Who is ananda in buddhism

The last four conditions were related to Ananda's desire to help in the promotion of the Dharma. These conditions were: that if he was invited to a meal, he could transfer the invitation to the Buddha; that if people came from outlying areas to see the Buddha, he would have the privilege of introducing them; that if he had any doubts about the Dharma, he should be able to talk to the Buddha about them at any time and that if the Buddha gave a discourse in his absence, he would later repeat it in his presence.

The Buddha smilingly accepted these conditions and thus began a relationship between the two men that was to last for the next twenty-five years. Ananda was born in Kapilavatthu and was the Buddha's cousin, being the son of Amitodana, the brother of the Buddha's father, Suddhodana. It was during the Buddha's first trip back to Kapilavatthu after his enlightenment that Ananda, along with his brother Anuruddha and his cousin Devadatta, became a monk.

He proved to be a willing and diligent student and within a year he became a Stream-Winner. The monk's life gave Ananda great happiness and his quiet, unassuming nature meant that he was little noticed by the others until he was selected to be the Buddha's personal attendant. While some people develop the qualities that lead to enlightenment through meditation or study, Ananda did it through the love and concern he had for others.

Just before the Buddha attained final Nirvana, Ananda began to cry, saying to himself: "Alas, I am still a learner with much still to do. And the teacher is passing away, he who was so compassionate to me. Have I not already told that all things that are pleasant and delightful are also changeable, subject to separateness and impermanence? So how could they not pass away? Ananda, for a long time you have been in my presence, showing loving-kindness with body, speech and mind, helpfully, blessedly, whole-heartedly, and unstingily.

You have made much merit, Ananda. Make an effort and very soon you will be free from the defilements. Ananda's selflessness expressed itself in three ways - through his service to the Buddha, through his unstinting kindness to his fellow disciples, both ordained and lay, and also to future generations through the crucial role he had to play in the preservation and transmission of the Dharma.

As the Buddha's personal attendant Ananda strived to free the Buddha from as many mundane activities as possible so he could concentrate on teaching the Dharma and helping people. To that end, he washed and mended the Buddha's robe, tidied his living quarters, washed his feet, massaged his back and when he was meditating or talking, stood behind him keeping him cool with a fan.

He slept near the Buddha so as to always be at hand and accompanied him when he did his round of the monasteries. He would call monks whom the Buddha wished to see and kept people away when the Buddha wished to rest or to be alone. In his role as servant, secretary, go-between and confidant, Ananda was always patient, tireless and unobtrusive, usually anticipating the Buddha's needs.

Only when the Master moved him gently from the spot through supernatural powers could he be dissuaded from his intention to sacrifice himself. Above all, Ananda had the duties of a good secretary, facilitating the smooth communication between the thousands of monks and the Master. Together with [the disciples] Sariputta and Moggallana he tried to sort out, and attend to, the manifold problems of human relationships that turn up in a community.

Ananda played the important role of clarifying doubts and keeping order. He refused no one and felt himself to be a bridge rather than a barrier. Among the disciples whom the Buddha declared preeminent, the Venerable Ananda had the distinction of being pronounced preeminent in five qualities. These five qualities all stem from mindfulness sati.

In a narrower sense, sati is the ability to remember. Ananda had this ability to a phenomenal degree. He could immediately remember everything, even if he heard it only once. He could repeat discourses of the Buddha flawlessly up to sixty thousand words, without leaving out a single syllable. He was able to recite fifteen thousand four-line stanzas of the Buddha. For the third quality, gati , widely differing renderings have been proposed by translators, but according to the ancient commentary it refers to the capacity to perceive in the mind the internal connection and coherence of a discourse.

This Ananda was able to do because he understood well the meaning and significance of the teaching concerned, with all its implications. Hence, even when his recitation was interrupted by a question, he was able to resume the recital exactly at the point where he had broken off.

The fifth and last quality was that of a perfect attendant. In selecting Ananda as the treasurer or guardian of his Dispensation, the Buddha had chosen one whose personal qualities coincided perfectly with the demands of the post.

Buddhist tradition specifies the number of recitation units dhammakkhanda , lit. I received from the Buddha 82,, And from the bhikkhus 2, more. Thus there are 84, units, Teachings that are set in motion. In this way many of the conversations between the Buddha and Ananda are discourse for the instruction of others. Sometimes Ananda reported certain views of his to the Buddha so that the Master could either accept them or correct them. Noble friendship is more than half the holy life.

It is the entire holy life! Ananda zei van hemzelf dat gedurende de 25 jaar dat hij de Boeddha bediende als persoonlijk assistent, hij geen enkel moment van haat of aversie beleefde.

Zijn vele taken, zijn zeer vriendelijke en medelevende natuur en bewondering voor de Boeddha als persoon stonden misschien ook wel een beetje in de weg voor hem om zelf snel verlichting te behalen en een einde aan het lijden dukkha te maken. Hij wordt in het Zen vaak met Boeddha afgebeeld, samen met , de eerste patriarch in de Zen traditie.

For that reason, he is known as the Treasurer of the Dhamma, with Dhamma Sanskrit: Dharma referring to the Buddha's teaching. He accompanied the Buddha for the rest of his life, acting not only as an assistant, but also a secretary and a mouthpiece. A traditional account can be drawn from early texts, commentaries, and post-canonical chronicles.

He had a historical role during the council as the living memory of the Buddha, reciting many of the Buddha's discourses and checking them for accuracy. He was known for his memory, erudition and compassion, and was often praised by the Buddha for these matters. He functioned as a foil to the Buddha, however, in that he still had worldly attachments and was not yet enlightened, as opposed to the Buddha. Rhys Davids en transl. Northern Qi dynasty, CE. By day he was at hand forestalling the slightest wish of the Buddha.

At night, staff and torch in hand, he went nine times round the Buddha's cell and never put them down lest he would fall asleep and fail to answer a call to the Buddha.