A Harmful View of Baka the Brahmā

Monks, on one occasion I was living at Ukkaṭṭha in the Subhaga Grove at the root of a royal sāla tree.

Now on that occasion a harmful view had arisen in Baka the Brahmā thus: This is permanent, this is everlasting, this is eternal, this is total, this is not subject to pass away; for this is where one is neither born nor ages nor dies nor passes away nor reappears, and beyond this there is no other escape.

I knew with my mind the thought in the mind of Baka the Brahmā, so just as quickly as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, I vanished from the root of the royal sāl-tree in the Subhaga Grove at Ukkaṭṭha and appeared in that Brahmā‑world. Baka the Brahmā saw me coming in the distance and said: Come, good sir! Welcome, good sir! It is long, good sir, since you found an opportunity to come here. Now, good sir, this is permanent, this is everlasting, this is eternal, this is total, this is not subject to pass away; for this is where one is neither born nor ages nor dies nor passes away nor reappears, and beyond this there is no other escape.

When this was said, I told Baka the Brahmā: The worthy Baka the Brahmā has lapsed into ignorance (unknowing of true reality); he has lapsed into ignorance in that he says of the impermanent that it is permanent, of the short-term that it is everlasting, of the non‑eternal that it is eternal, of the incomplete that it is total, of what is subject to pass away that it is not subject to pass away, of where one is born, ages, dies, passes away, and reappears, that here one is neither born nor ages nor dies nor passes away nor reappears; and when there is another escape beyond this, he says there is no other escape beyond this.

(Further details can be found by reading Brahmānimantanika Discourse (The Invitation of a Brahmā) Pāli version in the Majjhima Nikaya section of Tripitaka.)

Having seen fear in being

And [having seen] that being will cease to be,

I did not welcome any kind of being,

Nor did I cling to excitement.

At that the Brahmā and the Brahmā’s Assembly and the members of the Brahmā’s Assembly were struck with wonder and amazement, saying: It is wonderful, Sirs, it is marvelous, the great power and great might of the Ascetic Gotama! We have never before seen or heard of any other Ascetic or Brāhmin who had such great power and such great might as has this Ascetic Gotama, who went forth from a Sakyan clan. Sirs, though living in a generation that excites in existence, that takes excitement in existence, that rejoices in existence, he has eliminated existence at its root.

(Reference: MN 49)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares an experience of him sharing Teachings with “Baka the Brahmā” and that they complimented him on his Teachings.

You can observe that during the lifetime of The Buddha, many people referred to him only as “Ascetic Gotama”. While today we refer to him as “The Buddha”, and many different names associated with being a Buddha, during his lifetime, many were unaware that he was a Buddha.

It would only be Students who learned and practiced his Teachings that observed the condition of their mind gradually improving that they would discover that he was a Buddha.

There are multiple criteria of what makes a Buddha, a Buddha and these criteria cannot be fully satisfied until one dies. Therefore, during his lifetime, he was another Teacher who, while successful, was just another Teacher who shared Teachings on The Path to Enlightenment.

However, being a Buddha and having deep, profound, and penetrating wisdom, he was very successful at guiding countless people to Enlightenment during his lifetime. His Teachings were successful during his lifetime and after his death at leading countless people to the peaceful, calm, serene, content, and joyful mental state of Enlightenment.

What is a Buddha?

A “Buddha” is not a Stage of Enlightenment but instead, is a unique type of Enlightened being. A Buddha is an Arahant who has attained Enlightenment without any assistance of Teachers but only through their own efforts of using the world as their Teacher and perhaps Teachings of a previously awakened Buddha.

There are three primary criteria of what makes a Buddha a Buddha.

1.) A Buddha awakens to Enlightenment through their own independent journey without the assistance of any Teachers, independently discovering The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment.

A Buddha has fully eliminated The Ten Fetters to attain Enlightenment as an Arahant but they have done so through their own independent journey without the assistance of any Teachers, developing deep wisdom of what is needed to attain Enlightenment.

2.) A Buddha guides countless others to Enlightenment during their lifetime through sharing their independently discovered Teachings that led to their own Enlightenment during their independent journey.

A Buddha has the ability to guide countless beings to the attainment of Enlightenment during their lifetime and after their death. A Buddha will dedicate the remaining time of their life towards sharing their Teachings and guiding countless beings to Enlightenment.

3.) Upon a Buddha’s death, they will leave their Teachings in a condition that can be continually shared assisting countless more beings to Enlightenment after their death.

A Buddha’s Teachings and Students will continue to guide countless people to Enlightenment after a Buddha’s death. A Buddha has already done the hard work of figuring out how to attain Enlightenment. You just need to learn and practice his Teachings to improve the condition of the mind and your life.

A Buddha is referred to as a Fully Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, a Perfectly Enlightened One, or a Tathāgata. They are a human being, a Teacher, one with deep compassion for all beings and the world. They have deep wisdom to help the world through individuals choosing to learn and practice their Teachings to attain Enlightenment.

They are considered Perfectly Enlightened because there are no outside influences that have led to their awakening, so they have “Perfect Enlightenment” where their mind is unaffected by any teachings outside of their own independently discovered Teachings that led to their awakening.

A Buddha will have an excellent memory being able to recall countless past events and situations with stunning accuracy. Unlike other humans, their memory does not fade and is not overwritten.

A Buddha will need to weave their way through a previous Buddha’s Teachings as all things are affected by impermanence, thus, a previous Buddha’s Teachings will not be in a pure condition.

