Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

he solved problems, the way he addressed people, how he handled
situations for peaceful results, his wisdom and foresight, and so on.
Reading these suttas can provide one with an experience of the Buddha.
The Buddha is often referred to in Pali Suttas as having
nine qualities. Buddhists recite, “Itipi so bhagava araham samma
sambuddho…” Through this verse the Buddha’s nine qualities are
enumerated:
“Such, indeed is the Blessed One,
Perfected, fully awakened,
Endowed with knowledge and virtue,
Having walked the right path,
The knower of worlds;
Incomparable guide of willing persons,
Teacher of gods and humans,
Awakened and blessed.”
During the Buddha’s lifetime, he was respected by other
religious leaders, and considered their spiritual friend. He was
popularly known as “Bhagava” which means blessed one, but the
Buddha referred to himself as “Tathagata,” a person who followed the
path and attained the goal of Nibbana.
The Buddha’s associates expressed their opinions about him.
Once, Venerable Assaji met Upatissa, a young man who later became
the monk named Sariputta. Upatissa asked him to describe his teacher.
Venerable Assaji replied, “When something arises it is due to a cause,
and those reasons were explained by my teacher. He also explained
how the arising ceases as well. I am following that type of teacher.”
It is because of this description that Upatissa became a monk and was
eventually known as the Buddha’s Chief Disciple.
Venerable Ananda, the Buddha’s chief attendant says this of
him to Gopaka Moggallana, “The Buddha is the one who discovered a
path to happiness for those who are ignorant of the correct way. He is
the person who knew the path; tread the path; experienced the path; and
followed the path to the end to gain ultimate peace and happiness.”
A Brahmin named Drona, travelling along the same road after
the Buddha, was amazed when he saw some footprints, and thought,
“These can never be the footprints of a human being.” Drona followed
the footprints and found the Buddha seated under a tree very calm and
serene. The following conversation took place:
The Brahmin asked the Buddha, “Are you a god?”
“No Brahmin, I am not a god.”
“Are you a gandhabba (divine musician)?”
“No Brahmin, I am not a gandhabba.”
“Are you a yakkha?”
“No Brahmin, I am not a yakkha.”
“Are you a human being?”
“No Brahmin, I am not a human being either.”
Then the Brahmin said, “When I ask you whether you are a
god, you say, ‘No I am not a god.’ When I ask you whether you are a
gandhabba, a yakkha or a human being, you say ‘No’. If that is so, who
are you?”
The Buddha replied, “O Brahmin, if I am a god, I must
have godly sense-desires. But I have eradicated sense-desires fully.
Therefore, I am not a god. If I am a gandhabba, I must have gandhabba
sense-desires. But I have eradicated sense-desires fully. Therefore, I
am not a gandhabba. If I am a yakkha then I must have the sense-desires
that a yakkha would have. But I have eradicated all sense-desires fully.
Therefore, I am not a yakkha either. Then if I am an ordinary human
being, I must have the sense-desires of ordinary human beings. But
I have totally eradicated sense-desires. Therefore, I am not a human
being like other human beings.”
The Buddha continued, “O Brahmin, a blue lotus, red lotus or
white lotus is born in the water. It grows in the water. But it remains
uncontaminated and untouched by water. I, too, am like that. I was
born among human beings in this world. I grew up among human
beings in this world. But I have risen above the world of ordinary
human beings. I am not attached to the world. Therefore, O Brahmin,
I am a superior human being who has destroyed all the weaknesses
of ordinary human beings (uttaramanusso). In short, I am a Buddha.
The best way to describe me is ‘Buddha.’ O Brahmin, please call me
‘Buddha.’”
This is one of the ways the Buddha described himself. Many
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