Why Did The Buddha become a Buddha ?

Citta

" Buddha Shakyamuni did not become a Buddha for himself. He did not become a Buddha for his friends. He became a Buddha for us.
For all of us. For all sentient beings. "

Tai Situ.

Its easy to assume that Buddhahood is a personal goal or achievement. Or at least that's the thinking I fall into.
Situ Rinpoche is reminding us that Enlightenment is not a personal achievement.
It is for all beings .

music

I take it this is the mahayana view? In traditional Buddhism, enlightenment is a personal goal - not because a person on the dharmic path is selfish but because he realizes that ultimately everything boils down to personal responsibility and that no amount of 'help' from the outside would be sufficient.

robot

I thought that the Buddha, upon awakening, felt that what he had realized was not teachable, and had to be talked into teaching it.

Citta

Well...any other responses ?

riverflow

I would say (for the Buddha and for anyone) that, prior to awakening, we don't know why--we think we do--we have assumptions about what awakening means and at best we have words that seem to point us in a certain direction (from one person to the next). But then after awakening, whatever "it" is, it turns out all our assumptions about awakening were wildly inaccurate.

Sheng Yen says somewhere that we use delusion (skillful means) to overcome delusion.

So in a way no one knows why. Maybe we don't cross to the other shore, but the shore comes to us.

poptart

Maybe his hero told him to do it.

Citta

poptart said:

Maybe his hero told him to do it.

For those in the Traditional camp that's actually not far off..see Dipankara Buddha..

BhanteLucky

He definitely did not want to teach. On the days after his enlightenment he sat around and pondered whether to teach or not, and realised teaching would take a lot of effort and it would be a lot of trouble.
But then some being came and convinced him, persuaded him. And out of compassion he decided to go and do it.
So the answer for me is, Siddhattha Gotama became the Buddha because someone asked him to, and because he had a lot of compassion.

genkaku

It surely is nice to encounter kindness. And it is nice to encourage it as well. Gautama did those things as far as I can see.

The practice of Buddhism seems to me to amount to being "awake" to who anyone might actually be. "Enlightened" if you insist. Or "true self" as the Zennies put it. And who, precisely is this 'enlightened' true self that anyone might hold at a believer's distance?

It is just kindness ... kindness without the frills.

Or anyway, that's my take.

Citta

I think thats pretty much what Situ Rinpoche was saying. But of course he operates within a particular tradition that has a particular way of expressing itself..

Citta

JamestheGiant said:

He definitely did not want to teach. On the days after his enlightenment he sat around and pondered whether to teach or not, and realised teaching would take a lot of effort and it would be a lot of trouble.
But then some being came and convinced him, persuaded him. And out of compassion he decided to go and do it.
So the answer for me is, Siddhattha Gotama became the Buddha because someone asked him to, and because he had a lot of compassion.

I would not personally see the value of that narrative if taken as literal biography.
Those stories did not begin to emerge for hundreds of years after the Buddha.
What they point to is important however.
If the truth is that our reality is constantly changing and unfixed then it is hardly the stuff of personal ambition is it ?
To quote Trungpa again " when Enlightenment happens ,' we ' wont be there.

genkaku

And as a small footnote, perhaps:

You aren't kind because of Buddhism.
Buddhism is kind because of you.

BhanteLucky

Citta said:

JamestheGiant said:

On the days after his enlightenment he...

I would not personally see the value of that narrative if taken as literal biography.
Those stories did not begin to emerge for hundreds of years after the Buddha.
What they point to is important however.

They do have value if they are taken as literal biography.
They also have value if they were made up by later writers because it makes a nice inspiring story.
No difference.

Citta

OK. I respect your view.

person

Because he saw that others were like himself in their suffering and he wanted to help so instead of simply removing his suffering he stayed to help others.

federica

Citta said:

" Buddha Shakyamuni did not become a Buddha for himself. He did not become a Buddha for his friends. He became a Buddha for us.
For all of us. For all sentient beings. "

Tai Situ.

Its easy to assume that Buddhahood is a personal goal or achievement. Or at least that's the thinking I fall into.
Situ Rinpoche is reminding us that Enlightenment is not a personal achievement.
It is for all beings .

The Buddha became a Buddha because he saw what suffering was and wished to find a way to transcend it.
He became a Buddha to Understand.
It does seem, according to some sources, that he was reluctant to 'spread the word' but this could be due to his not wishing to be elevated to a status he had no interest in being elevated to...
He merely described himself as 'awake', and that means that basically, we can all awaken too.
The Buddha sought answers for his own satisfaction.
Following his footsteps is a way of savouring a morsel of that same satisfaction.
But there are no short-cuts.
He knew that.
So do we.

I agree the above quotation seems more in line with certain Mahayana teachings - but if it brings comfort and example to others, that could be said to be a good thing, no matter what the source.

how

IMHO
The story line that the buddha stayed when he could have bailed seems more of a reminder that the practise is endless or not to become attached to the idea that their is a better place you could be, than of a historical possibility.
His actions were just the natural unfolding of selflessness.

