Glimpses Of World Religions

Author(s): Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Navbharat Sahitya Mandir

Page 78

Bauddha Dharma
started doing supreme effort for cultivating fearlessness. Remaining constantly vigilent and through meditation, he began to destroy all the evil-instincts of mind and bad passions.
On the full moon day of Vaishakh again, he got victory in this war of nerves. The mind became pure and clean. Gautam had the supreme knowledge or realisation (Sambodhi). He became Buddha or the Enlightened one. He got a reward of exquisite tranquility
Because of securing the status of Sambodhi, Gautam felt that the path he searched out was in the reverse direction of peoples' path, is of a serious type and subtle. The ignorant and lustful persons will not be able to grasp, it is of no use to advise people regarding it and so, the emotions of compassion (Karunā), fellow-feeling (Maitree), encouragement (Mudita) and neglect (Upeksha) arose in his mind. On seeing the people reeling under pain, he was full of compassion and mercy, and he made a firm resolve to show them the way to make them free from miseries. He also decided to guide the people for the path of freedom from misery, for the welfare and good of the people. And thus, the revolving of the wheel of Dharma began.
Since the gain of Sambodhi and upto 80 years of his life, Buddha continued to propagate real religion amongst the people of Koshal, Magadh and their neighbouring republics. Right from the common masses to the King Bimbisar and Prasenajeet, King of Koshal, were greatly influenced by his teachings.
It is not that Buddha used to give religious teachings to the people of upper strata only. He had taught many a person of the lower class. His was the religion for all the people, because Buddha believed that all have equal right to learn real religion and to get entry to the ‘Sangh' or religious association and to do meditations.