The Enlightenment Energy of the Buddha

By Assaji Tanchangya

Introduction:

In general when we talk about the Buddha we tend to instantly refer to the biographical account of the Shakyamuni who led a princely life, married to a beautiful woman, and had also a little cute son. We are told that as time goes by, the facts of life drew near him. Sickness, old-age and death are all he could see if he remains longer inside the four walls of the palace. So after much contemplation, he renounced worldly life and followed a simple life of an ascetic seeking an answer to the fundamental problem of life. He meditated day and night unceasingly coming to a point where he even almost died in starvation but fortunately he was alive. He followed the middle path. One day on a full moon day as the morning sun was arising brightly, huge flashes of truths poured down to his heart turning Him into a fully enlightened being. He spent rest of his life teaching for the welfare and happiness of many.

This is the common portrait of Buddha. However, the story takes a further approach when it comes to Mahayana Buddhism. Buddha is seen more as enlightenment energy than just the historical figure. Buddha Shakyamuni was only a manifestation of that energy which is always there. Mahayanists believe that He was enlightened already but in order to demonstrate the Path, he exampled himself so the rest could see and follow.

Traces of Enlightenment Energy:

In the Yamakasutra, Venerable Yamaka tells Sariputra that Buddha is inconceivable, unfathomable, cannot be tracked down, and is not subject to limiting definitions, just inexpressible. He is the source of all lights.

Rain-falls benefit all crops, all trees, all bushes, all grasses, but all according to their requirements, Buddha is like the clouds (dharmamegha) and similarly the sun light that touches the valleys, all surfaces of earth, and the landscapes according to their needs. This is the activity of the Buddha. He can appear in the form of a Shakyamuni Buddha, an Arhant, an ordinary being, in diverse forms.

The unconceivable energy that capable of helping countless beings is the Buddha. We cannot understand the unconceivable liberating method of the Buddha, but only guess.
Candrakirti says:

“I am like the Bird, I have no more strength to fly, not that I cannot describe the qualities of the Buddha, but there are so much qualities that a Buddha possess.”

With the appearance of Lotus Sutra , we have a mass notion of the Buddha. It goes beyond the conception of great meditators, great preachers, etc. He is all of them, but more to the measure of our vision we cannot describe the qualities of the Buddha. We cannot understand the full picture, but understand only a few qualities of the Buddha.

The life span of the Buddha is immeasurable, beyond all limits. The Shakyamuni Buddha’s passing away was just a demonstration of expedient means to help us worked for our own individual deliberation. If he was there, many would have taken advantage of him and not practice seriously thinking Buddha would do everything for us. It is not difficult to understand this. Let’s say there is a famous person with so much knowledge. We want to meet and follow his instructions. But we say today I have this work, so I cannot visit him. May be tomorrow I will do. The when tomorrow comes we say oh I am tired. So we become lazy and careless finally. Like people living near in Taj Mahal or the Borobodhur, would not mind to visit it often. It is only those who are living far take the great interest to visit it and appreciate it. Buddha really did not pass away. He is always there. All teachings, all books, texts are just composed by the disciples. Buddha teaches differently in order to enlighten certain people. Dharma is just a raft.

Shariputra dances when he was told he will be a Buddha. He always used to regret when others are Bodhisattvas and he is lift behind. Now he says I am the true son of the Buddha.

Buddha can be in deep meditation, at the same time, activate Shariputra’s curiosity to Avalokitesvara put a question to Maitreya how a son of a Buddha enters into the Prajnaparamita. Prajnaparamita is to transform wisdom into transcendental wisdom.
He has to use various means because enlightenment is not an easy task. There are different capacities and abilities of people. So Buddha has to divide special methods to help others. An understanding of the dharma does not come in instant, seeing of a wall is sudden, but walking up the wall is gradual.

Some of the more common general division into kind of teachings is the direct and indirect, conventional and ultimate teachings. Now the various Buddhists have their own explanation of what is nitartha and neyartha. Mahayana raises the bar very high on the ultimate truth. The Buddha, out of great compassion, divides skilful means to understand the state of mind of other beings. This is very important to Mahayana, but not just exclusively to it, it can be found in the Pali tradition.

The Buddha’s dialogue with Sona (the former musician) when he was deciding to give up monk’s life, Buddha tells him not to push hard, or not being lazy on the other hand, to keep balance, and not damaging the practice.

The Buddha and the horse-trainer: asked the horse-trainer how he trains his horses. He replies: “by gentle method, harsh method, by both, if not kill them”. “In the same way also I teach them by gentle method telling them to practice, not indulging, by both, by both is by ignoring them.”

The Buddha and Nanda : one day Buddha goes to the Palace. That was the day Nanda is supposed to be getting married to Sundari. Buddha, knowing that Nanda’s time has ripened for his enlightenment, handed the begging bowl without saying a word and walked towards the monastery. Nanda, out of respect, can’t also hand over the bowl in the middle of the road, so he just followed the Buddha to the monastery. When they reached, the Buddha asked him to get ordained as a monk. Nanda couldn’t refuse Buddha’s word out of faith. So he became a monk, but he was always thinking about his fiancé. One day, Buddha asked Nanda to accompany him to the heaven. There they saw nymphs who were so radiant and extraordinarily beautiful. So Buddha asked: “Nanda are these nymphs more beautiful than your fiancé. Nanda replied instantly: “yes venerable sir, they are outstandingly beautiful. My fiancé is like the ugly she-monkey that we met on the way to heaven.” “Do you desire them Nanda?” “I do very much venerable sir.” “I can promise you them if you can observe what I instruct you for sometimes.” Nanda was so overjoyed that he began to practice what Buddha has asked him as soon as they came back to the monastery. He began to practice but his intention was to get those beautiful nymphs. So, other monk-friends teased him that he is practicing so hard to get those nymphs and not for enlightenment. So Nanda thought over it again and again and was shy for his shameful intentions. So he put his mind on to enlightenment and practice day and night and finally gained enlightenment. This was just an experiment means used by the Buddha to liberate Nanda.

A wealthy old man recognizes his son one day and sends his guards to fetch him, but the son’s condition is just hand to mouth, he is not used to wealth. So the father first employs him as sweeper. As time passed by, the son gradually got more familiar with wealth and managements. The father employed him to look after his financial matters. Only after, the father was convinced that the son has gain maturity enough; he told him that he was his father. That time the son could easily accept that fact and manage his father’s property truly. The father here is the Buddha. He used expedient means to help his son without going straight.

The transcendental dimension, which is beyond name and form, is called dharmakaya. It is identical to all the Buddhas. What is different is their particular ages, time, place, their heavenly appearance. Buddha is everywhere, but particular to only with those who have spiritual vision. Even when the Buddha was walking among the common, he was not seen or recognized. Buddha is still preaching in the Vulture Peak in India for those who can see in their meditative eyes. Anyone with these spiritual eyes can see Buddha everywhere.
Conclusion:

So how does Buddha appear to normal human beings like us? This answer is clearly stated just after the enlightenment when the Buddha meets Upaka (a wandering ascetic). Upaka asked who he was, and who his teacher was, and so on. Buddha replied “I am none of them. I am the Tathagata.” But Upaka does not have the ability to understand. He just knocked his head and disappeared. Upaka did not see the Buddha’s greatness because his ability is so limited to just some concepts, he hardly understood Buddha. Most of us are also like Upaka. Our understanding is so limited that we see of the world exist or non-exist and beyond that we cannot see. The declaration that the Buddha does not exist nor non-exist, etc. does not apply to the Buddha, because he is a transcendental being. And since he is transcendental being, he appears as enlightenment energy that is untraceable and dynamic.