Introduction.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.

According to the traditional dating, Shakyamuni Buddha ( Shakya thub-pa ), also known as the Gautama Buddha ( Ga-ma-ma ), lived between 566 and 485 BC Originally in Central North India. The sources of Buddhism have a lot of different narratives about his life, over time, more and more details gradually appear. Since the first Buddhist literature was written only after three centuries since Buddha passed away, it is difficult to be sure of the accuracy of the details found in these accounts. Moreover, just because some details in text form appear later than other details, we don't have enough reason to underestimate their value. Many details may have been continued word of mouth after other details have been written down.
Moreover, the traditional biographies of great Buddhist masters, including the Buddha himself, are often compiled for instructional purposes, not for storing historical documents. More specifically, the biographies of great masters have been written in a way to teach and inspire Buddhists who are pursuing the spiritual path, to liberation and enlightenment. Therefore, in order to benefit from the story of Buddha's life, we need to understand the story in this context and analyze lessons that we can learn from it.

Document origin

The earliest sources of the Buddha's life include, within the Theravada Buddhist scriptures, some Pali texts from the  Sutra of the Middle ( The Collection of Middle Discourses , Pali:  Majjhima Nikaya ) and from the various Theravada sects, some texts on the Vinaya, relating to the monastic rules of the monastery. However, each of these texts only shows small pieces of the Buddha's life. 
The first expanded narrative appeared in the Buddhist poem at the end of the second century BC, like  the Great Matters  ( Sanskrit:  Mahavastu) of the Mahasanghika school (Mahasanghika school) of the Hinayana. Although it does not belong to the  Sutra Tripitaka  ( SDe-snod gsum , Sanskrit:  Tripitaka ,  Three Baskets ), this text has added details, in addition to the  Tripitaka  ( sDe-snod gsum , Sanskrit:  Tripitaka ,  Three Baskets , such as the Buddha born as a prince in a royal family. Another poem appears in the text of the Most Precious School, belonging to the Hinayana:  Universal Magic  ( The Extensive Play Sutra , Sanskrit:  Lalitavistara Sutra). The later Mahayana texts of this work ( rGya-cher rol-pa'i mdo ) borrowed and elaborated on the previous version, for example by explaining that Shakyamuni Buddha was enlightened. long ago, and the reincarnation of Prince Siddhartha was just to prove the way to attain enlightenment, to guide sentient beings. 
Finally, some of these biographies are included in the  Tripitaka . The most famous is the  Legend of the Life of the Buddha  ( Deeds of the Buddha ,  Sangs-rgyas-kyi spyod-pa ze-bya-ba'i snyan-ngag chen-po , Sanskrit:  Buddhacarita ) by the poet Ashvaghosha ( rTa-dbyangs) wrote in the first century AD. Other texts appear later in tantras, as in Chakrasamvara ('  Khor-lo bde-mchog ). Here, we find the narrative that, while appearing as Germany Shakyamuni, preached  Beijing Prajnaparamita  ( Sutras on Far-Reaching Discriminating Awareness, Sher-phyin MDO ,  Prajnaparamita Sutras ,  Perfection of Wisdom Sutras ), Buddha simultaneously transformed into Vajradhara and taught Tantras. 
From every narrative, we can learn something and get inspiration. However, mainly consider the texts depicting the historical Buddha.

