Śākyamuni

Śākyamuni, a transliteration of the Sanskrit name, means "sage of the Śākya clan." He is also referred to simply as Śākyamuni or Śākyamuni Buddha, with the title commonly translated as "one who is capable of benevolence, endurance, silence, and fulfillment." Referred also to as the world-honored Śākyamuni and known as the founder of Buddhism, his honorifics reflect his qualities and spiritual significance.

The origins of his title are documented in texts such as Abhiniṣkramaṇa sūtras Volume 20: Views on Various Different Paths, Mulasarvastivada nikaya vinaya Volume 20, and Abhidharma's jñāna prasthāna śāstra Volume 30. Śākyamuni, also called the World-Honored One (Shi Zun), was born as the crown prince of King Śuddhodana, the ruler of Kapilavastu in northern India.

At the time, the region was a vassal state of the Kosala Kingdom. North India operated under an aristocratic republic system, divided into ten small city-states from which the most powerful city lords were chosen as the leaders, and Uddhodana was their king during that period.

The Buddha’s mother, Lady Māyā, was the daughter of the city lord of Devadaha City, a neighboring territory belonging to the Rohinī tribe. One night, Lady Māyā dreamed of a white elephant entering her womb and so following the tradition, she returned to her parental home in Devadaha City to prepare for childbirth. Along the way, however, she paused to rest in the Lumbini Garden and gave birth beneath a saraca asoca or worry-free Tree, marking the birth of Śākyamuni Buddha.

According to  Cārya-nidāna Sutra, Volumes One: Birth, when Śākyamuni Buddha was born, he took seven steps and raised his hand, proclaiming, "In heaven and on earth, I alone am the single most reverend; all three realms are marked by sufferings and afflictions, and I shall bring peace."

The birth of Śākyamuni Buddha is also documented in other classical texts, such as the Madhyama Āgama Sutra, Volume Eight: Adbhūta-dharma Sutra, and the Lalitavistara, Volume Two: Thirty-Two Auspicious Signs at Birth, Abhiniṣkramaṇa, Sūtra on Past and Present Causes and Effects,Maha^sammata-ra^ja, Volume Three, Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, Volume Eight: Birth Under the Tree, Mula -sarva^stiva^da-vinaya, Volume Twenty, Abhidharma-mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra, Volume Seventy, which describe various auspicious signs that accompanied this momentous event.

After returning to the palace, the crown prince was named Siddhārtha, meaning "one who realizes all meanings, all success, prosperity, good fortune, benefits, predictions coming true and meanings verified." But tragically, Lady Māyā passed away seven days after his birth, and Siddhārtha was lovingly raised by his aunt, Mahāprajāpatī.

According to texts like Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, Volume 11: Learning Skills and Techniques and Saṃghabheda-vastu, Volume Three  He studied literature and the arts under the Brahmin Visvami and trained in martial arts under Ksāntideva, and became masters of both fields.

Upon reaching adulthood, he married Yaśodharā, the daughter of King Suprabuddha, the lord of Devadaha City, and had a son named Rāhula.

As recorded in works like the Cārya-nidāna, Chapter Tourism, Siddhārtha once ventured through the four gates of the city and encountered the realities of aging, illness, death, and the sight of a wandering monk, which left him profoundly aware of life’s sufferings and impermanence, igniting his resolve to renounce worldly life and seek the path of spiritual cultivation.

At the age of 29 (though some accounts say 19), the crown prince renounced his palace life, leaving quietly in the night. Shedding his royal garments, he embraced the life of a monk. His journey for enlightenment began with a visit to Bhārgava, in the state of Vaishali, after which he traveled to Rajgir to study under the sages Alara Kalama and Udrakara^maputra, through whose teachings, he achieved a state of profound but incomplete liberation.

Seeking deeper understanding, he journeyed to the village of Uruvilvā, near Gaya in the state of Magadha, where he embarked on six years of extreme asceticism, during which time, he was accompanied by five attendants sent by ddhodana, his father, to assist him in his practices.

Submitting his body to harsh deprivation, he survived on a mere grain of hemp or wheat each day so that his body grew emaciated, and his physical and mental strength waned, yet enlightenment eluded him. So, realizing that asceticism alone could not lead to awakening, he abandoned the extreme practices and emerged from the forest of asceticism.

At that time, the fifth attendant accompanying the prince mistakenly believed that he had abandoned his resolve for the Way and left him. So after renouncing asceticism, the crown prince went to the Nairanjananadi River to bathe and was offered nourishment by a shepherdess named Sujātā.

Regaining his strength, he proceeded to the Bodhi tree in the village of Gaya, where, he placed Reineckea carnea or auspicious grass on what is now known as the Vajrāsana, or Diamond Throne. Facing east, he sat in deep meditation, resolutely contemplating the path to liberation.

Forty-nine days later, at dawn on December 8th, the crown prince attained enlightenment at the age of 35 (though some accounts say 30). From this moment, the ficus religiosa tree became known as the Bodhi tree, symbolizing enlightenment.

