The Twenty-Four Buddhas – 176 

 

Awakening 

With the 1,000 billion recluses, Bodhisatta Siddhattha practised the austerities 
for ten months. On the full moon day of May (

Vesākha

), the day of his 

Awakening, he partook of milk rice offered by a Brahmin girl, named Sunettā, 
of Asādisa village and spent the daytime in the local Jujube grove. In the 
evening, he went alone to the Kaṇikāra

 

Mahā Bodhi tree and accepted, on the 

way, eight handfuls of grass from Varuṇa, a watchman of the barley fields. As 
soon as he spread the grass under the Bodhi tree there appeared the unconquered 
seat, measuring 40 cubits. Sitting cross-legged on the seat, he became a Buddha, 
in the same manner as previous Buddhas. 

Three Occasions of the Buddha’s Teachings 

1. After becoming a Buddha, Buddha Siddhattha stayed in the neighbourhood of 
the Mahā Bodhi tree for 49 days. Agreeing to the entreaties made by a Brahma, 
he contemplated who he should teach first. Then he discerned the 1,000 billion 
recluses who, with him, had renounced the world and who were endowed with 
the merits of their past deeds, which would lead them to the paths and fruitions. 
Thinking: “I shall teach them first,” he contemplated as to their whereabouts 
and saw that they were still living in the Deer Park, which was eighteen leagues 
from the Mahā Bodhi tree. By his psychic power, he immediately appeared at 
the Deer Park. 

The 1,000 billion recluses, seeing the Buddha approaching them, welcomed him 
with faithful heart, attending upon him in the way as described in the previous 
Buddhas, and finally, took their appropriate seats, surrounding the Buddha. 
Then the Buddha taught the Dhamma Wheel (

Dhamma-cakka

) discourse which 

was also taught by all the previous Buddhas to Devas and humans who had come 
to listen to him. At that time, 1,000 billion beings attained the paths and 
fruitions. 

2. At another time, at the invitation of King Bhīmaratha of Bhīmaratha city, 
Buddha Siddhattha visited that city and, staying at the royal pavilion, which was 
erected on a grand scale in the city-centre, he spoke in a voice that was like that 
of the king of the Indian Cuckoo birds, or like that of the king of the Brahmas, 
as it was sweet, pleasing to the ear and appealing to the hearts of the wise. Thus, 
letting the Dhamma reach the ten quarters, he beat the drum of deathlessness. At 
that time, 900 million beings attained the paths and fruitions.