Buddhist Paintings - The Life of the Buddha

1. This is the Great Birth of the World- Honoured One - Prince Siddhartha

2. Palatial Life of Prince Siddhartha

3. The Four Great Signs - (Satara Pera Nimiti in Sinhalese)

4. The Great Renunciation - Mahabhinishkramana of Prince Siddhartha

5. Austere practice or Self-mortification (Attakhilamathanuyoga) of Ascetic Siddhartha

6. The Great Enlightenment - Abhisambodhi 

7. The First Teaching of the Buddha to the five ascetics. The Buddha delivered the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, the Sutta of Turning the Wheel of the Dhamma.

8. Preaching the Anantalakkhana or Anattalakkhana Sutta (The Sutta on the Characteristics of No-Self). Having heard this distinctive teaching, all the five Bhikkhus attained the arahanthood, which is the final stage of the Buddhist sainthoot. Beside the Buddha, they were the first arahantas in the Buddhist dispensation. 

9. The Commencement of the First Buddhist Missionary Service with 60 Arahantas

10. Conversion of Beautiful Queen Khema

11. Consoling Patachara, the lady who was stricken by great grief due to loss of her two kids, husband and parents on the same day.

12. Dharmadesana

13. Helping Sunita who was a scavenger from untouchable caste (chandala). The Blessed One gave ordination to Sunita with a great compassion towards him. After entering the Order of Bhikkhus, Sunita attained arahantship.

14. The Establishment of the Bhikkhuni Order. Mahaprajapati Gotami, the Buddha's step mother requested the Buddha the ordination for ladies. The Buddha accepted her request with a great compassion towards womenfolk.

15. Saving Rajjumala, an innocent girl who was said to be a lifelong servent. The cruel mistress of Rajjumala severely punished her everyday. This poor gril decided to commit suicide but the Buddha prevented her doing so and finally she was free from slavery and became an addopted daughter of the employer.

16. Treating and caring a sick monk. The Buddha was the most compassionate teacher in the world. This is how He treated his disciples. The Buddha said that one who attends sick attends Him.

17. Consoling Kisagotami, the one who lost her one and only son. Kisagotami never believed that her beloved son had departed her. She looked for a doctor to cure her dead son and finally she came to the Buddha. Kisagotami was completely exhausted with grief and sorrow. The Buddha consoled her saying that He could cure her son but she was asked to bring a lump of mustard seeds from a house where there was no any dead occured in the past. She was very happy and ran to houses as many as she could. But all her effort was in vain because she couldn't find any single family whose relatives had never passed away. Finally she realized that everything is impermanent. She bade farewel to her beloved son and departed with a sobbing and bursting heart. Finally she was able to make up her mind and then went back to the Buddha. She paid attention to His great teaching. At the end of the taching she entered the Order of Bhikkhunis and attained arahantship. 

18. Preaching the Dhamma to Anatapindika, the Millionaire of Savatthi, who was the main benefactor of the Buddha. Anathapindika spent 54 crores of golden coins and built Jetavanarama Monastery and offered it to the Buddha and His disciples. 

19. Preaching to Vishakha, the main female benefactor of the Buddha. Vishaka spent 27 crores of golden coins and bulit Purvarama Monastery and offered to the Buddha and His disciples.

20. The great literary service of Buddhist monks. In the later period the Buddhist Monastery became the education institute for both lay and monastic community. The first University in the wold is the Nalanda Buddhist University in India established around 6th to 7th centuries C.E. In this manner the Buddhist Sangha did a great service in spreading the Dhamma and teaching some secular subjects as well.

21. The Fourfold Buddhist Community, Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Upasaka, Upasika (monks, nuns, male and female lay followers of the Dhamma).

22. Stopping war - Because of the sharing of water of river Rohini, two groups of Buddha's relavtives called for a war. The Buddha appread in the middle of the river and questioned them which is more imporatnt, the water or their lives. They all accepted that they were wrong and stopped the war and became close to each other keeping unity among them.

23. Mahaparinirvana - The Great Passing Away of the Buddha. Having done a great service of 45 years at the age of 80, the Buddha attained parinirvana. The great light of the world was blown out in that way. All the sravakas and many followers both male and female came to see the Buddha and paid their last respect to their great master who was with full of comapssion and love. Arahantas observed and recollected the impermanent nature of all phenomena and paid their outmost repect to the Great Light of the Universe. The puthujjana sravakas and lay followers couldn't bear the sorrow and they burst into tears. They cried, wept and lamented over the death of the Buddha. Venerable Ananda sobbed and fainted. Eminent sravakas consoled him but he cried out thinking that to whom he would help in future because the compassionate Lord is departing him now.

It is said that having heard the passing away of the Buddha, king Ajatasattu (Ajasat) couldn't bear his sorrow and cried and lamented putting his hands over his head. He became unconscious and forgot almost everything.

The great funeral of the Buddha was taken place in the Sala Grove of the Mallas. All the kings of Malla kingdom paid their respect to the Buddha. Thousands of sravakas and millions of devotes attended the ceremony. They arranged the most beautiful and granderous funeral ever had taken place on this earth and burnt the Sarira of the Great Human Being who ever lived in this world with immesuarable qualities.

Pay Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One the Fully Enlightened One! (Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa).

You can always say, Nmao Buddhaya...! Namo Buddhaya...! Namo Buddhaya...!

N.B. These nice and beautiful pictures are from one of Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in Australia. If anyone know the name of the temple, please kindly let me know. I am posting them on my blog for the arising of faith of Buddhists in the Triple Gem, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Please, forgive me if anything wrong with my discriptions.

SABBE SATTA BHAVANTU SUKHITATTA - May all beings be well, happy and peaceful!  

Source: http://chandawimala.blogspot.com/2010/09/buddhist-pantings-life-of-buddha.html

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