Saturday 14 November 2009

Buddhism 101 list - the last words of the Buddha

At the Buddha’s Face we are embarking on a project to create a 101 list of things about Buddhism and the Buddha. So with this in mind let us start with the reported last words of the Buddha

“All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence.” Are recorded as being the Buddha's last words.

At his death, the Buddha told his disciples to follow no leader, but to follow what he had taught (dhamma).

When he reached 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Nirvana the final deathless state when he would abandon his body. After this, he ate his last meal, which he had received as a gift from a blacksmith named Cunda.

He fell violently ill and instructed his attendant Ānanda to persuade Cunda that this meal was not responsible for his illness and that this meal would be of great merit as it was his last meal.

Exactly what the ate is not clear, the Theravada tradition believes that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana tradition believes it was some kind of mushroom.

www.thebuddhasface.co.uk

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