The future Buddha being attacked by Mara, the evil one, just before he attained enlightenment

13. The future Buddha being attacked by Mara, the evil one, just before he attained enlightenment

After eating the milk-porridge offered by Sujata, the Future Buddha took his noonday rest on the bank of the Neranjara, in the cool and pleasant shade of a grove of sal trees. And at nightfall he went towards the Bodhi tree. On the way he received from a grass-cutter named Sotthiya eight handfuls of grass and sat down cross-legged on that grass. He made the mighty resolution: “I will not stir from this seat until I have attained the supreme and absolute wisdom”. Many higher and lower gods with Sakka came near the Future Buddha.

The god Mara, the Evil One, saw the Future Buddha seated in that unconquerable position and knew that he was sure to become a Buddha. He went back to his celestial realm and brought his army drawn out for battle. He grasped a variety of weapons himself and sounded the war-cry, “Advance! Seize!” to frighten the Great Being. But the Future Buddha won a peaceful victory over Mara with the power of loving kindness, which he had practised in his many past lives, just as a mother would tame a cruel and wicked son with her maternal love.

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
by ASHIN JANAKA BHIVAMSA (Aggamahapandita)
Artist: U Ba Kyi | Link to this post

The future Buddha receiving the milk-porridge offered by Sujata

12. The future Buddha receiving the milk-porridge offered by Sujata

There lived in the village of Senani, near Uruvela forest, a girl named Sujata. She had uttered a prayer for fulfillment of her wish at a banyan tree, and vowed a yearly offering to it, if she should have a good marriage and a son as her first born child. The wish having been fulfilled, she used to make an offering every year at the banyan tree. Now the Great Being had resumed taking usual food, because he found that the austerities he practised for full six years were not the way to enlightenment.

On the full moon day of the month Vesakha (April-May), the Future Buddha who had attained 35 years of age, was sitting under the banyan tree. Sujata caught sight of the Future Buddha and, supposing him to be the tree-god, her benefactor, who had come down, offered him milk-porridge in a golden bowl that was worth a hundred thousand pieces of money. He proceeded to the banks of the Neranjara and ate the food. He took the bowl to the river bank and set it on the river saying, “If today I shall be able to became a Buddha, let this bowl go up stream”. It floated up-stream!

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
by ASHIN JANAKA BHIVAMSA (Aggamahapandita)
Artist: U Ba Kyi | Link to this post

The future Buddha made the great struggle and his body became emaciated

11. The future Buddha made the great struggle and his body became emaciated

Having become a monk, the Future Buddha sought for teachers and found two renowned Brahmin teachers, Alara Kalarma and Uddaka Ramaputta. He acquired from them the method of meditation leading only to mundane superhuman power. But not satisfied with it, he ceased to practise it. And being desirous of attaining Enlightenment he continued his search and went to Uruvela grove. He entered Senani village and begged for his food from house to house and ate his meal. He thought to himself that having to go on a begging round for food in itself was a hindrance to his ascetic practices and began to practise the Great Struggle. The Great Struggle is an austere practice which is beyond human endurance of an average person. He tried various plans such as, abstaining from rice meal and living on fruits which dropped from trees, then on fruits which dropped from the tree under which he sat, then living on one fruit, one sesamum seed or one grain of rice a day. By this lack of nourishment his body was reduced to skin and bones and lost its golden colour and became dry and black.

THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
by ASHIN JANAKA BHIVAMSA (Aggamahapandita)
Artist: U Ba Kyi | Link to this post