The twenty-eight Buddhas are honoured at the time of the Buddhist festivals in the countries where the Theravada is prevalent, like the Myanmar, the Laos or the Thailand. It is about twenty-seven Bouddha S of passed and the Bouddha Gautama which comes to their continuation.
Twenty-four Buddhas of the past are listed in the Chronique Buddhas (Buddhavamsa) that the tradition allots to Gautama itself; the list was enriched later on by three. The twenty-seven Tathagata S of the past is associated with the spiritual course of the historical Buddha.
Three stages of Gautama
A future perfect Buddha likely to be used as guide with the whole of the sensitive beings must cross three very long stages, measured in mahakalpas (super-éons), before being carried out fully. During the first stage, manopandila kala or “mental stage”, the Bodhisattva mentally aspires many times to becoming Buddha with the sight of a Tathagata confirmed. During the second, vacipanidhana kala or “verbal stage”, it verbally expresses on several occasions its wish to become Buddha. This one is approved by the various Buddhas who hear it, but none addresses a definite prophecy to him indicating the place, the time or the characteristics of its birth when it becomes Buddha in its turn. It is only at the time of the third stage, called vaci-panidhana kala , that it receives a precise prophecy. Gautama heard his of Dipankara. During this last stage known as of “activity”, the practice of the virtues Paramita S by the bodhisattva seems particularly put to the test.
Manopandila kala
This stage began for the future Buddha Gautama there are 300.000 mahakalpas and 7 asankheyya (incalculable periods) before its birth (7 asankheyas only according to certain versions). He aspired in this state for the first time at the time of the Brahma-Deva Buddha, by seeing it of his balcony whereas he was king Atideva. During the course of this cycle, it met with the wire of its successive existences 125.000 other Buddhas whose names are not known (125 only according to certain versions), and remade at the time of each meeting the mental wish to become like them. The end of the stage coincides with one period when the decline of the doctrines (Dharma) is total and where there is no more Buddha. Fortunately for the Gautama future, it is at this stage already turned for a long time towards the ascetic life, reached the fourth level of Jhana (concentration), and can thus finish the stage in the world of the brahmas, highest of the divine worlds, all the more comfortable as it is entirely deprived of beings of female kind.
Vacipanidhana kala
This stage would have begun 200.000 mahakalpas and 9 ashankeyyas (or 9 ashankeyyas only) before the birth from Gautama. This one was then a prince of the name of Sagara, which expressed its wish to become Tathagata with the Buddha Purana Gotama of the clan Shakya and became its disciple. He met thereafter 387.000 Buddhas (or 387) and in front of each one of them reiterated his wish.Certain traditions name three Buddhas having existed during the last mahakalpa of the period, which come to be added to the original list of the twenty-four Buddhas of the Buddhavamsa , from where is absent Purana Gotama besides. It is about Tanhankara, Medhankara and Saranankara. At the end of the stage, Gautama again finds refuge in the world of the brahmas.
Kayapanidhana kala
All the sources agree to make begin this stage 100.000 mahakalpas and 4 asankheyyas before the birth from the Buddha. During an existence where he is the ascetic Brahmane Sumedha, he receives from the Buddha Dipankara his final prophecy.One considers that this last stage on the way of perfect Buddha can include/understand 4,8 or 16 asankeyyas, according to the principal practice chosen by the bodhisattva. Fastest is that of wisdom (paninia or hammered), selected by the Gautama future. The faith (saddha) requires 8 asankeyyas and the effort, choice according to some of the Buddha to come Maitreya, requires 16 of them. The Buddhist legend “feminist” credits the woman with the Buddha, which would have made wish be his wife and assistant in front of Dipankara at the same time as it made wish be Bouddha, to have enabled him by its support to only complete the cycle into four asankeyyas.
During this stage, between the era of the Buddha Sobhita and that of Anomadassi, one of these periods intervenes during which the good doctrines of the Dharma entirely disappeared. This spiritual darkness makes lose the compass even with the future Buddha: it kills his brother of the moment to inherit in its place. That is worth a series of rebirths little to him reluisantes: chief of the demons Ensured S under the Anomadassi Buddha, then animal varied (lion under Paduma, tortoise or monkey.). Bravely, it goes up the current until the historical Buddha, which keeps however a peel of bad Karma, person in charge of its wound to the foot at the time of its attempted murder by Devadatta.
The Buddhist tradition explains why Gautama undergoes all these reverses by compassion because it voluntarily gave up becoming Arahant to remain in the world of the rebirths (Samsara) as a bodhisattva, and to be able one being day a guide for all the beings. Thus, lasting of many existences, although having pronounced its wishes of Buddha and practitioner the virtues, it one of the noble beings, but human ordinary (puthujjana), is not yet completely removed from its impurities (kelesas).
Twenty-eight Buddhas
See too
External bonds
- Course in three stages of the future gautama
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