The Sermon at Benares

 Introduction

The Sermon at Benares depicts the life of Buddha who left all the worldly pleasures in the search of salvation.

He gave his first sermon in the city of Benares to Kisa Gotami making her realize that everyone in the world is subject to death. Death is the reality of life. So, one should not be sad upon it.

 Summary

 Initially Gautama Buddha was a prince of a North Indian royal family. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve, he was sent to a far away place to study Hindu sacred scriptures and upon returning four years later, he got married to a princess.

Soon, they both had a son and they continued to live the royal life for about ten years.

Being prince, he hadn’t experienced any unpleasant incident in his life. But one day, while returning back after hunting, he met a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. That day he realized the reality of life which is full of pain and sufferings.

Thus, he left all his royal pleasures to attain the spiritual knowledge and salvation from this never-ending process of life and death.

Upon attaining salvation, he began preaching. He gave his first sermon in the city of Benares.

In the same city, there was a lady named Kisa Gotami whose son had died.

Being sorrowful, she went from house to house looking for medicine to bring her son back to life. People started thinking that the lady had lost her senses. One day, she met a man who directed her towards Lord Buddha who could possibly have a solution for her problem.

 Buddha asked that he would help her if she could bring mustard seeds from a house that had seen no death.

Being hopeful, Kisa Gotami once again went on a search from house to house but , she could not find any such house that hadn’t seen death.

In dismay she come to her consciousness, realizing the fact that nobody can escape death.

Buddha actually wanted her to learn the truth of life and death.

According to him one could only be happy when he is aware about the truth of life which is full of suffering and bound to end one day. Thus, a wise person fully aware about nature’s functioning must not grieve at something bound to happen and only then he can be happy and blessed.

Disheartened, she sat at the edge of the road thus realizing how selfish she had been. She became conscious to the fact that men were mortal and no one could escape the cycle of life. This was exactly what Buddha wanted her to understand. According to Lord Buddha, feelings of grief and sorrow only increase man’s pain and suffering thus, deteriorating his health. Therefore,

Explanation – GAUTAMA Buddha (563 B.C. – 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the prince, heretofore shielded from (kept away from) the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. (These sights made him realize about the reality of life. So, he at once left his royal pleasures to get spiritual knowledge)

Word meanings

1. Sacred- embodying the laws or doctrines of a religion
2. Scriptures- the sacred writings of a religion
3. Befitted- be appropriate for; suit
4. Chanced upon- came across by chance
5. Alms- money or food given to poor people; charity
6. Enlightenment- a state of high spiritual knowledge

He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed (took an oath) to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the river Ganges; that sermon has been preserved (kept carefully so that it could not ruin) and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering. (It reflects the wisdom of Buddha about the reality of life and death)

Word meanings

1. Wandered- to move without a fixed course
2. Vowed- solemnly promise to do a specified thing
3. Preached- deliver a religious address to an assembled group of people
4. Sermon- a talk on religious or moral subject
5. Holy- sacred
6. Dipping places- bathing
7. Inscrutable- something which cannot be understood

Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said, “She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.” At length, Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, “I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can.” And the girl said, “Pray tell me, sir; who is it?” And the man replied, “Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.” Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried, “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.”

( Kisa Gotami asked every one to help her in bringing her son back to senses. But all in vain. However, one one person suggested her to go to sakyamuni (Buddha).

She went to Buddha and begged him to cure her boy)

The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”

(Buddha asked her to bring mustard seeds from a family that hadn’t seen any death of any of its family members)

Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustardseed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

(In her venture, she went door to door asked for mustard-seed.  Every one took pity on her and tried to give her the mustard seeds but when she asked if there was any death in their family, they replied that deaths are many as compared to the living ones. Thus, she found no house without any death)

Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

( being extremely hopeless, she sat on the edge of a road side watching the blinking lights of city  and finally darkness every where. She realized the fate of man is just like those blinking lights which finally ends at death. Every one is subject to death. One can become free from this never-ending process if he had left all the earthly desires)

The Buddha said, ‘‘The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.

(Buddha said that every living being has a very small life with a lot of pain and sufferings. None can escape death which is uncertain I.e., one can die at any time. Just likea ripe fruit which is always in danger of falling. As the earthly vessel made gets broken one day, so is the life of mortals. All young, old , wise, fool  re subject to death)

“Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations. Mark! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

Word meanings

Kinsmen- a man who is one of a person’s blood relations
Lamenting- express regret or disappointment about something
Slaughter- killing of animals for food
Afflicted- affect adversely

(According to Buddha, one can only way escape from death by being apart from life process . No one has control over death, neither a father can save his son nor a kinsmen his relative. Just like an ox is taken to the slaughter house to be killed, so does death do with mortals, leaving none behind. Thus, the one who knows this truth and doesn’t grieve at his loss is the one who has been called wise by Lord Buddha.)

“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”

(According to Buddha sorrow and grief could only enhance our sufferings and makes us unhealthy and weak, yet we could not be escaped from death.

He who want peace should not grieve, cry and lemant, then only he will become free and attain salvation.)

Question Answers

1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house requesting for a wonder drug that could bring her son back to life. No, she could not get it because there is no medicine that can bring a dead man back to life.

 2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer. After meeting  Buddha, Kisa Gotami again became hopeful and thus, she goes again from house to house looking for mustard seeds as per the condition of Lord Buddha . Many  offered mustard seeds but couldn’t  fulfill Lord Buddha’s condition of having seen no deaths in the family. Therefore, she couldn’t find mustard seed for her son.

 3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?

Answer. When Kisa Gotami couldn’t find a y house without death. she became disheartened.

After deep reflection, she realised that the man’s fate is just like the city lights that flickered and extinguished repeatedly. The cycle of birth and death was nature’s way of working.

Suddenly, she became conscious as to how selfish she had been in her sorrow and that one who was born must rest eternally. Men are mortal. Yes, this is exactly what Lord Buddha wanted her to understand.

4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

Answer. Kisa Gotami could understand this in second time because she realised the reality of life of mortals which undergoes a never-ending process of life and death just like the blinking lights of city.

Lord Buddha played a major role in making her understand through a lesson that one must not grieve for what is bound to happen for it will only deepen the pain and suffering.

As per his condition, in her venture she couldn’t find any house without death and finally realized that death is certain and one can die at any moment.