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Chapter Three AHARA AND SPECIFIC TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA The truth of man and his life as well as the problems of pain and happiness of man was realized by Lord Buddha and enlightened at Bodhi tree more than 2500 years ago. After seeing with His own eyes the acute pains of old age, sickness, and death in the world, in addition to His contemplative nature and boundless compassion, Siddhartha Gotama discarded the material pleasures of a Royal palace. The young prince Siddhartha decided to leave his fatherland to wander forth in search of Truth and Peace for humankind. After six long years with practice of all forms of severe austerities, He got strong experience for the new way to liberation. He decided to follow an independent course, avoiding the two extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. The former retards one's spiritual progress, and the latter weakens one's intellect. The new way, which he himself discovered, was the middle path, Majjhima Patipada. Following the middle path, Siddhartha restored his health with the milky rice offered by a young woman called Sujata. It is said that the balance of the physical and mental state after abandoning austere life has helped Him to stabilize morale so that He could enter deep meditation and enlighten soon. This also asserts that edible food also plays the important role in the process of the enlightenment and emancipation. Indeed, after having the milk rice Siddhartha sat cross-legged under the big Bodhi-tree in the jungle near

71 Uruvela, called Bodh Gaya in the modern Indian state of Bihar. He decided not to rise from his meditation until he gained wisdom and found the exact answer to the question of dealing with sufferings in life. During the forty-nine days and nights, Siddhartha Gotama enlightened the truth of life and the universe, of suffering and the way ending it. The doctrinal core that Lord Buddha has discovered is Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppada,) the Four Noble Truths, the Three Characteristics (Tilakkhana) found in the Pali Nikaya. These teachings awakened and estimated to human beings' views, to ascetics and Brahmins' views who are speculators about the past (the future and present), having fixed views about the past (the future and present), put forward views in sixty two different ways, that is merely the feeling of those who do not know and see, the worry and vacillation of those immersed in craving. 116 As discussed, ahara (food) that is a simple word that hinged practically on the entire specific teaching of the Buddha. After the Buddha's great enlightenment, these teachings have been propagated to all human beings who are living in pain, tied by craving and grasping, by birth, old age and death. His goal is to help them realize the truth of man and world in order to tend to the goal of liberation of suffering. This chapter focuses mainly on the Buddha's teaching on food as presented in the Pali Nikaya. The teaching on ahara pervades all other teachings of the Buddha. It found embodied in the earliest and most authenticated formulations and classifications of the Buddhist doctrines such as Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppada,) the Four Noble Truths (Cattariyasaccani,) and three characteristics (Tilakkhana,) Intentional action (Kamma,) Rebirth or Again existence, (Punabbhava) 116 D. 1, 41.

72 and Five Aggregates (Pancakkhandha.) The nature and truth of ahara will be found through these doctrines.