Dan Sinh, The Young Life and The Heart of Ly

According to the earliest reports, Shakyamuni ( Shakya thub-pa ) was born into a warrior family, wealthy aristocrat of Shakya, whose capital was the Shakyamuni city. ( Kapilavastu ,  Ser-skya'i gnas ), located on the border between India and Nepal today. There is no mention of his birth as a prince in a royal family. Only in the later narrative comes to his new born a prince and named Siddhartha ( Siddhartha ,  Don-grub ). His father is the Pure Land (Shuddhodana,  Zas gtsang-ma ). In later texts, his motherly identity is Ma Gia (Maya-devi,  Lha-mo syuu- 'phrul-ma) also appeared, as well as the account of the miraculously conceived Buddha in the dream, Ma Ma saw the six-tailed white elephant enter her side and the prophecy of the sage A Tu Da ( Asita), that the child will become a great king, or a noble sage. Later, there was also a description of the Buddha's pure birth from the side of his mother in a place not far from Ca Bhikkhu La Lama, in Lumbini Grove,  Lumbi-na'i tshal ). He walked seven steps at birth and said "I have arrived", along with the death of his mother after giving birth to him. 
In his youth, the Buddha lived a happy life. He married and had a son, La La La (Rahula,  sGra-gcan 'dzin). In later texts there is the name of his wife, Da Da La (Yashodhara,  Grags' dzin-ma ). However, at the age of twenty-nine, the Buddha renounced his family life and royal heritage, becoming a meditator wandering mendicants ( dge-sbyong , Sanskrit:  shramana ).

It is important to look at the mind of the Buddha's separation in the social context and the time at that time. When he became a wandering investigator, the Buddha did not abandon his wife and children, so that they lived alone in poverty. Surely, they were taken care of by his rich family. Moreover, the fact that the Buddha belongs to the warrior class means that someday, He will have to leave the family for the battle. The family of a warrior must accept this, as this is the duty of the man. Warriors in ancient India did not bring their families with them to the barracks.
Although the battle may be against the enemies outside, the real battle is against our inner enemies, and this is the battle the Buddha left to fight. The Buddha left his family for this purpose, showing that it was the duty of an investigator, to devote his entire life to pursuing a purpose. However, in our modern world, if we leave the family to become a monk and launch this inner battle, we need to make sure our family members are well cared for. This means not only worrying about the needs of your spouse and children, but also of our aging parents. However, whether or not we leave the family, the duty of a Buddhist to follow the spiritual path is to alleviate suffering, by overcoming the passion for pleasure,
To overcome suffering, the Buddha wanted to understand the nature of birth, aging, sickness, death, rebirth, sorrow and ignorance. Some time later, an extended text of this appeared, through the circumstances of Xa Nam, the charioteer, taking the Buddha on a trip through the city. When He saw the sick, the elderly, the dead and the ascetic monks, Xa Chan explained to him about these people. Thus, the Buddha clearly identified the true suffering that people have to go through and the possible way to escape suffering. 
The circumstances involved receiving the charioteer 's help on the spiritual path relative to the circumstances of Arjuna in the  Bhagavad Gita  ( Srid-sgrub ), hearing his charioteer Krishna ('  Dom- pa nag-po) talking about the urgency of pursuing the duty of a warrior like him, and fighting in a battle against his relatives. In both cases of Buddhists and followers of Hinduism, we can all see a deeper meaning of transcending the walls of our comfortable life, with what is familiar and never give up the duty to find truth. In each case, perhaps the chariot represents the vehicle of consciousness that leads to liberation, and the charioteer's words express the driving force behind that vehicle, namely the truth of reality.

