Buddha's Ayusanskar Parityag Day

Renunciation of life is one of the important events in the life of Gautam Buddha. It is given great importance by the Buddhist community. Since it is the day of Magh Purnima, this day is celebrated as the Day of Renunciation of Life.

Birth, Bodhisattva, first turning of the Dharma Chakra and Mahaparinirvana are four important events, and renunciation of life is also one of the other four events. Therefore, it is customary to call all these eight places as Ashta Mahasthan. The place where he renounced life is Vaishali. Buddhists consider Ashta Mahasthan as a place of pilgrimage.

It is well known that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment on the night of the full moon of Vaishakh in 528 BC in Bodh Gaya. To attain enlightenment means to become a Buddha. Another event also occurred at this time. A Mara came to the Buddha and while talking to the Buddha, he urged him, ‘You have become a Buddha by attaining enlightenment, now you should also attain Nirupadishesha Nirvana. Attaining enlightenment by attaining enlightenment is called Nirupadishesha Nirvana, while renouncing the body is called Nirupadishesha Nirvana. Mara’s request was, ‘Do not sit around preaching the Dharma, but leave the body and go.’ At that time, the Buddha told Mara, ‘Until my monks, nuns, and male and female worshippers are competent in the Dharma, I will not attain Nirvana.’ Then Mara went on his way. Forty-five years later, three months before the end of the month of Magha, when the Buddha was living in a monastery in Vaishali, Mara came again and said, “The monks, nuns, and male and female worshippers have become competent in the Dharma, now it is time to attain Nirvana.”

On the day of Vaishakh Purnima, three months after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha first set the wheel of the Dharma in Sarnath. The meaning of setting the wheel of the Dharma is to tell others about the enlightenment he had attained, that is, to spread the word of the Dharma to the people. After listening to the Buddha’s sermon, a few days later, five monks succeeded in attaining arahantship. Arahantship means having realized the Dharma and no longer being reborn in suffering. Then he ordained Yashkumar and his companions and sent all the monks in all directions to preach the Dharma, before setting off for Rajgir, the capital of Magadha. The Buddha spent forty-five years traveling to various places and preaching the Dharma. In the meantime, many people had attained arahantship, and the Buddha's Dharma had spread far and wide. The Sangha had become strong. Mara, who was watching all this, felt that the time had come and came to tell the Buddha to renounce his body. The Buddha also told Mara that he would renounce his body in three months. This announcement of renunciation of the body is called the renunciation of life in the Buddhist world. Immediately after this announcement, the earth shook (earthquake). When the monk Ananda came to tell the Buddha that the earth shook, the Buddha also said that the Tathagata (the Perfect Buddha) would shake like this when he renounces life.

A Buddha does not become a Buddha just like that. After formally establishing himself in front of a Perfect Buddha, one becomes a Bodhisattva, and after becoming a Bodhisattva, one undergoes many hardships, is reborn repeatedly, fulfills all the paramis, and finally attains Buddhahood. This is a rare event. There is no rebirth after becoming a Buddha. It can be done. According to Gautam Buddha, Buddhas could have lived for a long time if they wanted. But he renounced the life rituals saying that he would leave the body in the next three months.

Every incident of Buddha is found to be meaningful. Even by renouncing the life rituals, Buddha gave an example of renunciation. Nothing is always in the same state, everything is changing and every living being has to die one day. This is the law of nature. Even Buddha did not want to go against this natural law.

The place where Gautam Buddha renounced the life rituals is Vaishali, which is now about 50 kilometers from Patna, the capital of the state of Bihar, India. Many structures were later built in the area of ​​​​Vihar where Buddha lived at that time. The archaeological ruins of those structures are still there. Buddhists from all over the world visit this place and pay homage to Buddha.