The process of overcoming demonic obstacles and achieving awakening is detailed in texts such as Madhyama Āgama Sūtra, Volume 56: Ariyapariyesana Sutta,, Cārya-nidāna， Volume Two: Six Years of Diligence and Asceticism, 'Māra Pāpīyas, Sūtra on Past and Present Causes and Effects,Volume 2 , Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, Volumes 26–30, and Mahīsasakavinaya, Volume 15, among others.

After attaining enlightenment, Śākyamuni Buddha began teaching, his first audience being the five attendants who had practiced asceticism with him and that is Sārnāth or the Deer Park in Benāres, he delivered his first teachings, famously known as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

The five attendants, known as the famous Five Monks, were Ajñāta Kauṇḍinya, Bhadrika, Vāṣpa, Mahānāma, and Aśvajit.

The events surrounding Śākyamuni Buddha’s initial turning of the Dharma Wheel, including his teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, are documented in texts such as the Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 15: Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra, Mahīsasakavinaya, Volume 15, and Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinayapiṭaka, Volume 39, among others, which teachings marked the formal beginning of the Buddhist tradition.

Afterward, Śākyamuni Buddha was revered as the Tathāgata, a title with many meanings, generally interpreted as "one who has followed the path of truth and has skillfully come to this Saha world."

Following his first turning of the Dharma Wheel, Śākyamuni traveled to the Magadha Kingdom, where he transformed the three brothers of the Fire Cult—Uruvilva^-ka^s/yapa, Nadī-kāyapa, and Gayā-kāyapa—along with a thousand disciples.

Among his followers were the two great future Buddhist masters, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, who had initially been sophists and part of the Six externalist schools.

Śākyamuni also accepted as a disciple King Bimbisara of Rājagṛha. The king established a humble hut in the bamboo grove offered by Elder Karanda, which came to be known as  Karanda Veṇuvanārāma or Bamboo Grove Cottage, marking a significant moment in the flourishing of the Buddhist community.

Later, Śākyamuni returned to his birthplace,  Kapilavastu, where many residents, including his half-brother Nanda, his son Rāhula, his cousin Devadatta, and Upāli, a barber, shaved their heads and became monks. Moreover, he preached Dharma for an elder, Sudatta, who had a large pavilion built  in the garden of Prince Jeta, dedicated to honoring the Buddha and ensuring long-term propagation of the Dharma, which place became known as the "Jeta Groove," a site of great spiritual significance.

At this time, King Prasenajit, the ruler of Śrāvastī, also became his disciple embracing the teachings of Śākyamuni. After the death of King ddhodana, his father, Śākyamuni returned to his homeland when pajāpatī and Queen Yaśodharā, his aunt and wife, both shaved their heads and became monks, marking the founding of the Bhikkhunī sangha when pajāpatī became the first Bhikkhunī in the Buddhist tradition.

Following this, Śākyamuni traveled throughout India, spreading his teachings to people of all social statuses and genders, reaching everyone without discrimination, and His teachings had a profound influence on Indian culture and religion.

The places where Śākyamuni spent his summer retreats for forty-four years after attaining enlightenment are meticulously recorded in Samgharakṣa, Volume Two, providing detailed accounts of his itinerant life and the establishment of the Buddhist monastic community.

Also, according to Samgharakṣa, Volume Two, Śākyamuni Buddha resided in various places throughout his life, including the kingdoms of Vārāṇasī,  Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, Mount Pandava, the Thirty-Three Heavens, Ghost and Spirit Realms, the Śrāvastī Jeta Groove, and Mount Calya.

And  Aṣṭamahāsthānacaityastotra also attests to his presence at locations such as the snow-capped mountains, where he practiced asceticism, and settlements like Pisalin(?), Veranja, Alāvī. These journeys are further detailed in texts such as the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Volume Three, Comentary on Separate Merits, Volume Two, and Buddha Land Records, among others.

In his final year, Śākyamuni departed from the Magadha Kingdom, crossed the Ganges River to the north, passed through Vaiśālī, and arrived at the city of Pāva, where he was given offerings by  Cunda, a metalworker. However, after consuming a dish of Sukalamādhavara (a type of mushroom), he fell ill.

And before his passing, Śākyamuni Buddha took his final bath at the kakuṭṭha River and then returned to the shorea robusta groove in the city of kuśinagara where he lay in the auspicious position with his head to the north and his body facing west.

In the stillness of the night, Śākyamuni shared his final teachings with his disciples. Then, with serene composure, he entered parinirvāṇa, the ultimate cessation of suffering.

Today, the vast teachings of Śākyamuni Buddha are spread far and wide, their influence limitless. As his disciples, those who devoutly and respectfully honor the Buddha’s image and teachings are, in a sense, ever-close to the Buddha, and, by remaining true to the original intention of his path, they can ultimately attain eternal success and liberation.

This artwork belongs to the Red Thangka School of the Neo-Meythang (Regong) tradition, with its dominant red hues symbolizing the Buddha's boundless compassion for and acceptance of all sentient beings. The central figure represents the enlightenment of Śākyamuni Buddha, holding a bowl in one hand signifying the sufficiency of accumulated blessings and wisdom, while his other hand forms the earth-touching mudra, a symbol of his power to subdue demons and conquer the outside religious preachers and practitioners. Surrounding him are six sentient beings and monks, representing the flourishing of his teachings and the fulfillment of blessings and virtues.