Cultivation and Enlightenment

As a wandering single person, the Buddha studied with two teachers on methods to reach different levels of concentration ( bsam-gtan , Sanskrit:  dhyana) and formlessness. Although He was able to reach the profound states of perfect concentration, he no longer experienced the great suffering, or even the ordinary happiness of the world, but he was not satisfied. These higher consciousness states only bring temporary relief, not permanent liberation for unfortunate feelings, and certainly not destroy the deeper, deeper suffering that He sought to overcome. After that, he practiced the practice of extreme suffering with five fellow practitioners, but this practice also did not eliminate the deeper problems, related to birth and death without reincarnation ('  khor- three , Sanskrit:  samsara ). The Buddha's end of fasting after six years of ascetic practice on the banks of the Ni Lien Zen River (Nairanjana River, Chu-bo Nai-ranyja-na ), along with the girl Tu Gia Da Da (Sujata,  Legs-par sky-ma ) offered him a bowl of milk rice, only appeared in the narrative later. 
For us, the example of the Buddha shows that we should not only be satisfied with complete peace of mind, or achieve the feeling of "sublimation" through meditation, not to mention the artificial means such as narcotics. . Going into a deep state of coma, or torturing or punishing yourself is not the solution. We must go all the way to liberation and enlightenment, not to be satisfied with spiritual means that cannot lead us to these goals.
After giving up the ascetic practice, the Buddha meditated alone in the jungle to overcome his fear. Inside the fear is the ego-mind and the attachment to "I" cannot exist, even more powerful than the urge to seek hidden pleasures and entertainment. Therefore, in the book  Falun of the Sharp Weapon ( Blo-sbyong mtshon-cha'i 'khor-lo ) in the 10th century BC, the Indian master Dharmarakshita ( Dharma-rakshi-ta ) used images of peacocks wandering in the poisonous forest to represent the bodhisattvas using and transforming the toxic emotions of greed and hatred, to help them overcome the craving for attachment and attachment take an "impossible".
After much practice of meditation, the Buddha was completely enlightened at the age of thirty-five. Later reports also provide details about his enlightenment under a Bodhi tree (byang-chub-kyi shing) in Bodh Gaya (Bodh Gaya, rDo-rje gdan) today, after having Successfully prevent the Demon King's attacks (bDud). This envious Maou tried to prevent the Buddha from being enlightened by making scary or tempting images appear to disturb the Buddha's meditation under the Bodhi.
According to the first accounts, the Buddha was fully enlightened by attaining the three types of knowledge: the complete knowledge of all his past lives, the karma and the rebirth of all beings, and the Four Noble Truths. Later reports also explain that with enlightenment, Buddha attained omniscience.

Teaching and Forming the Sangha

After the achievement of liberation and enlightenment, the Buddha hesitated about teaching others how to achieve such achievements. He felt that no one would understand this. However, the Pham Thien gods (Brahma,  Tshang-pa ) and De Thich (Indra,  dBang-po ) pleaded with him to teach. According to the teachings of Brahman that later developed into Hinduism, Pham Thien was the creator of the universe and Emperor Thich was the King of the gods. In his plea, Pham Thien told the Buddha that this world would suffer a lot of constant suffering if the Buddha did not teach, and at least some people would understand His words.
This may be a satirical element that shows the hostility of the Buddha's teaching, surpassing the traditional spiritual methods of India during his time. After all, if even the most noble gods recognize that the world needs the teachings of the Buddha, they themselves lack the means to help sentient beings end their suffering; then we are ordinary disciples, needing these teachings more. Moreover, in the image of Buddhism, the Brahma represents the arrogance. The wrong belief of this god believes that he is the almighty creator, symbolizing the pattern of false belief in self. exist as an "impossible" self - namely an "I" that can control everything in the world. Such misguided belief will undoubtedly bring frustration and suffering.
Accepting the request of Pham Thien and De Thich, the Buddha went to Saddam (Sarnath) and in the Deer Park (Deer Park,  Ri-dags-kyi gnas , Sanskrit:  Mrgadava ), He taught the Four Noble Truths for my previous five colleagues. In the image of Buddhism, deer symbolizes harmony, so the Buddha taught a means of harmony, avoiding extremes of hedonism and asceticism. 
Soon, some young people in Ba La Nai (Varanasi,  Va. Ghana)) nearby also joined the Buddha as a mendicant wandering, keeping a strict celibate lifestyle. The parents of these people became home disciples and began to practice for the mendicant. When someone in the Sangha is fully trained and qualified, the Buddha sends him out to teach others. In this way, the group of mendicant disciples following the Buddha quickly developed and soon they settled and formed separate "clergy" communities in many places.
The Buddha organized these clergy communities according to practical principles. Monks, if we can use this term from the beginning, can accept candidates who join the community, but they must follow certain restrictions to avoid colliding with the secular government. Therefore, the Buddha does not allow criminals, royal servants like the military, unpaid slaves, and people with infectious diseases such as leprosy to join the community. monk. Moreover, those under the age of twenty are not accepted. The Buddha wanted to avoid any trouble and ensured the reverence of the people for the clergy and Dharma community. This shows us that, as a disciple of Buddha, we need to respect local customs and act with respect,
Not long after that, the Buddha returned to the kingdom of Ma Kiệt (Magadha,  Yul ma-dha ), where Bodhgaya was located. He was King Qin Ba Sa La (Bimbisara,  gZugs-can snying-po )  ,  who became a master and disciple of Buddha, invited to the capital, to become Wang Xa (Rajagrha,  rGyal-po'i khab ) - today is Rajgir. There, the friends of the Relics (Shariputra,  Sha-ri'i bu ) and the Section of the Lien (Maudgalyayana,  Mo'u dgal-gyi bu ) also joined the growing Sangha of the Buddha and became some of his closest disciples.
Within a year after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha returned to his hometown of Ca La La, where his son La La La also joined the sangha. Before that, the Buddha's half-brother was A Nan (Nanda,  dGa'-bo ), who left the family and joined the Sangha . The father of the Buddha, Shuddhodana (Shuddhodana), was very sad because there was no one following the line, so the king asked the Buddha that in the future, a son in the family must have the approval of New parents can join the Sangha. The Buddha fully agreed. This narrative shows that the Buddha is not cruel to his father, but shows the importance of avoiding creating aversion to Buddhism, especially in our families.
There is a later occurrence of the Buddha's encounter with His family when he used divine powers to go to the Three Gorges, or to follow some documents, to be the God of Power (Tushita,  dGa '). -ldan ) to teach His mother, who was reborn in this realm. This shows the importance of gratitude and hospitality for her mother.

