Bodhi Day
2,500 years ago, a young prince in Northern India named
Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath a fig tree and declared,
“Even though the flesh falls from my bones and the bones
themselves crack, I will not get up from this seat until I have
attained supreme and perfect enlightenment!” This determined
young man then faced down all of his inner demons, defying and
finally taming all of the temptations and distractions of greed,
anger, restlessness, laziness and self-doubt. He finally attained
a state of calm awareness. His mind had become like a clear and
still pool which could perfectly reflect all things within it.
During the early evening, Siddhartha reflected on all of his
former thoughts, words and deeds. He perceived within himself all
of the many things that he had done and experienced in both the
present lifetime and in all of the innumerable past lifetimes
which became known to him in this state of clear calm awareness.
He saw that he himself had created the destiny which had brought
him to the point where he could sit beneath that tree at that
time and to seek the answers to the great question of birth and
death.
During the middle of the night, his awareness expanded to include
the lives of all sentient beings. He saw that his life was
indivisibly involved in the lives of all other beings. He saw how
his life effected the lives of all others and how their lives
effected his. Furthermore, he perceived that they too were the
creators of their own destinies through the consequences of their
own actions.
As the morning approached, Siddhartha contemplated the vast
network of cause and effect itself. He saw how all beings were
intimately connected to one another in this vast network of
mutual influence and creation. Like a vast net of jewels
reflecting each others' light and beauty he saw how all beings
arose as part of an unending process of mutual creation. He also
saw how ignorance of the true nature of reality was the cause of
all the selfish craving which led to suffering, and he saw that
this suffering could be ended through a life based upon the
truth, the Wonderful Dharma.
As the morning star appeared in the sky, Siddhartha’s
contemplations were fully realized in the fullness of the living
moment in which the Wonderful Dharma is expressed. In that
moment, Siddhartha became the Buddha, the fully awakened one who
realized and could share with others the true nature of reality
which could end suffering and open the eyes of all people to the
selfless beauty which he had seen and now manifested in his own
life.
Like Siddhartha, we too, should find time to calm our hearts and
minds and allow ourselves to clearly reflect the true nature of
life. We too, should reflect upon our actions and their
consequences, so we can humbly take responsibility for our lives.
We too, should reflect upon the lessons that the lives of others
hold for us, so that we can learn from their mistakes and receive
inspiration from their successes. We too, should reflect upon the
vast and marvelous workings of the Dharma which pervades our
lives and in fact is our life. Above all, however, we should
realize that the Dharma, the true nature of reality which is so
difficult to perceive and understand, has been given to us by
Sakyamuni Buddha. In the Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha
stated, “For many hundreds of thousands of billions of
countless eons, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to
obtain, and [finally attained] perfect and complete
enlightenment. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you.” For
Sakyamuni Buddha’s efforts and determination, his great
generosity and compassion, and most importantly for his gift of
the Dharma which he realized beneath that fig tree 2,500 years
ago, we come together today in celebration.
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