The Buddha is an exceptional being.
There are 8 world systems that follows a cycle in which civilisations emerge, evolve to their peak then decline, and another arises. For instance, beings of the first world system lived for 80 000 years. They created a golden civilisation, with many enlightened beings and moral values. The beings of the next world system had a life span of 8000 years and so on. We’re the second last with a life span of 100. In the last system, life spans will be10 years and the Buddha Maitreya will appear. The cycle resets again to 80 000 years.
Cakkavatti Sutta, DN 26,
Cakkavatti Sutta: The Wheel-turning Emperor (accesstoinsight.org)
At the beginning of each world system, a time of darkness devoid of concise and effective teachings of liberation arises. A Buddha then emerges to rediscover the Dhamma. To be the first person to recover these lost teachings, this person must perfect the jhana meditation including the immaterial attainments, unlocked all humanity’s psychic potential such as divine eyes, divine ears, be one and many, transcended the elements to walk on water or fly, recollect countless of kamma, able to see other’s kamma, read minds , break through to insight and attain knowledge of the 4 noble truths. To set the teachings rolling, this person must have the ability, energy and charisma to teach. In short only one Buddha per world system; ours is Gautama Buddha who lived 2600 years ago.
Imagine, in one life time what qualities of the heart such as kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, stillness of meditation and clarity of mind have we manage to shift a little a bit? Then there’s the development of all the psychic powers, and gradually progressing through jhanas and expansion of consciousness in formlessness jhanas and finally all culminating into that last life to rediscover the Dhamma! To be motivated through countless of lives of sufferings and still aim for perfection, one would be a very remarkable being indeed. Even with all the cultivations, Gautama still spent 5 years practicing extreme asceticism. He boastedwhatever practice was around that time, he was the best. For example, he was the best at fasting to the point of near death; to the point he can touch his spine from the front. With meditation, he was the best, surpassing his two masters, reaching as high as 6th and 8th jhana; infinite consciousness and neither feeing or perception. Finally on that night, he broke through and attained Nibbana with all the knowledge such as the 4 Noble Truths, the 8 Folds Path, Dependent Origination; necessary to set the teachings rolling, but he hesitated.
Why?
With his psychic power he scans the mind of people at that time and see how thick with delusion and desires and how hard it would be to break through. He contemplated how easy and peaceful it would be to just dwell in his emptiness but a heavenly being persuded him to teach. He reasoned how the world have been waiting for someone to set the Dhamma rolling and there are a few who are ripe and ready “ with little dust in their eyes”. The Buddha agreed and his 5 yogi friends were his first group of disciples.
A Sketch of the Buddha’s life,
A Sketch of the Buddha’s Life: Readings from the Pali Canon (accesstoinsight.org)
Now, those who follow Gautama Buddha’s teachings and attain Nibbana are called Arahants. Their experiences differ from each other as the Buddha taught many pathways to Nibbana. For example, a tree can be described in many ways depends on who’s perspective. One person may describe that tree as looking bare because he was seeing it in winter when all the leaves fall. Another describes how beautifully green with red flowers; because he was seeing it from summer. Although there is only one path, the 8-fold path, the 4 noble truths, there are many lines of inquiries and they describe the ending quite differently.
Some Arahant teach, while others live out their lives in solitude. Some have incredible psychic powers, while others have wisdom as their power. The Buddha stated that wisdom surpasses all powers because it can guide others out of suffering and into happiness.
Both the Buddha and Arahants have completely extinguished their sense of self, like a flame going out. They severed the bonds that bind them to existence, never to reattach. This means, they will not be reborn, nor do they exist anywhere in any realm, dimension or parallel universe. This means people can’t pray to them or receive blessings or teachings from them.
2600 years ago, life was challenging. People spent the majority of their time surviving. Those that sought truth and freedom renounced all their responsibilities and committed to their practice, in seclusion and simplicity. Today with an extended lifespan and higher standard of living, people to practice in the lay life, with responsibilities. Achieving Nibbana is attainable for all individuals, but a minority, the religious tradition still claims exclusivity, power and control over the disclosure of experiences and attainments. Meanwhile, women continue to struggle against the patriarchal beliefs of the monastic.
About 500 years after the Buddha’s death, another sect branched off and is now known as Mahayana Buddhism. They invented a few key principles: to aspire to save all beings and to attain Buddhahood. The gravity of these wows goes against completely what Gautama Buddha taught. This person would have to live eons of lives to perfect, their psychic powers, meditation and knowledges just as Gautama did. For Bodhisattvas to become Arahant or Buddha, they must relinquish these wows, because these rooted in delusion.
Why?
There are many planes of existence with many realms and dimensions, constantly coming into being, evolve and died. Impermanent is one of the characteristics of the nature of existence. To think we can save everyone in existence is kind of conceited and arrogance, let alone ignorance of the nature of non-self.
With the maturity of the practice, we gain more clarity and perspective, The Bodhisattvas ideal is one of the tools to inspire us to develop their heart qualities. When we misunderstood and took the tools to be the whole path to the exclusion of other development then all kind of problems arises.
In short, the Buddha and Arahants have attained Nibbana, while Bodhisattvas are beings who continue to live and evolve until they attain Nibana and is the Buddha or Arahant. Buddha, Arahants, Bodhisattvas and all of us striving to improve ourselves; we are all beacons of hope and light.