The Development of the Sangha

The clergy communities of the Buddha in the early days were small, not more than twenty people. Each autonomous community and obeying the boundaries is set for the alms road of monks. Each community's actions and decisions are done in a way that votes in unanimous ways to avoid discord. No one is set to be the sole authority. Instead, the Buddha instructed them to increase the teaching itself as power. Even the law of the Sangha can change, if necessary, but any change must be based on the consensus of the whole community. 
King Bimbisara suggested Buddha accepted custom of other mendicant groups, such as Jainism (Jains,  gCer-bu-pa )  ,  held a ceremony to reveal Penance four month period (gso-sbyong, Skt. uposhadha).  According to this custom, members of the clergy community will gather at the beginning of each quarter in each lunar month to discuss teachings. The Buddha agreed, this shows that he is open to the customary suggestions of each moment. In fact, the Buddha modeled many aspects of the spiritual community and the structure of his teachings according to the Christian cycle. Great Can Dung (Mahavira), the founder of Ky Na religion, lived before Buddha for about half a century.
Not long after that, Shariputra (Shariputra) asked the Buddha to establish a rule on precepts. However, the Buddha decided to wait until specific problems arise before establishing a vow to avoid the recurrence of such a case. The Buddha used this approach for both types of behaviors, natural destructive behaviors for those who committed them, and neutral moral acts banned for some in one case number, for some reason. Therefore, these precepts ( 'dul-ba,  Sanskrit:  vinaya ) are very pragmatic and formulated specifically, with the Buddha's main concern being to avoid problems and not create gender offenses. .
Based on these precepts, the Buddha instituted chanting in four monks every month, along with the monks' public recognition of any transgressions. The expulsion from the Sangha will happen to the most serious violations, in addition, the transgressors only have to go through a trial period. At a later time, such meetings are held twice a month. 
The next rule of the Buddha is that it is a peaceful retreat in the rainy season ( dbyar-gnas,  Sanskrit:  varshaka), during this time, monks must stay in one place, avoiding walking. The goal is to prevent damage to crops when monks cross the fields, when roads are flooded. Maintaining a low-security retreat in the rainy season leads to the establishment of fixed monasteries. Again, this development occurs to avoid any harm to the lay community and to gain their respect. The construction of permanent monasteries is also approved because it is practical. 
Starting the second retreat in the rainy season on the second day, the Buddha spent twenty-five years of low-security retreat in the Ky Vien forest (Jetavana,  rGyal-bu rgyal-byed-kyi tshal ) outside Xa Ve. (Shravasti,  gNyan-yod )  ,  the capital of the Kingdom of the Slap (Koshala,  Ko-sa-la)). Here, the Solitary Level merchant (Anathapindada,  mGon-med zas-sbyin ) built a monastery for the Buddha and his monks, and the Persian King (Prasenajit, ryal  -po gSa-rgyal ) also said additional support for the Sangha. The monastery at the Life of the Loner (Jetavana) is where many great events have occurred in the life of Buddha. The most famous event was his defeat of the leaders of the six great pagan schools of his time, in a miraculous competition.
Today, none of us can perform skilled divine powers. However, the Buddha's use of divine powers rather than using arguments to defeat his opponents shows that when the minds of others are not open to reasoning, the best way to convince them of value of their own understanding is to prove to them the level of realization by their work and behavior. There is a saying in English: "Action has a greater echo than words."

