Shakyamuni mantra

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The Buddha’s biography: The Death of the Buddha

At the age of eighty the Buddha, who had been frail but tireless for some time, contracted food-poisoning as a result of eating some bad mushrooms offered by a disciple (sometimes the foodstuff in question is translated as pork, which could well be the sace since the Buddha live by begging food). Although in great discomfort, the Buddha kept teaching right up until the end, and in Kusinara he gave his final teachings and took care of some business, such as ordaining one last bhikkhu (monk) and giving instructions for the discipline of a particularly obstinate monk.

Parinirvana of the Buddha.

Finally, he checked to see if there were any final doctrinal or practical questions that his followers may have had, and then gave his final utterance, “Impermanent are all things; with mindfulness, strive on,” before passing away.

After the Buddha’s death his body was cremated and his ashes interred in a stupa, or reliquary.

Stupa.

The Buddha’s death is known as his Parinirvana (Pali: Parinibbana) or final Nirvana. Shakyamuni steadfastly refused to say what happens to a Buddha after death, saying that it was beyond the comprehension of the unawakened mind. While on a shallower intellectual level this lack of explanation may be frustrating, with more reflection it’s possible to appreciate that the unaided intellect has its limits, and that some truths must be approached experientially.

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