Buddha’s Birthday Special

The Significance of Sakyamuni Buddha’s Arrival in This World

1. What does Sakyamuni Buddha represent? 

Today marks the day that Sakyamuni Buddha arrived in this world. Previously known as Sakyamuni’s Birthday, it was officially renamed the Buddha’s Birthday at the request of the Buddhist community to the Korean government. But why was the name changed? Let me explain. 

‘Sakya’ is the Sanskrit name of a clan, and ‘Muni’ means ‘sage.’ Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha means ‘the great sage from the Sakya clan who attained enlightenment.’ However, since ‘Sakya’ is the surname of the historic Buddha born in India, it implicitly limits his role to a locality and minimizes his significance as the founder of Buddhism, one of the world's major religions. For this reason, the anniversary was renamed the Buddha's Birthday.

Sakyamuni Buddha was born an ordinary human being, just like us, and became a great sage. He is not a divine figure. He set an example for us, showing that we too can become enlightened sages by striving diligently, just as he did.

2. The Birth of the Buddha and the Lion’s Roar 

Sakyamuni Buddha was born in 624 BCE as a prince in Kapilavastu, a city near the border of modern-day Nepal, to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya. As he had not yet been enlightened, he is referred to here as Bodhisattva or Prince Siddhartha. Before Bodhisattva Siddhartha was born, Queen Maya had a prophetic dream in which a white elephant entered her side, signifying that Bodhisattva Siddhartha was of royal lineage. 

While heavily pregnant with Prince Siddhartha, Queen Maya was en route to her parents’ home when she began to experience labor pains. She gave birth to the infant Buddha under the Bodhi tree in Lumbini. Immediately after his birth, Prince Siddhartha took seven steps, pointed his right hand towards the sky and his left hand towards the earth, and proclaimed: 

  “In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme. 

   Since the three realms are all filled with suffering, I shall bring them peace.”

But how can a newborn baby walk immediately after his birth? The Lion’s Roar, the Buddha’s birth verse, must be understood symbolically, conveying the essence of Buddhism as a religion. 

“In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme” does not mean that he is better than everyone else or rules over them. Rather, it means that just as I am incomparably precious in this world, so are others. The sutras say: 

  “No matter where you look within your heart, 

  There is nothing in this world more precious than yourself.

  Just as I am, so are the others.   

One who cherishes one’s own body and loves themselves must never harm others.”   

— The Sutra Spoken Without Being Asked 

3. What did the Buddha teach sentient beings in this world? 

Let us take a closer look at the meaning of Prince Siddhartha’s proclamation, “In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme.”   

  Firstly, all human beings are equal, regardless of their social class.

       Whether they are black or white, business owners or workers, 

       women or men, they all stand on equal footing. 

Secondly, all sentient beings endowed with life, including animals and plants, are precious.

① All people are equal and cannot be divided by class. 

The opening line of the Lion's Roar, 'In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme,' does not imply that the Buddha is superior to all other beings. Rather, it suggests that all human beings are of equal worth. Although his role was to teach the Dharma, the Buddha also opposed the Indian caste system and championed the equality of all people. In short, the Buddha was a pioneer of human rights.

The caste system in ancient India categorizes people into four classes. Established around 1,300 BCE when the Aryans, a nomadic people from the Caucasus region of present-day Russia, invaded India, it had existed for thousands of years before the Buddha’s birth. Initially living in the Punjab region (now Pakistan), the Aryans gradually moved towards the Ganges River. In the 12th century BCE, they began to form a Brahmanic culture centered on the Vedas (sacred texts), introducing the caste system. 

The term “caste” derives from the Portuguese word “casta,” meaning “bloodline.” It was coined by the Portuguese in the 16th century when they observed India’s social hierarchy. The traditional Indian society was divided into four categories.

1. Brahmins, the priests

2. Kshatriyas, the rulers or warriors

3. Vaishyas, the commoners or merchants

4. Shudras, the laborers

* The fifth class are the outcasts, known as the untouchables, who are considered to be outside of the caste system.

Indians believe that coming into contact with the untouchables renders them impure. If anyone from the higher castes—Brahmins, warriors, or the commoners—were to even brush hands with an untouchable, for example, they would immediately take a shower. 

However, the Buddha rejected the caste system entirely within his sangha. 

In the Matanga Sutra, Ananda was passing by a village and felt thirsty. He asked a woman who was drawing water from a well for a drink, but she replied, “As a low-caste person, I cannot bring myself to make physical contact with the Venerable One by handing you the dipper.” Ananda then said: 

“Just as all waters become one when they flow into the sea, there is no distinction between Shudras and Brahmins in our sangha.” 

Upali was another of the Buddha's leading disciples and renowned as the foremost master of the monastic precepts. Before he was ordained, he was a barber who cut the hair of the royal family. The monks of royal descent were displeased with Upali’s admission to the monastic order, even going so far as to doubt the Buddha’s teachings.

They expressed concern, saying: “Why would the Buddha accept someone like Upali, who is from a low caste, into the sangha and ordain him as a monk? This will cause donors to lose trust in the monastic community. They might stop making offerings.” They were even ashamed that a Shudra was part of the sangha and eventually complained directly to the Buddha. “Even though Upali entered the monastic life before us, he was once a low-caste servant who waited on us. How can we treat him as our senior and associate with him?”

