Āḷāra Kālāma

Āḷāra Kālāma (Pāḷi & Sanskrit Āḷāra Kālāma/ Arāḍa Kālāma]), was a hermit and a teacher of meditation.[1][2][3] He was a śramaṇa born in a Brahmin-family and, according to Buddhist scriptures, the first teacher of Gautama Buddha.[4]

History

Various recensions of the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta and other texts give an account of the Buddha being approached by a minister to the Mallas named Putkasa (Pali: Pukkusa) who told him about his teacher Āḷāra Kālāma's skill in meditation. One day, while deep in meditation, Āḷāra did not hear the sound of a caravan of five hundred wagons that passed by him. The Buddha shared a similar experience; while in the village of Ādumā, a rainstorm had frightened four cowherds and two workmen to death, while the Buddha remained calm due to his prowess in meditation.[5]

Āḷāra Kālāma taught a kind of early meditation at Vaiśālī.[6] Āḷāra taught Gotama meditation, especially a jhāna state called the "sphere of nothingness" (ākiṃcanyāyatana).[7][8] Gotama eventually found himself on par with Āḷāra , who could not teach him more, saying, "It is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a companion in the holy life ... As I am, so are you; as you are, so am I. Come friend, let us now lead this community together."[9] Gotama was not interested in staying, as Āḷāra's dharma did not lead to freedom from samsara. After leaving, Siddhartha found a new teacher, Udraka Rāmaputra.[10]

After attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha went to search for Āḷāra Kālāma to teach him the Dhamma, only to find that he had died seven days prior.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Wynne 2007, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Laumakis, Stephen. An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy. 2008. p. 8
  3. ↑ Upadhyaya, K. N. (2017). Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. Wisconsin, USA: María Triana. p. 163. ISBN 978-1138917019.
  4. ↑ Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu; Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1995). The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Somerville, MA: Wisdom. pp. 256–258. ISBN 0-86171-072-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ↑ "Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: The Miracle of Ādumā". 22 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Eliade, Mircea (2009). Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind. Boston, USA: Wisdom Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9780861713356.
  7. ↑ Wynne 2007, p. 76.
  8. ↑ "Ālāra Kālāma". Article on Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  9. 1 2 "Ariyapariyesana Sutta,translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  10. ↑ "The Buddha's First Teachers". Article on Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 20 April 2012.

Bibliography

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