Taṇhaṅkara or Taṇhaṅkara Buddha is the first of the twenty-seven
Buddhas
In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...
who preceded the historical
Gotama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
and the earliest known Buddha. He was also the first Buddha of the Sāramaṇḍa
kalpa
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu, Olvi Areena.
Team history
Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club r ...
.
In the
Buddhavamsa of the Pali canon, he is briefly mentioned as:
Innumerable aeons ago, Taṇhaṅkara Buddha, Medhaṅkara Buddha, Saraṇaṅkara Buddha and Dīpaṃkara Buddha were born in the Sāramaṇḍa kalpa.
Biography
He had practiced
pāramitā
''Pāramitā'' (Sanskrit, Pali: पारमिता) or ''pāramī'' (Pāli: पारमी), is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated with ...
for 16
asaṃkhyeya An ( sa, असंख्येय) is a Hindu/Buddhist name for the number 10140, or alternatively for the number 10^ as it is described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. The value of the number is different depending upon the translation. It is 10^ in the ...
and 100,000 (16×10^140 + 10^5) aeons to gain enlightenment. After practising, he resided at the
tushita
Tuṣita (Sanskrit) or Tusita (Pāli) is one of the six deva-worlds of the Kāmadhātu, located between the Yāma heaven and the heaven. Like the other heavens, is said to be reachable through meditation. It is the heaven where the Bodhisatt ...
realm.
He was born in Puphavedi to the King Sunanda and Queen Sunandā. When he became a king, he reigned over his country for ten thousand years. After his son was born, he decided to leave the castle and begin practising. He practiced
asceticism
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
for seven days. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree,
Alstonia scholaris
''Alstonia scholaris'', commonly called blackboard tree, Scholar Tree, Milkwood or devil's tree in English, is an evergreen tropical tree in the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae). It is native to southern China, tropical Asia (mainly the Indian subcon ...
.
The incarnation of Gotama Buddha became a disciple of him and asked for his wish. However, he did not grant his wish. After death, the incarnation become a Deva in the
desire realm
The desire realm (Sanskrit: कामधातु, ''kāmadhātu'') is one of the trailokya or three realms (Sanskrit: धातु, ''dhātu'', Tibetan: ''khams'') in Buddhist cosmology into which a being wandering in '' '' may be reborn. Th ...
.
Taṇhaṅkara Buddha lived for 100,000 years. He liberated many living beings in his lifetime.
["Life of 28 Buddhas", http://www.dhammaransi.com]
References
{{Buddhism topics
Buddhas