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Here the Buddha passed away into Nibbana wherein the elements of clinging do not arise!
The Buddha's last days are described in the Pali text called the Great Parinibbana Sutta (Parinibbana meaning "completed nibbana/nirvana"). The Buddha then said his final words, "Listen, Bhikkhus, I say this: all conditioned things are subject to decay, strive with diligence for your liberation". He then passed into meditational absorptions and entered Mahaparinibbana (the great passing away).
It was the full moon of the month of Vessakha/ Vaisakha (April-May) and the year was probably between 487 and 483 B.C. However, according to the Sri Lankan tradition and other southeastern countries, it is believed that the Buddha entered Parinibbana in 544-543 B.C. One hundred ten years after his death, the Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali. This was the origin of the distinction between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists.
The present temple in Kusinara was built by the Indian Government in 1956 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th year of the Mahaparinibbana or 2500 BE (Buddhist Era). Inside this temple, one can see the famous Reclinging Buddha image lying on its right side with the head to the north. The statue is 6.1 m long and rests on a stone couch.
On the front of the couch are three sculptures, believed to represent Ven. Ananda near the feet, Ven. Subhadda at the middle and Ven. Dabba Malla at the corner. At the centre is an inscription of the 5th century AD, which states the statue was "a gift of the monk Haribala of the Mahavihara and was fashioned by Dinna".
This 1500-year old reclining Buddha image was executed out of one block of red sandstone brought in from Mathura during the Gupta period. It was discovered in 1876 in a decaying condition and the scattered fragments were successfully pieced together.
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Buddhist Heritages
Here the Buddha passed away into Nibbana wherein the elements of clinging do not arise! The Buddha's last days are described in the Pali text called the Great Parinibbana Sutta (Parinibbana meaning "completed nibbana/nirvana"). The Buddha then said his final words, "Listen, Bhikkhus, I say this: all conditioned things are subject to decay, strive with diligence for your liberation". He then passed into meditational absorptions and entered Mahaparinibbana (the great passing away).
It was the full moon of the month of Vessakha/ Vaisakha (April-May) and the year was probably between 487 and 483 B.C. However, according to the Sri Lankan tradition and other southeastern countries, it is believed that the Buddha entered Parinibbana in 544-543 B.C. One hundred ten years after his death, the Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali. This was the origin of the distinction between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists.
The present temple in Kusinara was built by the Indian Government in 1956 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th year of the Mahaparinibbana or 2500 BE (Buddhist Era). Inside this temple, one can see the famous Reclinging Buddha image lying on its right side with the head to the north. The statue is 6.1 m long and rests on a stone couch.
On the front of the couch are three sculptures, believed to represent Ven. Ananda near the feet, Ven. Subhadda at the middle and Ven. Dabba Malla at the corner. At the centre is an inscription of the 5th century AD, which states the statue was "a gift of the monk Haribala of the Mahavihara and was fashioned by Dinna".
This 1500-year old reclining Buddha image was executed out of one block of red sandstone brought in from Mathura during the Gupta period. It was discovered in 1876 in a decaying condition and the scattered fragments were successfully pieced together.
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