San Lo Mvu 89After the Enlightenment

THE SŪTRA AFTER AWAKENING

Commentary According to the Theravāda Tradition

Background

This sūtra is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection that regulates the principles of life and practice for the Sangha. San Lo Mvu 89 belongs to the Mahāvagga section and records events related to the period just after the Buddha attained perfect awakening. These are not complete discourses, but actions and words of the Blessed One in the days after he attained Bodhi wisdom beneath the Bodhi tree.

This time is very important in the history of the Buddha-Dharma, because it marks the boundary between the human Gotama and the Blessed Buddha. These records show us how the Buddha lived, acted, reflected, and prepared to transmit the Teaching to humanity. The Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as historical and ethical testimony of the Sangha, so the details concerning the period after awakening have special value in the Theravāda tradition.

Main Content

After attaining Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi, unsurpassed complete perfect awakening, on the night of the Buddha's birth festival, the Buddha passed through a period of stillness and profound reflection. The sūtra records that he sat in meditation at different places beneath the Bodhi tree, spending many weeks contemplating the Dharma he had just realized.

In the first days, the Buddha did not immediately seek people to receive the Teaching. Instead, he completely abided in nirvana (Nibbāna), the supreme state of liberation. This slowness was not due to fear or hesitation, but because the Buddha observed that this Teaching was very profound and difficult to understand. It ran contrary to what the world usually believed.

The sūtra records that certain devas urged the Buddha to teach the Dharma to humanity. This was the moment when the Buddha considered: "Could anyone understand this Dharma?" This was a great challenge. Humanity was mired in ignorance (avidyā), greed, hatred, and delusion. How could they grasp the Noble Path?