Seven where the Buddha attained enlightenment after defense.

Around the stupa with the board identified seven locations where Buddha sat for meditation and dharma path in preparation for his preaching.

The first week after his enlightenment, he sat quietly, at the old location to enjoy life first President, deliverance that he has labored search, is to give yourself a little more to pay for the search for the truth this great.

The second week he left the Bodhi roots, moving to the northeast, a Bodhi roots not far to look at it through the week without a wink, to pay tribute to this tree has rain cover support His sun during that time.

Third week, his meditation at Chankramenar range, along the northern corridor of the stupa. On this corridor has long carved stone lotus symbol, is the magic flower out when his foot support Buddha meditation retreat to within this range.

Fourth week, Ratnagraha temple Buddha sitting in meditation for contemplation of the noble law. At that time, his body releases the aura of brilliant colors: blue, yellow, red, white, orange. From this special event, Henry Steel Olcott he took this year to coordinate color Buddhist flag, became the color typical of the international Buddhist flag.

Then the Buddha sat under the trees Nigrodha, on Thursday week. Today this position opposite the stupa near the entrance. While sitting in meditation position Brahmin to ask the Buddha: "This venerable Gotama, how to become Brahma and what conditions to become Brahma?". Buddha replied, "Brahmin, who has shunned all evils, sins, no pride, has purged all pollution, restrained base, smooth the learning, life divine virtues, he is regarded as Brahma. For he no longer had the elated, oil is still in anywhere in the world. "

By the sixth week, the Buddha meditating at the lakeside of southbound Mucalinda stupa. Then lightning flashed heavy rain, the dragon lord Mucalinda out, his body wrapped around the first Buddha and used as parasols for Buddhist Museum from wetting rain.

Seventh week, the Buddha meditated under a tree Rajayatana. There were two merchants and Bhallika Tapussa Burmese generals passing by saw merit solemn Buddha, these two starting center should respectfully offer rice cakes and honey offerings to Him. Buddha has given this benefactor two wishes peace with his hair pinch for a souvenir. The two are considered the first two lay offerings to Buddha after enlightenment.

After weeks this Saturday ventricular Buddha of legal thinking that he has realized, while observing the nature beings to prepare for the transfer Dharma Wheel, for the benefit of gods and humans.

5. Song Nairanjana (Niranjara)

How to Bodh Gaya about 200 meters to the east with shallow river that runs along the northeast - southwest, is now the local people called the river Lilajan, ie Nairanjana River (Niranjara) old days, where there are several important events related to the life of Buddha are taken place before he became director. Spent six years in the forest Uruvela austerity, the body was exhausted, just skin and bones, but he has yet to realize enlightenment. Buddha expressed his feeling and suspicion and feeling disappointed in the way of asceticism is mentioned in the Central business: "Any recluses, Brahmin ever have feeling pain, fierce, terrible and could not overcome this suffering My life. However, with extremely harsh austerity this, I still do not achieve the goal of ultimate macho effort, wins that knowledge, the wisdom of sages. So there may be another path to enlightenment or not !? "

After the force strength exhausted, no longer able to stand or move his feet again, he was offered a bowl of porridge of milk she Sujata offered just in time. After using milk rice soup is done, the body feels healthy again, he got off the path of the saint is the middle path. He came Nairanjana waterfront, thrown into the water bowl of milk with prayers that: "If I achieve ultimate enlightenment is this bowl just drift up the river". Sure enough, when the bowl just hits the water, it immediately goes retrograde. Then he insisted that my way is the right one and I am sure will become a Buddha. He walked down to the river to wash clean and pass the other side, looking down manually place the path that his wife has just realized. On the way to the place where decisions carefully chosen by the enthusiasm finally, he had received bundles Kusa grass cowherd youth by offering to make a court sitting under the tree Tat tu la bowl (pippala), ie components life in Bodhgaya today. Also from getting her bowl of milk porridge and bathing Sujata, Buddha were five fellow ascetics despised and they ran away to the Deer Park of Benares to continue the path of asceticism, ascetic way Lam (Uruvela) about 200 km.

Before our eyes Nairanjana river without water, flat riverbed, sand and a lot of depth of about 5 feet of water from the river. In the dry season the rivers are no longer a little snippet country. We can guess that the shallow river bed is not the last time that was set up by sand from a few thousand years ago it was like, because the Buddha has reached across the river to get to Bodh Page.

Currently, the Government of India is the bridge that spans the river, so we very easily through the surrounding sanctuary Bodh Gaya. From the bridge we can see some relics like, the last tower in Bodhgaya, where Buddha head statues mountain ascetics ever ... and the life and lifestyle of all residents around the area, where it also reflects the reality of the lives of rural people throughout the territory of India.

6. Place celebrates her messenger I (Sujata)

Our delegation has visited village called My messengers (Sujata), Bodh Gaya way about 5km. At this place there is the village school for poor students also called Hindu historian I belong. Besides school brick tombs huge, 20m diameter, 10m high, is protective barrier around the tower shaped like Buddha's cremation, were unearthed by archaeologists in 2002 . the researchers said that this tomb is her memorial tower My messenger, built by king Asoka in her old house. From this location, walk across the small field of about 1.5 km, we arrived at her small shrine church historian I, who in the old village women offered milk bowl offerings to the Buddha attained enlightenment before day, one of two meals for the Buddha is the greatest merit of promoting morality throughout his life. Buddhist temple by the Burmese built to commemorate the village women who did in 1983. Inside, above the altar only Buddha images and statues kneeling woman offering milk to the Blessed One, this is the images that we know through the Buddhist artwork in Vietnam. Stories are told that: In a small village next to the forest with a herdsman family, wife named Su Gia Ta (Sujata). She was very happy just given birth to her first grandson. She squeezed the most delicious milk from the cow's husband, and prepared a sumptuous meal to bring offerings to the forest, to reward those gods helped her have a healthy baby.