Formed the Nunnery

During the Buddha's later career as a monk, he established a religious community in Bhikshu (Vaishali,  Yangs-pa-can ), at the request of his aunt, Ma Ha Ba Xa Ba. Threads (Mahaprajapati,  sKye-dgu'i bdag-mo chen-mo )  . At first, he was reluctant to initiate such a nunnery, but then he decided it could be done, if he made more vows for nuns, compared to monks. In doing so, the Buddha does not mean that women are less disciplined than men and need to be more attentive by keeping more precepts. Rather, he was afraid that the formation of a nunnery would bring about a scandal and his teachings would soon end. Above all, the Buddha wanted to avoid public disrespect, so the nunnery needed to overcome any doubts about unscrupulous acts.
However, in general, the Buddha was reluctant to establish the precepts and was ready to remove some smaller rules, if they were considered unnecessary. His policy shows the dynamics of two truths - the deepest truth and still respect the truth of the convention in accordance with local customs. Although in the deepest truth there is no problem with establishing a nunnery; however, in order to avoid civilians belittling Buddhism, there is a need for more precepts for nuns. According to the deepest truth, no matter what society says, it doesn't matter; However, according to conventional truth, it is important that the Buddhist community deserves respect and trust from the public. So in modern times and societies,
Finally, tolerance and compassion are key principles in Buddha's teaching. For example, He encouraged new Buddhists, who had previously supported other religious communities, to continue this support. In the same way, he also told the members to take care of each other. For example, if a monk becomes ill, other monks must take care of him, because they are all members of the Buddhist family. This is also an important precept for all lay Buddhists.

Teaching Method of Buddha

The Buddha taught people both by His example and by His teachings. Regarding the teachers, he applies two methods, depending on when He is giving a lecture to an individual or group. Before the audience groups, the Buddha will lecture in the form of sermons, often repeating each point with different words, so that the audience can remember more carefully. However, when giving teachings to individuals, usually after the life of a boy that a certain family invited Him and raised them, the Buddha would use a different approach. He never opposed or challenged the views of listeners, but would accept their position and raise questions to help listeners clarify their thoughts. In this way, the Buddha leads listeners to improve their stance and gradually gain a deeper understanding of reality.
Another example is the Buddha's instruction to a desperate mother, who brought the body of her child to the Buddha and pleaded him to help the child rise. The Buddha told the mother to bring him a mustard seed from a house where death never occurred, and He would see what could be done to help her children. That woman went from one house to another, but every family had someone who died. Gradually, she realized that everyone had to die and so she could calmly bring her child to cremation.
The teaching method of the Blessed One shows us that when helping others solve personal problems, it is best not to confront them. The most effective way is to help them think for themselves. However, for those who want to learn about the dharma, we need to explain it frankly.

