Notes on the life of Shakyamuni Buddha
written by Vova, a layman and yogi.
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Gautama departed the commune dedicated to the contemplation of the Formless Absolute. He visited many teachers who espoused various methods and truths they had discovered. However, Gautama sought a teaching that could connect the flawless experience of contemplation with the attainment of salvation from suffering.
The various metaphysical doctrines that Gautama had studied often contradicted each other. It appeared that each viewpoint had its own followers and advocates. Analyzing them, Gautama came to the conclusion that differences of opinion were based on differences in self- perception. Overtly or covertly the philosophers talked about their own self. Undoubtedly, each position expressed some advantage for controlling mental activities. The trouble was that the merits of the various doctrines were impossible to unite, while their drawbacks inevitably contributed to mental and moral flaws.
Two schools of thought carried a debate about the existence of Self. The first school affirmed its existence while the second denied it. Both schools enjoyed the pleasure of certainty and the superiority of conviction. Remarkably though, their views on the reality of Self did not define their moral principles. The adherents of both schools either embraced a strict moral code or altogether denied the law of retribution. [9]
Some philosophers explained the Self to be a regulatory principle, mediating the relationship between two primal elements of Truth- material and spiritual. Others asserted that the Self was merely a reflection of phenomena and events in human life.
Followers of the Brahmin teachers held a common belief that only Brahma, the Creator, possessed a true Self. They believed that, like the sun's rays, Brahma infused all his creatures with Self. Yet other philosophers shunned straight answers altogether. Themselves without direct experience of higher knowledge, they mainly resorted to applying various methods of mental and emotional manipulation to the questioners' minds. They became obsessed with the rebuttal of all arguments and the negation of any beliefs that a seeker could hold about Truth. [10]
The philosophers’ arguments did not satisfy Gautama. In addition to speculation, many teachers practiced contemplation without a deep aspiration for the welfare of others. Instead, they preferred to rely on the power of persuasion. In reality Gautama saw that adherence to philosophical tenets was in reality only a crutch to support ones delusions and hinder ones’ progression on the path. Ordinary human frailties surfaced underneath such convictions. But a true teaching must be like a victory banner over the forces of ignorance.
As Gautama made his way from one settlement to the next he reminded himself that, “Endless speculation, put forward with a desire to assert personal attachments, is useless. I will not confuse contemplation with bias or beliefs that entice with their convenience. I will find consolation in a pure aspiration for salvation from vice and weakness. I will remember sickness, old age, and death as the true judges of my attainment and virtue.”
He spent a great deal of time near cemeteries contemplating the various stages in the dissolution of a corpse. Destroying in himself attachment to his own body, Gautama perceived the world of reincarnation to be a flame that tightly surrounded him.
“These dead bodies are like my body devoid of the spirit of life. They consist of bones, flesh, bile, mucus, blood, vital parts, organs of perception, brain and waste, covered like a sack with skin. These bodies are the subject of human attachment, the reason for self deception. In order to forget our bodies’ impermanence, we create contradictory opinions and conduct heated debates. Those who argue or remain indifferent – don’t they all deceive themselves in their refusal to find a path to liberation? I will not be like them. I will attain victory over ignorance!” [11]
[9] In other words, these practitioners were did not consider their behavior as an essential part of view.
[10] This was mainly a type of nihilistic debate.
[11] Gautama’s experience with ascetic practice helped him tame his body and cultivate his determination.