How Buddha got ENLIGHTENED?
A man went to a Guru with the expectation of getting enlightened. He asked his Guru, I am ready to follow your advise, whatever you may ask from me. The Guru agreed humbly. The man asked the Guru how long will it take to get enlightenment? The Guru told him it would take him 10 years.
The disciple asked his Guru, “I am ready to sit nonstop for hours and do meditation at a stretch. In that case how much time will it take to become enlightened?”
The Guru said, “20 years!”
It might appear as a joke. But there are certain things, certain aspects in life which take their own time. You have to do it in the right way instead of a quick way. You cannot force them by trying too hard. Otherwise, the very purpose of it will get defeated.
It was not too different with Buddha. Siddhartha, as was his name before, was desperate to become enlightened. He came to contact with a sage who advised him to follow a life of extreme self-denial and discipline.
Siddhartha followed this life of extreme asceticism for six years, but this did not satisfy him either; he still had not escaped from the world of suffering. Buddha decided to abandon the strict lifestyle of suffering and harsh discipline and torture to his body. Siddhartha decided to pursue the intermediate way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor poverty.
One day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) Siddhartha became deeply absorbed in meditation, and reflected on his experience of life, determined to penetrate its truth. He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple at the site of Buddha’s enlightenment is now a pilgrimage site.
Buddhist legend tells that at first the Buddha was happy to dwell within this state, but Brahma, king of the gods, asked, on behalf of the whole world, that he should share his understanding with others.
The life story of Buddha explains few things. The first is that there is no need to search for God outside the body. God dwells within us. You may use the word God or enlightenment, it is one and the same. The other thing worth noting is there is no need to go to the extreme and torture yourself to achieve your goals. You can be kind and compassionate with yourself as well as the nature around you. Things will fall in place if your motive is correct and you have clarity of thought.
Buddha’s concept of getting enlightened is easiest to describe but the toughest to practice. His theory revolves around being MINDFUL of your actions, doing all things with AWARENESS. If you are aware of doing things and remain present in the moment without thinking about the past or worrying about the future, you are mindful. But the busy lives of people and the constant hurry to get things done on time, make it more and more difficult to pursue this path.
People practice this method for some time and then lose track of it in a very short time. But it is definitely a wonderful and a proven method to achieve ENLIGHTENMENT. This method is also called the BUDDHA WAY.