Intrigue Against Buddha and Ly Cockroaches

Seven years before the Buddha entered nirvana, his jealous cousin, Thich Dat Dat (Devadatta,  Lhas-byin ), plotted to take over the leadership of his Sangha . Similarly, Thai Tu A Xa The (Ajatashatru,  Ma-skyes dgra) also conspired to take over the throne of his father, King Qin Ba Sa La, ruler of Ma Kiet. So the two of them worked together to plan. Prince A Soap World tried to kill King Qin Ba Sa La, and eventually the king gave up his throne and handed the throne back to his son. Seeing the success of Thai Prince A Soap, De Ba Dat Da asked the Prince to assassinate the Buddha, but every attempt to kill him failed.
After that, De Ba Dat Da deliberately dragged them away from the Buddha by declaring that he was "more holy" than his cousin, and therefore proposed a strict system of precepts. than. According to the book " The Path of Purification " ( The Path of Purification, Pali: Visuddhimagga ) of the Great Buddha Yin (Buddhaghosa), a teacher of Theravada Buddhism in the fourth century BC, the Proposals Dat Da offers for monks to include:

• Dressed with torn fabric,
• wear only three ys,
• go begging for food and never accept an invitation to go on a meal,
• don't miss any house when you beg for alms,
• use up all the good food
• Just eat from your bowl
• reject any other food,
• just live in the forest,
• live under a tree,
• live outdoors, not in the house,
• mainly living in charnel grounds,
• satisfied with the shelter you find while traveling from place to place,
• Sleeping sitting, never sleeping

The Buddha said that if they increased those who wanted to apply these rules, it would be fine, but he did not force anyone to do so. However, some of his monks have chosen to follow De Ba Dat Da, leave the Buddha's Sangha and establish their own monks. 
According to Theravada Buddhism, the additional precepts set by De Dat Da are called thirteen almonds ( Pali: dhutanga )  .  The tradition of the monks living in the forest is still found, for example in Thailand today, seems to come from this practice. His Holiness Caesar(Mahakashyapa, '  Od-bsrung chen-po ), the disciple of the Buddha, is the most famous practitioner of following this strict rule. Many forms of this precepts are also made by mendicants (Sanskrit: sadhu ) obeys, in the Hindu tradition. Their practice seems to be a continuation of the tradition of the mendicant wandering in the direction of the Buddha. 
Mahayana has a similar list of the twelve specific early almonds ( sbyangs-pa'ispaceyon-tan, Sanskrit: dhutaguna )  .  This category removed the "not missing any house when qifu mumo", in addition to the "wearing y was discarded in the trash", combining two points "to beg for alms" and "only eat from the bowl I entered into one. The tantric mahasiddhas ( grub-thob chen-po, Sanskrit: mahasiddha ) of the Indian tradition later followed the majority of these precepts. They are present in both religion, Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism.
The separation from the Buddhist tradition has been strengthened, then the establishment of another Sangha - for example, in the modern era, the establishment of a separate Buddhist center - is not a problem. This act, by itself, does not create a "breakaway in the monk community", one of the five  elements (mtshams-med lnga) . However, De Ba Dat Da created the separation and committed such a felony, because the monks separated and followed him raised an extreme malice towards the monastic community of the Buddha and criticize them vehemently. According to some reports, the intention of this evil cockroach has lasted for several centuries.
The narrative of this separation revealed that the Buddha was extremely tolerant and not a fundamentalist. If his disciple wants to apply the precepts more strictly than what he has set for them, that is fine; and if they don't want it, it's fine. No one is forced to practice what the Buddha taught. Even if a monk or nun wants to leave the congregation, it's fine. However, the extremely negative thing is the division of the Buddhist community, especially the separation of the monastic community into two or more groups, in which one group or both are evil together, trying to be discredit or destroy each other. Even taking part in one of these conflict factions later and participating in a hate campaign against the other side is extremely harmful. However, If one of these groups participates in the act of sabotaging or harming, or applying harmful precepts, compassion is where you will ask people to be vigilant about the danger of joining that group. However, your motivation to do this must never mix with anger, hatred, or revenge.

