Eight Great Events

The ''Eight Great Events'' (''ashtammaha-pratharya'') are a set of episodes in the life of Gautama Buddha that by the time of the Pala Empire of North India around the 9th century had become established as the standard group of narrative scenes to encapsulate the Buddha's life and teachings. As such they were frequently represented in Buddhist art, either individually or as a group, and recounted and interpreted in Buddhist discourses.

The ''Eight Great Events'' are: the ''Birth of the Buddha'', the '' Enlightenment'', the ''First Sermon'', the ''Monkey's offering of honey'', the ''Taming of Nalagiri the elephant'', the ''Descent from Tavatimsa Heaven'', the ''Miracle at Sravasti'' and his death or ''Parinirvana''. Each event had taken place at a specific location, which had become a place of pilgrimage, and there was a matching set of " Eight Great Places", ''"Attha-mahathanani"'' in Pali, where the events took place. Apart from his birth in modern Nepal (just, some 10 km from the border), all the events took place in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh in north-east India.

Before and after this period there were other groupings, both smaller and larger, with 4, 5, 20, and other much larger groups found. A grouping of four events, the ''Birth, Enlightenment, First Sermon'' and ''Death'' was the most prominent, consisting of very important life-events. Larger groups, such as the 43 on the 20th-century ''Ivory carved tusk depicting Buddha life stories'' in New Delhi, tend to have more from the Buddha's early life. A 15th-century Tibetan painted thanka has 32 scenes, of which 15 precede the Enlightenment.

A common iconography for steles in relief had a larger central Buddha figure, normally showing the ''Enlightenment'', surrounded by smaller scenes showing the others. The death, with a reclining Buddha, is normally at the top, over the larger figure, with the rest three high on each side. In small versions of such a scheme the space available means that events are distinguished largely by the ''mudra'' or hand gesture of the Buddha. Sets of paintings, which only survive from rather later, show all eight at similar sizes.

Arrangement and iconography

The iconography of the events reflects the elaborated versions of the Buddha's life story that had become established from about 100 AD in Gandharan art and elsewhere, such as Sanchi and Barhut, and were given detailed depictions in cycles of scenes, typically rectangular, on the many spaces provided by large stupas and other Buddhist constructions. From early on, the accounts of some events varied considerably. Small reliefs only allow very compact depictions of the scenes, with very few if any other figures than the Buddha. These are simplified versions of much larger relief sculptures of each individual event. Larger depictions, such as paintings, are by contrast often crowded with other figures.

Apart from the ''Birth'' and ''Death'', the other events divide into two scenes where the Buddha is normally standing, the ''Descent'' and taming Nalagiri, leaving four where he is sitting in a meditation position, although in ''The Monkey's offering'' he is sometimes seated on something, with his legs coming down. The steles are typically arranged with the horizontal scene of the death across the top, above the main image, then the two scenes where Buddha stands the highest on each side. The ''Birth'' is normally at the bottom of one side, more often the viewer's left, and the meditating scenes fill the other spaces, including the larger main image.

A bronze model stupa from 8th or 9th-century Nalanda has the events arranged around a middle drum section. Later works, from the following centuries and several different countries, continue the broad stele format with variations, and often differences in the scenes depicted.

; Relief groups with the Eight Great Events

File:MET 11r1 61B (cropped).jpg, Stele of the eight events, 10th-century, perhaps from Nalanda pilgrim souvenir of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, 11th century, 6.7 inches high.
File:Seated Buddha presented to President John F. Kennedy by Jawaharlal Nehru (cropped).jpg, 11th-century, Bihar, 22 inches high. A diplomatic gift from Jawaharlal Nehru to President Kennedy
File:Eight Great Events Stele MET DP-592-001 (cropped).jpg, 11th or 12th-century, Bihar, 10 inches high
File:Buddhist stone sculpt NMND-5 (cropped).JPG, Pala, 12th-century, 47.5 cm high
File:WLA vanda Scenes from the Life of the Buddha Steatite Pagan Burma.jpg, Pagan, Burma, 12th-century stone stele