The Buddha replied: 

“Whether one was a low-caste or a high-born in the secular world, once ordained, all are equal before the Dharma. Monks who were ordained later than Upali should naturally treat him as their senior.” 

There were many other monks and nuns of a lower caste besides Upali. The Buddha said:  

  “A person is not made lowly by their social background. 

  Nor does one become noble by birth. 

  One may become lowly through one’s actions, 

and one becomes noble through one’s actions.” 

— Sutta Nipata, #142 

  “One cannot be called a Brahmin simply because one was born into a noble family. 

  Even if one is born of lowly slave stock,    

if one believes in and follows the Dharma, that person is called a noble sage.” 

— Dhammapada, #393

The Bodhisattva Never-Disparaging appears in the Lotus Sutra, a Mahayana Buddhist scripture that emerged 500 years after the Buddha’s parinirvana, because the Buddha spoke these words. The Bodhisattva paid respectful homage to everyone he met, with the following greeting: 

  “I will never look down upon you. 

You practice the Bodhisattva path and are destined to become a Buddha.”

In our country today, numerous social problems such as abuse of power or privilege, racial discrimination, and the denigration of women are constantly arising. There is also discrimination against foreign workers. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Buddha's philosophy of equality were highlighted to serve as a wake-up call for society?

② Life should be honored, no matter what form it takes. 

The verse "In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme" has a second meaning: all living beings, whether human, animal or bird, are all equally precious.

Long before the Buddha was born, the Brahmins presided over rituals to the heavens as the priestly caste in India. These rituals, known as yajna, involved the ritual slaughter of animals as offerings to the gods. However, the Buddha opposed this practice, emphasizing compassion and respect for life. This is illustrated by a story from the Jataka:  

There was once a sage in ancient India. While he was meditating in deep samadhi, a pigeon suddenly nestled into his lap. It was trembling violently. At that moment, a hawk flew over and spoke to the sage. 

  “Holy One, please hand over the pigeon in your arms.”

When the sage shook his head, the hawk pleaded with him. 

“You are being foolish. Your heart is noble, but I am starving to death. So, Holy One, please cut off a piece of flesh from your body equal to the pigeon’s weight.”

The sage replied, “Since the pigeon meat cannot be obtained without taking a life, I will give you a piece of my own flesh.”

He placed the pigeon on one side of the scales and cut off a piece of his thigh to place on the other side. He thought this would be enough to balance the weight of the pigeon, but it was heavier. The sage had no choice but to cut off flesh from his other thigh, but the pigeon was still heavier. Even after carving flesh from other parts of his body, the scales still tipped towards the pigeon. Finally, the sage stepped onto the scales himself, and only then did his weight match that of the pigeon. Moved by the sage’s compassion, the hawk bowed in gratitude and flew away.

Do you understand the meaning of this story? Although humans pride themselves on being the lords of all creation, the Buddha teaches us that all life forms should be equally treasured. The scriptures contain many teachings about respecting life.  

   “Think that they are all the same as me.   

   Put yourself in their shoes and never take another life. 

   Nor should you cause another to die.” 

— Sutta Nipata, #705

  “Just as you desire happiness and not suffering, so too do others.

   Just as you cherish your own life, so do others cherish theirs.” 

— Dhammapada, #129

He taught us to treat every being with a compassionate heart. 

   “May all living beings be happy.

   Just as a mother loves her only son, 

   May all living beings be filled with boundless compassion.” 

— Sutta Nipata, #14

Because Buddhism respects all living beings, the Mahayana sutras that appeared 500 years after the Buddha’s parinirvana contain the following passage: 

   “All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.”

—Mahaparinirvana Sutra

This suggests that all sentient beings have the inherent potential to attain enlightenment. However, it is difficult for beings in the animal realm to reach Buddhahood. The belief that “all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature” stems from Buddhism’s fundamental respect for all life. 

4. Concluding the Dharma Talk

At the time of the Buddha's birth and throughout his lifetime, India was home to numerous sages, including Mahavira of Jainism and several others belonging to the Six Heretical Schools. Since then, various religions have emerged from this fertile ground. 

Yet, only Buddhism has achieved the status of a truly global religion, and the Buddha is considered one of the world’s four greatest sages, alongside Confucius, Socrates, and Jesus. I believe this is because the Buddha’s teachings, even after thousands of years, embody universal human values such as human rights and love for all life. 

At his birth, the Buddha proclaimed, “In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am supreme,” signifying the inherently noble nature of all beings. I have explained this in two ways.  

First, it speaks to the equality of all human beings. Whether a person is white or black, high-born or lowly, part of the white-collar or the working classes, everyone is equal.  

Second, all living beings, whether they are animals or birds, are just as precious as humans. With so many households owning pets nowadays, you would think that people wouldn’t treat animals cruelly. Yet, animal abuse still persists. The Buddha emphasized that all living beings should be cherished and urged us not to kill indiscriminately.  

As we reflect on the significance of the Buddha’s birth, let us all deeply contemplate the preciousness of all beings.  

May you attain enlightenment.