The Sermon at Benares

1.0About the Author

Betty Louise Renshaw Barber was born in Shannon, Mississippi on September 3 , 1927. Betty was dedicated to serving God and loving others and often prayed that God would use her gifts for His glory.

2.0Central Idea

The Sermon at Benares is a part of her book named 'Values and Voices'. The Barber author Betty Renshaw was an American writer. This chapter 'The Sermon at Benares' throws light upon the early life of Lord Buddha who was originally born as a prince in the royal family. On being exposed to the sufferings of the world which he was earlier shielded from, he left his prince hood and went in search of salvation. Thus leaving all the worldly pleasures behind. Upon attaining spiritual awakening, he gave his first sermon in the city of Benares hereby making a lady named Kisa Gotami realise that men are mortal and a wise person should not grieve at what is bound to happen for it only enhances pain and suffering.

3.0Enlightenment

Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was born in a royal family. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu scriptures. He returned after four years. At the age of sixteen, he married a princess. They had a son. For ten years, the couple led a happy life. Until now, Siddhartha had been shielded from the sufferings of the world.

He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge. Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and truth. Finally, he sat down under a peepal tree to meditate. He vowed to stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days, Gautama got enlightenment. He named the tree as the 'Bodhi Tree', that is 'The Tree of Wisdom'. He became known as 'the Buddha' which means 'enlightened' or 'the awakened'. He began to teach and spread his message of wisdom and truth. Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is one of the holiest dipping places on the banks of the river Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering i.e. death. Here, the Buddha tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can't be escaped.

4.0A Handful of Mustard Seeds

A lady named Kisa Gotami had an only son. One day, her son died. She wanted that her child should become alive again. She needed some medicine to bring her son back to life, people called her mad. At last, she came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She approached Buddha with a request to give her a medicine, so that her only son could live again. After deep thought, the Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. But there was a condition. She must bring it from a house where no one had died ever. Kisa Gotami went from door-to-door to get the mustard seeds. She found mustard seeds in every home, but she could not find a home where nobody had died. By evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. Soon there was the darkness of the night. Exhausted, she considered the fate of man. She realized that death is inevitable. No one can escape it. She came back to the Buddha and asked for his blessings. The Buddha in his sermon told her that our life is brief and painful. Everyone who takes birth has to die. The vessel made by the potter is not permanent. It has to break one day. In the same way, everyone has to die one day.

5.0Let's Recall

• This lesson tells us about the life of Gautama Buddha, who was born in a royal family as Siddhartha.
• Once he saw a funeral procession, and monk begging for the alms.
• These sights moved him a lot and he decided to become a monk and started moving in search of enlightenment.
• He started meditation under a peepal tree and after seven days he got enlightenment and he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).
• He preached his first sermon at Benares.
• Once a woman came to him requesting to bring her dead son to life.
• Gautama Buddha asked the lady to bring handful of mustard seeds from the house where there had been no death.
• The lady moved from one house to another but she could not find a single house where no one has lost a child, husband, parents or friend.
• Then she came to know that death is common to all and is the ultimate truth.