The one disciple of the Buddha most often mentioned in his discourses is Ananda. Amongst all those great monks around the Buddha he occupies a unique position, and this in many respects, as will be mentioned in these blog.
If one considers as conversation also the silent,inner rapport with a dhamma discourse, then the whole of pali canon actually consist of Ananda's conversation with the Buddha. we cannot tell all dialogues between Buddha and Ananda mentioned in pali canon .only some are mention in this page.
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Ananda
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1- Buddha's last days–
On reaching the village of kusinara of the mallas on the further side of the hiranyavati river,the buddha realised that his end was fast approaching. He told Ananda to prepare a bed for him with its head turned towards the north between two sal trees. Ananda who served him for 20 years was deeply upset."Don't grieve,Ananda!" The Buddha console s him ."the nature of things dictates that we must leave those dear to us Everything born contains its own cessation. I too, Ananda, am grow old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to its close, I am turning 80 years of age, and just as a worn out cart can only with much additional care be made to move along, so too the body of buddha can only be kept going with much additional care".
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eye opening conversation
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2– An eye opening conversation —
Ananda– I can't find free time. Life has become hectic.
Buddha said– Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.
Ananda– why has life become complicated now?
Buddha– stop analyzing life. It makes it complicated. Just live it.
Ananda– why are we then constantly unhappy?
Buddha– worrying has become your habit.That's why you are not happy.
Ananda– why do good people always
suffer?
Buddha– diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trails,but don't suffer. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.
Ananda– In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
Buddha– Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.
Ananda– what surprises you about people?
Buddha – when they suffer they ask,"why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "why me?.
Ananda– how can I get the best out of life?
Buddha– face your past without regret.handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.
Ananda– one last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
Buddha– There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.
3—Once Ananda saw an archer perform extraordinary feats.He told to buddha how he had admired that.( Ananda came from the warrior caste and probably greatly appreciated such skill.) The buddha used this statement to draw an analogy. He said it was more difficult to understand and penetrate the four noble truths than to hit and penetrate with an arrow a hair split seven times.
4— Ananda once saw the famous Brahman janussoni, a disciple of the Buddha, driving along in his glorious, white chariot. He heard the people exclaim that the chariot of the priest of king pasendi's court was the most beautiful and best of all. Ananda reported this to buddha explained in a detailed analogy what the vehicle to Nibbana had to consist of :the draft-animals had to be faith and wisdom,moral shame the brake,intellect the reins, mindfulness
the charioteer, virtue the accessories, jhana the axle, energy the wheels,equanimity the balance, renunciation the chassis, the weapons were love,harmlessness and solitude, and patience its armor.
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| Buddha and ananda |
5– The most pre-eminent disciples– The buddha once said that of all his disciples,Ananda was pre- eminent of those who had heard much Dharma, who had a good memory, who had mastered the sequential order of what he had remembered and who was energetic. The Buddha could not write, indeed, although writing was known at the time, it was little used. Both during his life and for several centuries after his final nirvana,his words were committed to memory and transmitted from one person to another ananda's highly developed memory, plus the fact that he was constantly at the Buddha's side, meant that he,more than any other person, responsible for preserving and transmitting the Buddha's teachings.
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| Buddha and Hercules |
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| Buddha and Hercules |
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