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________________ I Gautama have attained this state and if you try wholeheartedly you also can attain this state. The Early Teachings of the Buddha After his great enlightenment (nirvana), Siddhartha, now called the Buddha, proceeded to share the path to nirvana with others. He gave his first sermon, “Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law,” in Rishi Pattam of Sarnath, near the city of Banaras in northeastern India. In response to this, five men became his disciples. During the remaining 45 years of his life he spread his message to all, from kings to poor alike, by traveling through neighboring states, such as Avadha, and Bihar. Most of his teaching took place in the state of Bihar and Ayodhya. In his first sermon, the Buddha taught: Mendicants should avoid these two extremes: First, avoid sensual pleasures and second, refrain from pain-inflicting austerities. Avoiding these two extremes I have found the Middle Way. This path leads to knowledge and truth. Also this is the bestower of Peace (shanti) Prasenajit, the king of Koshel kingdom, Bimbsara, the king of Magadha, and Ajatshatru accepted this message and became the disciples of Lord Buddha. The Buddha established a community of his mendicant disciples. He gave his congregation of mendicants this three-fold proclamation: “I take refuge in 135
SR No.007668
Book TitleHarmony of All Religions
Original Sutra AuthorN/A
AuthorParmahans Maharaj, Veena Rani Howard
PublisherUSA Santmat Society of North America
Publication Year
Total Pages372
LanguageEnglish
ClassificationBook_English
File Size7 MB
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