Difference between revisions of "Ananda" - New World Encyclopedia

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Ananda would gain great fame as the personal attendant of the Buddha. When he was fifty-five years old the Buddha expressed a need for a new attendant and asked for volunteers. Many volunteered but Ananda was chosen even though he did not volunteer.
 
Ananda would gain great fame as the personal attendant of the Buddha. When he was fifty-five years old the Buddha expressed a need for a new attendant and asked for volunteers. Many volunteered but Ananda was chosen even though he did not volunteer.
  
He devoted himself to Buddha with a special childlike fervor and served as his personal attendant for 25 years. Descriptions of him indicated he had no intellectual attainments, but that he was a man of great sincerity and had a loving nature.
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He devoted himself to Buddha with a special childlike fervor and served as his personal attendant for 25 years. Descriptions of him indicated he had no intellectual attainments, but that he was a man of great sincerity and had a loving nature.<ref>[http://www.dlshq.org/saints/buddha.htm Lord Buddha] ''Dlshq.org.'' Retrieved September 15, 2007.</ref>
  
 
His duties included taking care of all his personal needs in sickness and health, accompanying him on his rounds through the monastery, facilitating communication between him and the thousands of monks.<ref>Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. ''Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy''. p. 148. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289</ref>
 
His duties included taking care of all his personal needs in sickness and health, accompanying him on his rounds through the monastery, facilitating communication between him and the thousands of monks.<ref>Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. ''Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy''. p. 148. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289</ref>
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In the long list of the disciples given in the [[Anguttara]] (i. xiv.) where each of them is declared to be the chief in some quality, Ananda is the only one mentioned five times while the most any other was named was twice. He was honored for his knowledge of the discourses, his good memory, his mastery of the sequential structure of the teachings, his steadfast study, and his devotion as a personal attendant. These made him a master of mindfulness.<ref>Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. ''Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy''. p. 150-152. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289</ref>
 
In the long list of the disciples given in the [[Anguttara]] (i. xiv.) where each of them is declared to be the chief in some quality, Ananda is the only one mentioned five times while the most any other was named was twice. He was honored for his knowledge of the discourses, his good memory, his mastery of the sequential structure of the teachings, his steadfast study, and his devotion as a personal attendant. These made him a master of mindfulness.<ref>Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. ''Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy''. p. 150-152. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289</ref>
  
As a result of these qualities Buddha hailed Ananda as the ''Guardian of the Dhamma.'' All these qualities enabled him to retain the words of his master exactly as they were spoken and by his sense of order he could be relied on to preserve them in the correct sequence and then explain them in such a way that other monks would be properly trained.  
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As a result of these qualities Buddha hailed Ananda as the ''Guardian of the Dhamma.'' All these qualities enabled him to retain the words of his master exactly as they were spoken and by his sense of order he could be relied on to preserve them in the correct sequence and then explain them in such a way that other monks would be properly trained.
  
 
==Final years==
 
==Final years==

Revision as of 03:01, 15 September 2007

This article is about a disciple of the Buddha. For the organization "Ananda (Church of Self-Realization)", see Ananda Church of Self-Realization.
File:Ananda at First Council.jpg
A wallpainting in a monastery in Laos depicts Ananda reciting the Suttapitaka at the First Buddhist Council

Ananda (Chinese: 阿難, A Nan or 阿難陀, A Nan Tuo) was one of the ten great disciples and a devout attendant of the Buddha. He was renowned as the Guardian of the Dharma.

The word Ananda means 'bliss' in Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala and Tamil and is quite often part of Buddhist and Hindu monastic names.

Ananda's highly developed memory, plus the fact that he was constantly at the Buddha's side, meant that he, more than any other person, was responsible for preserving and transmitting the Buddha's teachings for future generations.

He was the ideal disciple, known as a model of blameless conduct, untiring solicitude to his Master and to his fellow monks, his unperturbable friendliness, his patience and his readiness to help.[1]

Early life

Ananda was born in Kapilavatthu and was the Buddha's cousin, being the son of Amitodana, the brother of the Buddha's father, Suddhodana. It was during the Buddha's first trip back to Kapilavatthu after his enlightenment that Ananda, along with his brothers Anuruddha and Devadatta, all became monks.

Ananda was reportedly around 37 at the time he became a student of Belatthasisa, an arahant (a fully liberated saint) in the Sangha. The monk's life suited Ananda and his quiet, unassuming nature meant that he was little noticed by the others until he was selected to be the Buddha's personal attendant.

Life with Buddha

During the first years of his life as a monk he was completely unknown as he devoted himself to the purification of his mind. In his early years Ananda was so trusted by Buddha that on many occasions he was asked to speak on his behalf and then later would state that he himself would not have presented the teachings in any other way. Ananda's knowledge of Dharma caused him frequently to be sought out by other monks to explain something the Buddha had said.

Because he attended the Buddha personally and often traveled with him, Ananda overheard and memorized many of the discourses the Buddha delivered to various audiences. Therefore, he is often called the disciple of the Buddha who "heard much".

Ananda would gain great fame as the personal attendant of the Buddha. When he was fifty-five years old the Buddha expressed a need for a new attendant and asked for volunteers. Many volunteered but Ananda was chosen even though he did not volunteer.