A Buddha will be able to easily determine the condition of the mind of another person, then be able to help them with Teachings to eliminate the unwholesome qualities of the mind and cultivate wholesome qualities of the mind. A Buddha will be able to observe the condition of another being’s mind but only does so with an interest to help the other being eliminate the unwholesome qualities from the mind and cultivate wholesome qualities in the mind to guide one towards Enlightenment.

A Buddha will have a deep practice of their own Teachings, leading by example as a living, breathing, walking example of their Teachings.

A Buddha will be able to make predictions of the future and understand the future progress of the world as a whole while explaining past events and the current condition of the world through their Teachings.

A Buddha will know this is their last life without being reborn into any realm of existence. They will have insight into their previous lives and knowledge of their existence in those previous lives. Their only goal will be to lead as many people to Enlightenment as possible and to create a strong Community of humans with Enlightenment who will assist others to attain Enlightenment and leave strong Teachings that will assist unEnlightened beings to become Enlightened after a Buddha’s death.

When a Buddha arises in the world, this is your best opportunity to attain Enlightenment. A Buddha will have independently realized their Enlightenment and will be experiencing “Perfect Enlightenment”. A Buddha will have deep knowledge, deep understanding, and deep wisdom of how to attain Enlightenment through their independent realization of Enlightenment. A Buddha will be able to teach and guide all humans, who are interested to learn, towards Enlightenment.

A Buddha arising in the world is extremely rare. The last Buddha currently known to the world was Gotama Buddha who died over 2,500 years ago.

Why Does a Buddha Appear in the World?

A Buddha appears in the world when a Buddha is needed.

When humanity has reached a point of major confusion, conflict, and there is grave suffering throughout the world, a Buddha will appear.

A Buddha has the ability to help all of humanity to realize a better existence through their independently realized Teachings.

A Buddha will have struggled for countless lives to reach Enlightenment. Their journey on The Path would have been long and difficult over untold numbers of countless rebirths but they would never give up in their pursuit to Full and Perfect Enlightenment. They also would never give up on sharing their Teachings with all of humanity teaching until death.

A Buddha would have deep compassion for every single being in existence - past, present, and future.

A Buddha would know that they have attained Full and Perfect Enlightenment and are able to help all of humanity now and well into the future. But, all of humanity is never ready and willing to learn, grow, and progress on The Path during a Buddha’s existence. All unEnlightened beings are already experiencing significant internal struggles so they will also struggle to closely understand and practice The Teachings that will lead to their full liberation. Most will not even know there is a solution to their struggles of the mind because they do not necessarily realize there is a problem.

Complacency is the norm and is the most detrimental quality of the mind.

Humanity may or may not even see the struggles and issues that are apparent and so clear to a Buddha. The vast majority of humanity will not even know that a Buddha has appeared because they are unable to determine who is or is not Enlightened and, thus, would not be able to determine who is or is not a Buddha. Humanity is mostly “unknowing” of true reality and “unknowing” of the countless problems faced by all beings. The large masses do not understand the challenges they are facing with the unEnlightened mind, so they are unfamiliar with the solutions to the unEnlightened mind.

A Buddha sees all the problems and has all the solutions of how to guide a being on The Path to Enlightenment so that a more Enlightened humanity can work together to solve its challenges.

A Buddha’s responsibility is not to himself as they have transcended any selfish pursuit or interest in fame or fortune. A Buddha chooses to spread the word of their appearance and Teachings through guiding people to attain Enlightenment without the need for others to know they are a Buddha. A Buddha can be more productive through others not knowing he is a Buddha because he can more accurately assess a Practitioner’s mind. If there is a worldwide announcement of the arrival of a Buddha, there would be those who agree and come to that Buddha for guidance and others who would reject the idea of a Buddha being in existence.

Those who reject the idea of a Buddha’s existence would not seek guidance on The Path to Enlightenment, and those who do seek guidance might try to be on their “best behavior” masking the mind’s true nature. This would hinder a Buddha’s ability to observe the condition of a Student’s mind and, thus, be more limiting to how a Buddha could assist their Students in the progress of Enlightenment.

A Buddha would not be interested in a worldwide announcement of their awakening as it would be counterproductive and would instead, choose to humbly and peacefully share their Teachings with those who choose to be taught. A Buddha will encourage people to learn and progress on The Path guiding anyone who is interested to attain Enlightenment.

A Buddha’s goal is to help eliminate the massive amount of suffering that is pervasive and the original cause for the Buddha’s appearance in the world.

A Buddha appearing in today’s society would need to be creative in understanding exactly how to present The Teachings to an “unaware” and otherwise absorbed audience. An audience that is complacent either unknowingly unaware or purposefully ignoring their own suffering.

Either way, upon a Buddha’s appearance, the Buddha will have to put much more thought and effort into convincing people that there is a problem rather than the thought and effort that they would put into the actual sharing of The Teachings themselves.

Complacency is not easily eradicated, and the vast majority of the world is complacent unknowing of the true struggles faced and the solutions to these struggles.

Once a person decides they need guidance and accepts responsibility to learn and practice, the Buddha is well prepared to deliver every Teaching that permeates their entire mind.

There is no one or nothing that could eliminate the wisdom acquired by a Buddha through their independently realized Enlightenment.

There are no specific physical features that would identify a Buddha as being a Buddha. You will know who is a Buddha through observing their work to develop a dedicated Community of Practitioners and Teachers while assisting countless Practitioners to attain Enlightenment. You will be able to observe through a Buddha’s work towards sharing The Teachings into the world in such a way that helps countless beings attain Enlightenment during his lifetime and after his death leaving The Teachings and a Community to share those Teachings. And, if you know that individual does not have any Teachers but was able to benefit countless beings to attain Enlightenment during their lifetime and after their death, with their Teachings continuing to help countless beings attain Enlightenment, then this person could be considered a Buddha.