Āḷāra Kālāma
| Part of a series on |
| Buddhism |
|---|
 |
Alara Kalama (Pāḷi & Sanskrit Āḷāra Kālāma/ Arāḍa Kālāma]), was a hermit and a teacher of sāṃkhya philosophy and meditation.[1][2][3] He was a śramaṇa and, according to the Pāli Canon scriptures, the first teacher of Gautama Buddha.[4]
History
After Siddhartha Gautama became an ascetic, he went to Alara Kalama, who was a teacher that taught a kind of early meditation at Vessali.[5] Alara taught Siddhartha meditation, especially a dhyānic state called the "sphere of nothingness" (ākiñcaññāyatana).[6][7]
Gautama eventually equalled Alara, who could not teach him more, saying, "You are the same as I am now. There is no difference between us. Stay here and take my place and teach my students with me."[4] Gautama was not interested in staying. After leaving, the Siddhartha found a new teacher, Uddaka Rāmaputta.[8]
References
- ^ Wynne 2007, p. 10.
- ^ Laumakis, Stephen. An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy. 2008. p. 8
- ^ Upadhyaya, K. N. (2017). Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. Wisconsin, USA: María Triana. p. 163. ISBN 113891701X.
- ^ a b "Ariyapariyesana Sutta,translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ Eliade, Mircea (2009). Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind. Boston, USA: Wisdom Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9780861713356.
- ^ Wynne 2007, p. 76.
- ^ "Ālāra Kālāma". Article on Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ "The Buddha's First Teachers". Article on Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
Bibliography
- Wynne, Alexander (16 April 2007). The Origin of Buddhist Meditation. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-09741-8.