Citta

The OP does of course represent the Mahayana view. Situ Rinpoche is after all a Vajrayana monk and the Vajrayana is of the Mahayana.
According to the Mahayana view the Buddha has three " bodies " The Trikaya.
These are The Dharmakaya, the transcendent body, the Sambhokaya, the subtle body and
the material body the Nirmanakaya, which took the form of a man, and which manifested out of compassion.

karmablues

JamestheGiant said:

He definitely did not want to teach. On the days after his enlightenment he sat around and pondered whether to teach or not, and realised teaching would take a lot of effort and it would be a lot of trouble.
But then some being came and convinced him, persuaded him. And out of compassion he decided to go and do it.
So the answer for me is, Siddhattha Gotama became the Buddha because someone asked him to, and because he had a lot of compassion.

It is said that Gautama took the vow to become a Buddha in a previous lifetime when he was the ascetic by the name of Sumedha. It is also said that when he made the vow, he was motivated by the thought of teaching the Dhamma to others and freeing them from suffering.

Jeffrey

Yes I think he perceived the suffering he could relieve and it made him happy and willing.

Citta

karmablues said:

JamestheGiant said:

He definitely did not want to teach. On the days after his enlightenment he sat around and pondered whether to teach or not, and realised teaching would take a lot of effort and it would be a lot of trouble.
But then some being came and convinced him, persuaded him. And out of compassion he decided to go and do it.
So the answer for me is, Siddhattha Gotama became the Buddha because someone asked him to, and because he had a lot of compassion.

It is said that Gautama took the vow to become a Buddha in a previous lifetime when he was the ascetic by the name of Sumedha. It is also said that when he made the vow, he was motivated by the thought of teaching the Dhamma to others and freeing them from suffering.

That particular narrative says that Sumedha was the disciple of Dipankara Buddha..the last Buddha before Gautama Siddhartha aka Shakyamuni.
And that Dipankara predicted that Sumedha would be the next Buddha.

Sabre

I think it is true and not true. I see it like this: There is no real "why" if you are looking for a reason. He simply became the Buddha because the conditions were like that. Why does the moon circle around the earth? You could say it's because of gravity, but that's an explanation, not really a reason. Afterward, yes, it was a benefit to many and still is, but it was not a choice he for such a reason.

When we see the suttas, you often see "when a Tathagata (Buddha) arises in the world..". So a Buddha simply arises, it's not a choice or something, it happens because the seeds for it to happen were sown and watered.

karmablues

I've always understood that whether one becomes a Buddha or not is actually to quite a large degree a matter of personal choice as it depends on that person making a vow to become a Buddha and then working on developing the ten perfections which for becoming a Buddha takes about four incalculable aeons as opposed to between ten to one hundred thousand aeons for becoming an ordinary enlightened disciple.

In Ajahn Mun's biography written by his prominent disciple, Ajahn Maha Boowa (aka Ajahn Maha Bua), it is said that Ajahn Mun had in a previous lifetime made a vow to become a Buddha but then he decided to renounce the vow as he felt it would take too long to achieve and the renouncement enabled him to reach enlightenment in the current lifetime (otherwise he would have had to continue being reborn through countless more lifetimes to develop the ten perfections to a higher level in order to become a Buddha). Btw, Ajahn Mun is considered as the "father" of the modern Thai forest monk tradition. He was the meditation master of several famous Thai monks such as Ajahn Chah.

Vastmind

May I practice being a benefit to others....while this
form holds up..... and after this form has fallen to dust.

pegembara

According to the canonical accounts the Boddhisata Gotama wanted to find the solution to life's big problems.

"I, too, monks, before my Awakening, when I was an unawakened bodhisatta, being subject myself to birth, sought what was likewise subject to birth. Being subject myself to aging... illness... death... sorrow... defilement, I sought [happiness in] what was likewise subject to illness... death... sorrow... defilement. The thought occurred to me, 'Why do I, being subject myself to birth, seek what is likewise subject to birth? Being subject myself to aging... illness... death... sorrow... defilement, why do I seek what is likewise subject to illness... death... sorrow... defilement? What if I, being subject myself to birth, seeing the drawbacks of birth, were to seek the unborn, unexcelled rest from the yoke: Unbinding? What if I, being subject myself to aging... illness... death... sorrow... defilement, seeing the drawbacks of aging... illness... death... sorrow... defilement, were to seek the aging-less, illness-less, deathless, sorrow-less,, unexcelled rest from the yoke: Unbinding?'

"So, at a later time, while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life — and while my parents, unwilling, were crying with tears streaming down their faces — I shaved off my hair & beard, put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html

After awakening, he was Gotama no more and he called himself the Tathagata or Buddha.

"So I said to them, 'Don't address the Tathagata by name and as "friend." The Tathagata, friends, is a worthy one, rightly self-awakened. Lend ear, friends: the Deathless has been attained. I will instruct you. I will teach you the Dhamma. Practicing as instructed, you will in no long time reach & remain in the supreme goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for yourselves in the here & now.'