The Supreme Enlightenement of the Buddha
- by S. N. Goenka

(The following is an extract from “Was the Buddha a Pessimist?” published by VRI. It is the translation and adaptation of the VRI Hindi publication “Kyā Buddha Dukkhavādī The?” written by Goenkaji. The Buddha attained full enlightenment on Vesakha Purnima, which is on 2nd May this year.)

After going forth from his princely life in Kapilavastu into homelessness, Bodhisatta Siddhāttha Gotama went to Magadha to learn the technique of the jhānas. Even though there was a branch in Kapilavastu of Āḷāra Kālāma’s meditation centre (belonging to the Samaṇa tradition), Gotama went to the centre in Magadha because it was the principal centre and the main teacher was present there. Within two or three days, the Bodhisatta attained the seventh jhāna. He found that although they were very pleasurable, their practice did not bring him ultimate liberation.

Therefore, he took leave of Acharya Āḷāra Kālāma, and went to learn further jhānas from Acharya Uddaka Rāmaputta. While this teacher had only heard about the experience of the eighth jhāna and could describe and explain it to his students, he had not attained it himself. After listening to the teacher’s description, the Bodhisatta attained the stage of the eighth jhāna within two to three days. After that, Uddaka Rāmaputta also attained the eighth jhāna.

The Bodhisatta realised that this state was much more pleasurable than the seventh jhāna, but it was not the ultimate state that he sought. Old saṅkhāras (conditionings) still lay dormant at the deepest level of his mind. As long as these were not completely eradicated, this high meditative experience could not be called the ultimate liberation.

At this point, he undertook to practice severe penances of self-deprivation, a practice common in those days in the Samaṇa tradition. He continued this for almost six years but he found it futile and abandoned it. Then he rediscovered, through his own efforts, the long-lost ancient technique of Vipassana. Through its practice, he attained total liberation. The Buddha has clearly explained in detail all the methods he adopted—from the time of his renunciation of household life until his attainment of total liberation.

The state of total eradication of taṇhā (craving)—the complete extinction of kammas—cannot be attained solely through the practice of jhānas.
The Buddha’s enlightenment was his realisation of this incomparable experience: the practice of Vipassana which leads to nibbāna, the eradication of all misery. Therefore, the Buddha proclaimed:

Yañca kāmasukhaṃ loke,
yañcidaṃ diviyaṃ sukhaṃ;
Taṇhakkhayasukhassete,
kalaṃ nāgghanti soḷasin’ti.
The happiness of sensual pleasures and divine joy are not even one-sixteenth of the ultimate happiness that comes from the extinction of taṇhā.

When the Bodhisatta attained perfect enlightenment, he uttered these words:
Visaṅkhāragataṃ cittaṃ,
taṇhānaṃ khayamajjhagā.
The mind has become freed from conditioning;
the end of craving has been reached.

Having attained nibbāna—the permanent, eternal, steadfast state—the Buddha kept teaching the same Path to other seekers for the rest of his life. With immense compassion, having liberated himself, he strove unwaveringly to help others achieve true happiness.