Once in the woods, she sees recluses Siddhartha was sitting there, the Truth body was thin, frail, but the face of the still bright and comfortable space exudes extraordinary. I looked at her messenger recluses with surprise, she whispered said: "Until now we have never seen any character like that blessed minister, can you really the king of the gods in this tree!" She brings knowledge special food offerings that come to him. From this event it is carved the image of village women offered milk kneeling Buddha offerings.

Opposite direction behind the temple, also shaped altar girl aristocratic appearance with the maid kneeling milk offered to the Buddha. This second image is explained as follows: She is the daughter of a landowner in the village of Senani, near Uruvela. She prayed to the capital each tree gods that if her son's birth will be offered to the deity of milk porridge. When aspiration is achieved, they sent her maid named puñña · prepare the place offered. Her maid messengers We rode through the forest, revealing the incredible amenities of the ascetic Siddhartha, think it is gods or saints, ran home to tell the owner or preparing meals food offerings. So after prepared, she messenger I your servant with in person to donate Buddha. Based on this record, artisans have two daughters statuary fund offerings to Buddha milk.

Anyway, the event named Su village women who good we offered milk porridge ascetic Siddhartha attained enlightenment before the historical truth that nobody can deny, are things that we take as a premise the merit of giving way, is the foundation of kindness and compassion, and beauty is reflected in the life of a Buddhist virtue, is the first precept of the Van Hanh Luc (giving Three -la-density) of monks want to play great Bodhisattva vow to benefit all beings on this earth.

7. Mount Hanh Lam Statue Heads and Suffering

Statue Mountain Top Bodhgaya way about 8km by car route, where ancient Buddha with his year group Parivrajikas (Kodanna) and asceticism in this forest forests should Uruvela aka Hanh Lam Suffering, ie forests of the ascetic. Remote observation, we see on the mountain with the stone model extended like the two elephants lying around with each other, it is called Statue Top Mountain (mountain elephant head).

Buddha spent six long years of hardship in the forest. The diligent hard done ascetic path of fellow contemporaries who have admired and great pictures idol worthy to imitate. He thought can reach enlightenment by pain, quell any feelings, strangling all the needs of the body, with the hope that once players have mastered the participation of the body, the mind will be freedom from the dominance of matter to reach the sublime level of liberation. The process of asceticism gives him the result was catastrophic, emaciated body, wither almost had no strength to be able to keep him alive longer. The Buddha describes this in Majjhima: "Because I eat too little every day, so my body very thin. My hands and feet as dry bamboo tube filled with twisty. Two of my derriere become like iris buffalo, spinal cord protruding column look like beads. My ribs visible as rafters of the house crumbling columns. My pupil fovea deep in deep water glitter glitter like light from the bottom of deep wells. My scalp shriveled withered like bitter melon cut fruit exposed to the sun to dry. If I wanted to touch my belly skin to the spine touching because two things have to stick close together. If I want defecation or urination, then I fell face down on the ground. If I rub the feathers limbs decay fall in My Arms ".

Now we can not imagine that the ancient Buddha's life remains with the body like skin and bones. When reading through the passages above, we always thought that it was said cell skeleton alone!

We arrived in caves, where the ascetic Siddhartha retreat six years. Caves located halfway up the mountain, not very high, about 120 meters above the ground. Outside the caves have a wide space, can accommodate a few dozen people, everyone can focus for the ceremony. Inside we want to go through the door of stone about 1.2m tall, about 7 inches across. Inside a dark, narrow circumference, width about 3m, 5m long, 2m high. Inside the cave there is a pedestal, on a stone pedestal ascetic Buddha statue, thin skinny body just skin and bones. Looking at this picture very moving when we recall the arduous days of the Buddha, who was a martyr, because he wanted to find a way to save suffering beings that must forget themselves. Many people cried out loud or movement every drop rate cheeks, whispering in her mouth the words torment or chuckled, sniffed when bowed before his religious capacity. It was an impressive picture not only for Buddhists, but for anyone who knows love our fellow human thoughts, thinking about the world's sorrows.

Today life people here also reflects somewhat ascetic life of the Buddha, because there are too many poor people live, most of them thanks to beg money guest where operating pity declared flavor. Have to say, all the way to visit we have not found any place where the number of poor people and beggars Hanh Lam Suffering much as this area. We can feel the history of the land is full of memories, not only sort our hearts by six years of Buddhist monastic schools, but also a long time for several thousand years later only to witness each breath tired fatigue and tears of suffering, the unhappiness, one must make the primary heart sigh released when witnessing: the twenty-first century life remains uncivilized, lack of material, lack of minimum conditions, and lack of love, shared interest of the people. We think never have hearts of compassion as the Buddha truly accommodate and share all this tragedy.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.23/2/2016.MHDT.