Alara Kalama (Pāḷi & Sanskrit Āḷāra Kālāma/ Arāḍa Kālāma]), was a hermit and a teacher of meditation.[1][2][3] He was a śramaṇa and, according to Buddhist scriptures, the first teacher of Gautama Buddha.[4][5]
History
editVarious recessions of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra and other texts give an account of the Buddha being approached by a minister to the Mallas named Putkasa (Pali: Pukkusa) who told him about his teacher Alara Kalama's skill in meditation. One day, while deep in meditation, Alara did not hear the sound of a caravan of five hundred wagons that passed by him. The Buddha shared a similar experience; while in the village of Ādumā, a rainstorm had frightened four cowherds and two workmen to death, while the Buddha remained calm due to his prowess in meditation.[6]
The intrigued Gautama went to Alara Kalama, who taught a kind of early meditation at Vaiśālī.[7] Alara taught Siddhartha meditation, especially a dhyānic state called the "sphere of nothingness" (ākiṃcanyāyatana).[8][9]
Gautama eventually found himself on par with Alara, who could not teach him more, saying, "It is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a companion in the holy life ... As I am, so are you; as you are, so am I. Come friend, let us now lead this community together."[4] Gautama was not interested in staying, as Alara's dharma did not lead to freedom from samsara. After leaving, the Siddhartha found a new teacher, Udraka Rāmaputra.[10]
After attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha went to search for Alara Kalama to teach him the Dharma, only to find that he had died seven days prior.[4]
References
edit- ^ Wynne 2007, p. 10.
- ^ Laumakis, Stephen. An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy. 2008. p. 8
- ^ Upadhyaya, K. N. (2017). Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. Wisconsin, USA: María Triana. p. 163. ISBN 978-1138917019.
- ^ a b c "Ariyapariyesana Sutta,translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ "阿羅邏迦藍".
- ^ "Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: The Miracle of Ādumā". 22 August 2018.
- ^ Eliade, Mircea (2009). Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind. Boston, USA: Wisdom Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9780861713356.
- ^ Wynne 2007, p. 76.
- ^ "Ālāra Kālāma". Article on Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ "The Buddha's First Teachers". Article on Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
Bibliography
edit- Wynne, Alexander (16 April 2007). The Origin of Buddhist Meditation. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-09741-8.