The Buddha's Final Days by Arnie Kozak, Ph.D.
The Buddha lived to be eighty years old. It was a time of unrest in India and the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, had planned an offensive against the republics to the east of his kingdom, determined to wipe them out. Buddha had decided to avoid the carnage and headed north to the margins of the Ganges basin. As death approached and the Buddha prepared to leave this world, he lived a life of increasing solitude, searching out places of quiet and peace. He was ill and was intent on making sure the sangha knew everything they needed to know before he departed this world. A Simple Life
It might be easy to imagine the Buddha surrounded by riches and adored by many, much as some religious leaders are today. However, the Buddha remained a mendicant monk, and he frequently lived outside, among the mango groves, begging food for his meals. He also spent a lot of time in the palace of his childhood friend, the now King Pasenadi of Kosola. He and the sangha also dwelled in structures built specifically for them to spend the rainy seasons, the three-month monsoon that visits India each year.
His demise was particularly upsetting to his long-time companion, Ananda. Ananda wanted to know who would take over for the Buddha, who would be the next in line to continue the teachings. But the Buddha knew that no one needed to take over. Each person would be a “light unto himself.” By practicing the principles the Buddha had set forth, each could become self-reliant and work toward awakening. The sangha did not need an authority figure. The Buddha had taught them all they needed to know. Final Days
The Buddha was growing weak and tired. He was ready to let go of his life. It can be inferred that he made a conscious decision to die when he ate some tainted pork, but did not allow others who had received the offering to do so.
He reminded the sangha that he had only taught them things he himself had experienced and had taken nothing on the word of another. He told them to do the same. They should practice the disciplines he had taught them and should always, most important of all, live for others with lovingkindness and compassion for the entire world.
The Buddha partook of his last meal, a meal of spoiled meat given to him by a blacksmith named Chunda. Chunda placed the meat into the Buddha's alms bowl, and out of gratitude the Buddha ate it. The Buddha insisted that no one else present eat the meat he ingested, and he made them dispose of it after he was finished. In order that Chunda not feel responsible for the Buddha's illness and impending death, the Buddha called Chunda to his side and told him how grateful he was for the meal.The Buddha became ill with food poisoning and traveled on to his eventual death site, Kushinigar. He then asked the sangha if they had any questions for him, if there was anything yet they did not understand. Right up until the end of his human life, the Buddha served others and thought only of what the sangha needed. But no one came forth to ask any questions.The Buddha then asked if perhaps they were not asking questions for which they needed answers out of reverence for him. If this was the case, he said, they could ask their questions through a friend. When still no one came forth the Buddha knew they were well-versed in his teachings and, as Karen Armstrong tells us in Buddha, he uttered his last words: “All individual things pass away. Seek your liberation with diligence.”
The Buddha died after teaching the dharma for forty-five years. Crowds gathered around the great sage to witness his passing and hear his last words. It is said he died with a smile on his face.
The Buddha was cremated according to custom and his remains were distributed amongst his followers along with other relics and enshrined in stupas. You can still visit some of these relics in India today. While the Buddha did not present himself as the founder of a religion, his relics and pilgrimage sights have been treated as holy for the past two thousand years.
The Buddha's ashes were then delivered to eight different stupas as holy relics. These stupas would later become the object of much devotion. In India, Tibet, and Southeast Asian countries, stupas are usually domeshaped with a center spire. In China, Korea, and Japan they became multitiered structures known as pagodas. They have traditionally been regarded as places of peace, sending out pacifying energies into their surroundings. The Followers
The Buddha had taught his students well. His emphasis on self-reliance left the sangha in good shape. However, differences of interpretation and later conflicts would emerge. He had left behind his teachings, the dharma, and the sangha knew the dharma would guide them if they followed it.However, shortly after the Buddha's death, one of the newly ordained bhikkus, Subhadda, rebelled. He suggested that now that the Buddha was gone — the one who oppressed them by telling them how to do this, how to do that — they had the freedom to do whatever they desired. They had the freedom to choose.
One of the Buddha's greatest students, the Venerable Mahakassapa, became very upset at Subhadda's statement. He decided that a council should be called to recite aloud all of the Buddha's teachings. He knew well that if they did not establish the Buddha's teachings soon, it would not take long for all to be corrupted and lost.
