The Himeji Castle also called the White Heron Castle is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO and is one of the national heritage buildings of the India.
But what does this sacred place represent for Buddhists? In which city are the ashes of Buddha located?
General information on Buddha's life journey
Guatama Siddhartha lived in the 5th century BCE and was born in a Nepalese town called Kapilavastu. His last name means “one whose purpose is accomplished”. He was the son of King Shuddhodana and Queen Maya, his father was the ruler of the Sakyas kingdom. Siddhartha was the spiritual leader who became a person after waking up under the bodhi tree. He lived for eighty years, between 624 and 544 BC. BC, according to Pali tradition. His conversion to a monk took place after he left his family, wife and children.
Once at the monastery, he set out in search for the ultimate truth and meditated for 49 days. It was after reaching nirvana, the annihilation of the painful causes of reincarnation through a meditative and moral life, that his disciples gave him the title Buddha, which means "awakened" in Sanskrit. Buddha. Others consider him the “Tathagata” which means “the one who came thus”, because he taught the sacred law of his time, which is Dharma.
The discovery of the Four Noble Truths by Buddha
At the age of 29, Siddhartha Guatama asked Channa, his charioteer, to take him out of the kingdom twice without his father's knowledge. It was during these two walks thathe learned the Four NobleTruths which were decisive for him and which changed his life. During his first outing, he learned about old age, illness and death. And on his second outing, he learned a lot about suffering when he met a holy man who told him: "(...) I am (...) terrified by the incessant round of lives and births and I I adopted this life of poverty to achieve liberation (...).
I seek the blessed state in which suffering, old age and death are unknown. » It was during this same night that he made the decision to leave his father's palace, with the help of his driver, to go in search of the truth. Indeed, it is about suffering, its cause, its cessation and the path which leads to the cessation of this same suffering. He started wandering around northeast India. During his journey, he studied the concepts of Karma, i.e. the law of cause and effect, of Samsara, i.e. -meaning reincarnation, and Moksha, that is to say deliverance.
The precious teachings of the Buddha
After becoming the enlightened or enlightened being, Buddha began to teach the truths of life. His first teaching concerns the Dharma which focuses on the eightfold path and the Four Noble Truths, he says: “Meeting the demands of life is not condemnable” , then he added: “Keeping the body healthy is a duty, otherwise we will not be able to light the lamp of wisdom and keep our minds firm and clear. » At the time, his teachings convinced several lay Buddhists, some of whom even accompanied him everywhere, as in the case of the five ascetics.
Seeing this, Buddha organized a Shanga which refers to the community of bhikkus. This community is none other than all the monks and ordained nuns. Shanga has always preserved the Dharma which allows them to focus more on nirvana. Buddha's disciples who could not respect the strict rules of Shanga compensated him by respecting the five Buddhist precepts which are:
- Don't kill ;
- Don't lie;
- Don't steal;
- Do not commit sexual offenses such as adultery, rape and many others;
- Do not think about changing substances such as drinking alcohol, smoking and many others.
How did Buddha experience his last moments on earth?
When Buddha was 80 years old, he fell ill after eating food offered by a blacksmith named Kounda. Despite the deterioration of his health, he took the trouble to leave for Koushinagar, lying under the Shala tree in front of his disciples. As one of his cousins joined Shanga, he told him, “I am old and my journey is coming to an end. My body is like a dilapidated cart held together by a few leather straps,” then he asked those present at the time if they had any questions for him but everyone remained silent.
Finally, he said, “Everything created is subject to decay and death,” that is,everything is transient. He taught them to work on liberation diligently. When he died, he achieved what is called “Parinirvana”, which means cessation of sensation and perception.
Kushinagar, Buddha cremation site
Buddha gave his last teachings in Vaishali where he ate the meal poisoned by Kounda, the blacksmith mentioned above. But it was in Koushinagar, with his disciples, that he experienced the great transcendence of suffering called “Mahaparinirvana”. According to the last words of Buddha, he chose to die in Koushinagar because it is above all the ideal place to teach the Mahaha-Sudassana Sutra; then it was again to teach the future Arhat named Soubadhra; and finally he had to meet Doha, the old Brahmin sage who will serve as a mediator between kings and disciples when he shares his relics.
Known around the world as the largest cemetery in Himeji City, the Nagoyama Cemetery contains the ashes of the Buddha. Today, this hill has become a leading tourist destination and a sacred place in the history of Buddhism. Along with Sarnaht, Lumbini in Nepal and Bodhgaya, Koushinagar is one of the great places of pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Buddha.
