowing that his end was near, he came at evening to Kusinagara, a place about one hundred and twenty miles from Benares. In the sala grove of the Mallas, the Uparvartana of Kusinagara, between two sala trees, he had his bedding spread with the head towards the north according to the ancient custom. He lay upon it, and with his mind perfectly clear, gave his final instructions to his disciples and bade them farewell.
[88] Q: Did he also make new converts in those last days?
A: Yes, a very important one, a great Brahmana pandit named Subhadra. He had also preached to the Mallya princes and their followers.
[89] Q: At day-break what happened?
A: He passed into the interior condition of Samadhi and thence into Nirvana.
[90] Q: What were his last words to his disciples?
A: "Bhikkhus," he said, "I now impress it upon you, the parts and powers of man must be disolved. Work out your salvation with diligence."
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