In the interest in time for this semester, as this will be my last reading notes post, I decided to skip to the end of the book and read the last part.
Before the ending of the book, I did want to mention that this book is where my favorite Jataka is from. The story of the crane and the crab. It was by far my favorite and I even wrote a sequel to it to try and tie of any loose ends it may have had. It was a story that Buddha told, and I did not know that originally. Throughout the end of this book, there were many other Jatakas that the Buddha told, but I will not focus on those.
I want to focus on when he ascended into Nirvana. The scene that is set in the story is so vivid and I can picture it so well. It talks about two cherry blossoms that are in full bloom, but some of the flowers falling. These are in full bloom even though it is not the season for them. That is just how powerful Buddha is. Ananda, one of his disciples is there and goes to comfort the Buddha, but also he is scared that he has not been forgiven for all the wrong he has done. Of course, the Buddha comforts hi and tells him not to worry.
As the Buddha is about to die, he tells Ananda that his teachings will always be with him, so he will never actually be gone. The Buddha has given everything he has to his disciples and they are meant to carry on.
Eventually, Buddha died and the description here is very emotional. It said the earth shook. I am assuming that the earth was crying itself to loose the Buddha. He then ascended to Nirvana and his body was burned.
Before the ending of the book, I did want to mention that this book is where my favorite Jataka is from. The story of the crane and the crab. It was by far my favorite and I even wrote a sequel to it to try and tie of any loose ends it may have had. It was a story that Buddha told, and I did not know that originally. Throughout the end of this book, there were many other Jatakas that the Buddha told, but I will not focus on those.
I want to focus on when he ascended into Nirvana. The scene that is set in the story is so vivid and I can picture it so well. It talks about two cherry blossoms that are in full bloom, but some of the flowers falling. These are in full bloom even though it is not the season for them. That is just how powerful Buddha is. Ananda, one of his disciples is there and goes to comfort the Buddha, but also he is scared that he has not been forgiven for all the wrong he has done. Of course, the Buddha comforts hi and tells him not to worry.
As the Buddha is about to die, he tells Ananda that his teachings will always be with him, so he will never actually be gone. The Buddha has given everything he has to his disciples and they are meant to carry on.
Eventually, Buddha died and the description here is very emotional. It said the earth shook. I am assuming that the earth was crying itself to loose the Buddha. He then ascended to Nirvana and his body was burned.
(Buddha ascending to Nirvana. Source: Life of Buddha)
Bibliography: The Life of Buddha
Hi Jacob! I am here trying to get my extra (last minute) commenting done on here but I also enjoyed the story of the crane and the crab. This story fascinated me as I also changed up the way the story ended and allowed the characters to parallel characters from a movie / tv show rather than the regular jhataka itself. This story has so many morals and life lessons that individuals need to know about and learn from as it just leads to a more successful and intelligent lifestyle! Good job on this!
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