Parinirvana- Buddhist EventEvent"The Final Passing of the Buddha"

The Final Journey

The Buddha was eighty years old when he left Vulture Peak in Rajagriha for the last time. He traveled north through Nalanda to Vaishali with his attendant Ananda, and on the road he fell gravely ill. He recovered enough to walk, but he told Ananda plainly: in three months he would enter parinirvana.

At Vaishali, the Buddha stopped and turned his whole body to look back at the city. The texts call this the "elephant look." He knew he would never return.

At a village called Pava, a blacksmith named Cunda offered the Buddha a meal that included a dish called sukara-maddava. The Buddha accepted but told Cunda to serve it to no one else. After eating, he became severely ill. He absolved Cunda of blame, saying the merit of offering the Buddha his final meal equaled the merit of offering the meal before his enlightenment.

The Twin Sala Trees

Despite his illness, the Buddha walked to Kushinagar, a small town of the Malla people. He came to a grove of sala trees and lay down on his right side between two of them, his head facing north. The twin sala trees burst into unseasonal bloom, showering flowers on his body. Celestial music sounded. Sandalwood powder fell from the sky.

He asked three times whether any monk had doubts about the dharma or the path. Silence answered each time. Ananda declared that not a single monk harbored any question.

The Buddha spoke his final words: "All conditioned things are subject to decay. Strive with diligence."

The Last Disciple

Shortly before the end, a wandering ascetic named Subhadra arrived at the grove and asked to see the Buddha. Ananda turned him away three times, not wishing to trouble the dying teacher. The Buddha overheard and called Subhadra to his side. He answered the ascetic's questions and taught him the Noble Eightfold Path. Subhadra asked for ordination and was accepted into the sangha. He was the last person ordained by the Buddha himself.

The Passing

The Buddha entered progressively deeper states of meditation, ascending through the four jhanas and the four formless attainments, then descending back through all eight, ascending again to the fourth jhana, and from there passing into parinirvana. The earth trembled. Celestial drums sounded. Brahma Sahampati and Shakra spoke verses of tribute.

Among those present, the monks who had not yet attained arhatship wept and threw themselves to the ground, crying that the Eye of the World had gone out. The arhats sat still.

The Pyre and the Relics

The Mallas honored the body for seven days with garlands and incense, treating it as they would a universal monarch's. The funeral pyre was prepared but would not ignite. The elder Mahakashyapa had not yet arrived from Rajagriha. When he reached Kushinagar at last, he circled the pyre three times, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and the pyre burst into flames on its own.

After the cremation, the relics became the object of fierce competition. Seven kingdoms sent envoys to Kushinagar demanding their share, and some threatened war. A brahmin named Drona reminded them it would be unseemly to fight over the remains of one who taught forbearance. He divided the relics into eight equal portions. Each kingdom raised a stupa over theirs.