He devoted himself to Buddha with a special childlike fervor and served as his personal attendant for 25 years. Descriptions of him indicated he had no intellectual attainments, but that he was a man of great sincerity and had a loving nature.[2]

His duties included taking care of all his personal needs in sickness and health, accompanying him on his rounds through the monastery, facilitating communication between him and the thousands of monks.[3]

As Buddha's personal attendant he had daily contact with a large number of people with diverse concerns, yet it is reported he had no enemies or rivals, and his relationships with others were without conflict or tension. His great powers of memory that he used for study also enabled him to remember people and circumstances.[4]

In the long list of the disciples given in the Anguttara (i. xiv.) where each of them is declared to be the chief in some quality, Ananda is the only one mentioned five times while the most any other was named was twice. He was honored for his knowledge of the discourses, his good memory, his mastery of the sequential structure of the teachings, his steadfast study, and his devotion as a personal attendant. These made him a master of mindfulness.[5]

As a result of these qualities Buddha hailed Ananda as the Guardian of the Dhamma. All these qualities enabled him to retain the words of his master exactly as they were spoken and by his sense of order he could be relied on to preserve them in the correct sequence and then explain them in such a way that other monks would be properly trained.

Final years

Upon Buddha's death....

First Buddhist Council

Prior to the First Buddhist Council (544 B.C.E.), it was proposed that Ananda not be permitted to attend on the grounds that he was not yet an arahant. According to legend, this prompted Ananda to focus his efforts on the attainment of nibbana and he was able to reach the specified level of attainment before the calling of the conclave.

Three months after the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana (passing away), his immediate disciples convened a council at Rajagaha. Maha Kassapa, the most respected and senior monk, presided at the Council. Two very important personalities who specialised in the two areas of the teachings: - The Dharma: Ananda, the closest constant companion and disciple of the Buddha for 25 years. Endowed with a remarkable memory, Ananda was able to recite what was spoken by the Buddha. - The Vinaya: Upali remembered all the Vinaya rules. Only these two sections - the Dharma and the Vinaya - were recited at the First Council (no mention was made of the Abhidharma yet). Though there were no differences of opinion on the Dharma there was some discussion about the Vinaya rules.

Before the Buddha's Parinirvanana, he had told Ananda that if the Sangha wished to amend or modify some minor rules, they could do so. But Ananda forgot to ask the Buddha what the minor rules were. As the members of the Council were unable to agree as to what constituted the minor rules, Maha Kassapa finally ruled that no disciplinary rule laid down by the Buddha should be changed, and no new ones should be introduced. No intrinsic reason was given. Maha Kassapa did say one thing, however: "If we changed the rules, people will say that Ven. Gautama's disciples changed the rules even before his funeral fire has ceased burning." At the Council, the Dharma was divided into various parts and each part was assigned to an Elder and his pupils to commit to memory. The Dharma was then passed on from teacher to pupil orally. The Dharma was recited daily by groups of people who regularly cross-checked with each other to ensure that no omissions or additions were made.[6]


In contrast to most of the figures depicted in the Pāli Canon, Ananda is presented as an imperfect, if sympathetic, figure. He mourns the deaths of both Sariputta, with whom he enjoyed a close friendship, and the Buddha. A verse of the Theragatha [1] reveals his loneliness and isolation following the parinirvana of the Buddha.

In the Zen tradition, Ananda is considered to be the second Indian patriarch. He is often depicted with the Buddha alongside Mahakashyapa, the first Indian patriarch.

Legacy

Ananda's spiritual lineages played an important role in the transmitting of the original teachings of Buddha in the first century after his passing.

Ananda himself spoke at the First Council after Buddha passed away and thus became the main repository of Dharma orthodoxy. At the Second Council ( 444 B.C.E.) six of the eight monks chosen to attend were his disciples. Because he lived longer than most of the other direct disciples, Ananda's disciples were among the eldest and most revered almost 100 years after the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana.[7]

A total of six Great Councils have now been held for the sake of taking take up issues relating to preserving the meaning and purity of the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddhist Councils have been instrumental in the creation and preservation of the Pali Canon (Tipitaka), both in its original oral form, and, as it now exists, in its written form.[8]

Death

It is not known when or where Ananda passed away but, according to tradition, he lived to a ripe old age. When Fa Hien, the famous Chinese pilgrim, visited India in the 5th century CE, he reported seeing a stupa containing Ananda's ashes, and that nuns in particular had high regard for his memory.[9]

Notes

  1. Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy. p. 153. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289
  2. Lord Buddha Dlshq.org. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  3. Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy. p. 148. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289
  4. Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy. p. 143. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289
  5. Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy. p. 150-152. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289
  6. A View on Buddhism Buddhism.kalachakranet.org Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  7. A View on Buddhism Buddhism.kalachakranet.org Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  8. Buddhist Councils Eveything2.com. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  9. The Buddha and His Disciples Buddhanet.net. Retrieved September 14, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Nyanaponika, Bodhi, and Hellmuth Hecker. 1997. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, their Legacy. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711289
  • Dhammika, Shravasti, and Susan Harmer. 2004. Buddha and His Disciples. Great Buddhist Stories. Singapore: Times Edition. ISBN 9812327592
  • Ray, Reginald A. 1994. Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and Orientations. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195072022

External links

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