The events

Birth of the Buddha

Queen Maya, mother of the Buddha, was returning to her parent's home to give birth. She stopped for a walk in the park or grove at Lumbini, now in Nepal. Reaching up to hold a bough of a sal tree (''Shorea robusta''), labour began. Maya standing with her right hand over her head, holding a curving bough, is the indispensable part of the iconography; this was a pose familiar in Indian art, often adopted by yakshini tree-spirits. Maya's feet are usually crossed, giving a graceful tribhanga pose. The Buddha emerged miraculously from her side, which is usually shown in small depictions with him as though flying. In larger ones two male figures stand to the left, representing the Vedic gods Indra, who reaches out to hold the baby, and Brahma standing behind him. Maya's sister Pajapati may support her to the right, and maids may stand on the right, and apsaras or other spirits hover above.

The Buddha was able to stand and take seven steps almost immediately, ending by standing on a lotus flower, and the baby standing on this may be shown; in East Asia this subject became popular by itself, the most famous and one of the earliest at the Todaiji in Nara, Japan. ''Buddha's first bath'' is also sometimes shown in the same scene; two Nagaraja (Nāga kings) perform the bathing, and maids may attend. Symbolic re-enactments of this form part of the rituals celebrating Buddha's birthday or Vesak in many countries.

File:Four Scenes from the Life of the Buddha - Birth of the Buddha - Kushan dynasty, late 2nd to early 3rd century AD, Gandhara, schist - Freer Gallery of Art - DSC05128.JPG, Kushan dynasty, Gandhara. At right two female Nāgas stand ready for the bath.
File:Clevelandart 1959.349.jpg, Pala Empire, c. 800. Indra holds the standing baby at left.
File:La naissance de Siddartha (Vat Mai, Luang Prabang) (4337271339).jpg, Wood relief from Laos
File:Swayabhunath Temple-IMG 3406.jpg, ''Seven Steps'', Kathmandu, Nepal

Enlightenment of the Buddha

This took place at Bodh Gaya, under the famous Bodhi Tree, a probable descendent of which survives beside the Mahabodhi Temple. Buddhist tradition recounts that the enlightment was preceded by the "assault of Mara", a demon king, who challenged the Buddha's right to acquire the powers that enlightenment brought, and asked him for a witness to attest his right to achieve it. In reply Buddha touched the ground with his right hand outstretched, asking Pṛthivi, the devi of the earth, to witness his enlightenment, which she did.

The foliage of the Bodhi Tree may be shown above Buddha's head. Buddha is always shown seated in the lotus position, reaching the fingers of his right hand down to touch the ground, which is called the ''bhūmisparśa'' or "earth witness" mudra. Larger depictions may show Mara and his army of demons, or his three beautiful daughters, who attempt to prevent the Buddha's enlightenment by distracting him from meditation with seductive movements; modern South-East Asian depictions of this can be rather lurid.

This event in Buddha's life is most commonly the large central scene in groups, as in the Jagdispur stele, where dozens of small demons surround the Buddha.

File:MaraAssault.jpg, An aniconic representation of Mara's assault on the Buddha, with an empty throne, 2nd century, Amaravati style, India
File:MAK - I 10198.jpg, Assault of Mara, Gandhara
File:Versuchung des Buddha Museum Rietberg RVI 25.jpg, Temptations of the daughters of Mara, Gandhara
File:FireLanceAndGrenade10thCenturyDunhuang.jpg, Detail of painting on silk, Mogao Caves, 10th-century.

Buddha's first sermon

This is also known as the "Sermon in the Deer Park", and is recorded in the text called the ''Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta'' ("The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dharma Sutta"). Among other key Buddhist doctrines it set out the Four Noble Truths and the Middle Way">Four Noble Truths: BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Encycl ...