Killing Buddha

Although when the liberation was achieved, the Buddha overcame normal death without control; however, at the age of eighty-one, the Buddha decided that teaching his disciples to understand impermanence would be beneficial, and he left his body. Before doing this, he gave his attendant, Ananda (Ananda,  Kun-dga'-bo ) an opportunity to ask Him to live and teach longer, but A Nan did not understand the evocation. Buddha's will. This shows that a Buddha only teaches when there is a request, and if no one asks or cares for, He will go elsewhere, where He can create more benefits. The presence and teaching of a teacher depends on the disciples. 
Then in Cau Thi Na (Kushinagara,  Ku-sha'i grong-khyer, gNas rtsva-mchog))  ,  at the home of Thuan Da (Chunda), the Buddha became seriously ill after eating the meal because the monk offered Him and His monk group. In the last minute, the Buddha told monks that if they had any doubts, or questions that they had no answers, they should rely on His teachings and their precepts. . Those things will now be their teachers. Therefore, the Buddha pointed out that each person must answer his or her questions from those teachings. No one has absolute authority to give an answer. Then the Buddha entered.
Thuan Da was completely distraught when he thought he had poisoned the Buddha. But Ananda comforted the homeowner, saying that he actually created great karma, or "merit", when offering to the Buddha the last meal, before He passed away. 
The cremation ceremony was celebrated for the Buddha, and his relics were enshrined in stupas - memorials containing relics - especially in places that became four major pilgrimage places for Buddhists:

• Lumbini, where Buddha was born,
• Bodhgaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment,
• Satan, where he gave the first Dharma,
• Verse Thi Na, where He died.

Conclude

Different Buddhist traditions have different narratives about the life of the Buddha. That difference shows how each tradition conceives of Buddha and what we can learn from His example.

• The Hinayana texts only talk about the historical Buddha. By stating how he has practiced to practice enlightenment, we will learn how to practice self-cultivation.
• According to the general text of the Mahayana, the Buddha attained enlightenment from many a previous periods. By showing a life with twelve enlightened virtues, He taught us that enlightenment requires the practice of forever for the benefit of all beings.
• According to the narrative of Anuttarayoga tantra, the Buddha appeared to be Sakyamuni preaching the Sutra on Far-reaching Discriminateing Awareness ,  The Prajnaparamita Sutras , At the same time, he is also the Venerable Kim Vajradhara (teaching Vajradhara). This shows that Tantric practice is entirely based on the Middle Ages (Madhyamaka) teachings on non-general (voidness).

Therefore, we can learn many useful things from each text about the life of Buddha, and get inspiration at many different levels.

Summary

Buddhist traditions have different narratives about the life of Buddha. This difference shows how each tradition perceives a Buddha and what we can learn from his example. Hinayana's explanation only talks about the historical Buddha. Thanks to the description of how the Buddha has practiced to attain enlightenment, we understand that even ordinary people like us can do so, and we will strive to practice. According to the general explanation of the Mahayana, the Buddha attained the enlightenment of many a previous periods. By showing his life with 12 enlightened virtues, he taught us that we must serve forever for the benefit of all beings, to attain enlightenment. According to the Supreme Master Ching Hai's interpretation, the Buddha manifested as Shakyamuni Sutra Sutra, At the same time, it is also the Vajrayana Buddha. This shows that the practice of Tantric teachings is completely based on the Dharma of the Chinese tradition of emptiness. Therefore, we can learn many useful things from each explanation of the life of the Buddha, and create inspiration at many levels.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.25/2/2019.