Buddha Shakyamuni

The Mahaparinirvana Sutra described the event when Buddha was preparing and entering Mahaparinirvana.^{1, 2, 3 p73, 4 c14}

The Buddha went to Pava and stayed at the mango grove of Cunda the smith.

4.20. And after having eaten the meal provided by Cunda, the Lord was attacked by a severe sickness with bloody diarrhoea, and with sharp pains as if He were about to die. But He endured all this mindfully and was clearly aware, and without complaint. Then the Lord said: 'Ānanda, let us go to Kusināra.' 'Very good, Lord', said Ānanda.

4.38. Tonight, Ānanda, in the last watch, in the sāl-grove of the Mallas near Kusinārā, between two sāl-trees, the Tathāgata's final passing will take place. And now, Ānanda, let us go to the River Kakutthā.' 'Very good, Lord', said Ānanda.

5.1. The Lord said: 'Ānanda, let us cross the Hiraññavatī River and go to the Mallas' sāl-grove in the vicinity of Kusinārā.' 'Very good, Lord', said Ānanda, and the Lord, with a large company of monks, crossed the river and went to the sāl-grove. There the Lord said: 'Ānanda, prepare me a bed between these twin sāl-trees with my head to the north. I am tired and want to lie down.' 'Very good, Lord', said Ānanda, and did so. Then the Lord lay down on His right side in the lion-posture, placing one foot on the other, mindful and clearly aware.

5.2. And those twin sāl-trees burst forth into an abundance of untimely blossoms, which fell upon the Tathāgata's body, sprinkling it and covering it in homage. Divine coral-tree flowers fell from the sky, divine sandal-wood powder fell from the sky, sprinkling and covering the Tathāgata's body in homage. Divine music and song sounded from the sky in homage to the Tathāgata.

5.11. 'But, Lord, what are we to do with the Tathāgata's remains?' 'Ānanda, they should be dealt with like the remains of a wheel-turning monarch.' 'And how is that, Lord?' ' Ānanda, the remains of a wheel-turning monarch are wrapped in a new linen-doth. This they wrap in teased cotton wool, and this in a new cloth. Having done these five hundred times each, they enclose the king's body in an oil-vat of iron, which is covered with another iron pot. Then having made a funeral-pyre of all manner of perfumes they cremate the king's body, and they raise a stupa at a crossroads. That, Ānanda, is what they do with the remains of a wheel-turning monarch, and they should deal with the Tathāgata's body in the same way. A stupa should be erected at the crossroads for the Tathāgata. And whoever lays wreaths or puts sweet perfumes and colors there with a devout heart, will reap benefit and happiness for a long time.

5.19. 'And now, Ānanda, go to Kusinārā and announce to the Mallas of Kusinārā: 'Tonight, Vāsetthas, in the last watch, the Tathāgata will attain Final Nibbāna. Approach Him, Vāseṭṭhas, approach Him, lest later you should regret it, saying: The Tathāgata passed away in our parish, and we did not take the opportunity to see Him for the last time!' 'Very good, Lord', said Ānanda and, taking robe and bowl, he went with a companion to Kusinārā.

6.7. Then the Lord said to the monks: 'Now, monks, I declare to you: all conditioned things are of a nature to decay - strive on untiringly.' These were the Tathāgata's last words.

6.8. Then the Lord entered the first jhāna. And leaving that He entered the second, the third, the fourth jhāna. Then leaving the fourth jhāna, He entered the Sphere of Infinite Space, then the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, then the Sphere of No-Thingness, then the Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-perception, and leaving that He attained the Cessation of Feeling and Perception.

6.9. Then the Lord, leaving the attainment of the Cessation of Feeling and Perception, entered the Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception, from that He entered the Sphere of Nothingness, the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the Sphere of Infinite Space. From the Sphere of Infinite Space, He entered the fourth jhāna, from there the third, the second and the first jhāna. Leaving the first jhāna, He entered the second, the third, the fourth jhāna. And, leaving the fourth jhāna, the Lord finally passed away.

6.10. And at the Blessed Lord's final passing there was a great earthquake, terrible and hair-raising, accompanied by thunder.

Brahma Sahampati uttered this with the passing of the Buddha with a resounding earthquake:

Sakka, King of Devas uttered this:

Venerable Anuruddha uttered this:

With the passing of the Buddha, His last words for all to heed were:

In northern India, 53 km west of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh near the Hiranyavati River lies Kushinagar, which is the place where the Buddha enters Mahaparinirvana, where he was subsequently cremated at the Ramabhar stupa.^{6 p137}

Kushinagar was once a celebrated centre of the Malla kingdom.

Many of its stupas and viharas date back to 230 BCE to 413 CE. when it was at its peak of prosperity. Kushinagar also expresses the common thread of all sects of Buddhism through its magnificent Viharas, Chaityas, temples and Tibetan monasteries.

Some attractions include the Mahaparinirvana Stupa and Temple, where the finding of a copper vessel, with the Brahmi inscription on it proving that the Buddha's ashes were buried in the place, made this place an important destination for all Buddhist devotees.

In the Mahaparinirvana Temple, there is a long statue of a reclining Buddha that is more than six metres long. The image was unearthed during the excavations of 1876. Carved from Chunar sandstone, the statue represents the dying Buddha reclining on his right side.

The Ramabhar Stupa, about 1.5 km away from the Mahaparinirvana Temple, rises to a height of 49 ft. It marks the site where the Lord Buddha was cremated.