UPDATE April 8, 2006
Buddha contended that desire was the cause of misery. His emphasis was on righteousness and ethics. Buddhism and Puritanism seem to have some common elements. Buddhism tried to cleanse Hinduism. Puritanism tried reforms in England and New England.

Suppressing desires (of any type, not necessarily sexual), is it really possible?

Can we compare Shakespeare's writings and Buddha's teachings?

"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

From the play Twelfth Night. Addressed to Malvalio. Apparently a dig at the Puritans, to satisfy the then England King James I. Sir Toby who says this dialogue,
is a lover of drinks. Malvalio who happened to be steward of the Countess Olivia tried to impose some discipline in the wining and dining.

Killing desire is nothing but killing joy. Thus the dilemma is between killjoy and idle drinking.

Shakespeare's contention is that virtuous persons cannot impose their views on the whole world.

Shakespeare and Buddha are uncomparable. There fields, modes and missions were different.

ORIGINAL

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Post date: March 8, 2006
With due respect to Gautama Buddha, here is an attempt to analyse some of the things attributed to him.

Buddha was born a Prince in India. Name given by parents was Sidhdhartha. Some astrologers told his father that he would become either a great warrior or an ascetic. The father isolated the prince from the world, under a belief that he would not become an ascetic if he does not see the hardships and vicissitudes of life. One day Siddhartha went out and saw an old man, sick person, a corpse and an ascetic. The first epiphany or realisation took place in his life.

He left his wife Yasodhara and son Rahul at midnight. Thereafter he spent 12 years in forest, doing penance. Penance in an Indian context means 'tapas' or involves subjecting the body to several tests. The idea is to bring Indriyas (sense organs)under control. The exact details of the penance are not available.

The range of the penance may vary from standing on one leg, to Chandrayana vrata. In Chandrayana Vrata a person starts with a fast on the New moon day, increase the quantum of food taken by one ball every day, culminating to 15 balls on the full moon day. There after he starts reducing food by one ball everyday arriving at zero food on the new moon day.

The penance could be anything. Chanting of any mantra or sacred words or rotating rosary beads might not have taken place.

After 12 years when sitting under a banyan tree, he received his second epiphany. He became Buddha. Thereafter, he moves all over India spreading his message, the main essence of which was "DESIRE WAS THE CAUSE OF SUFFERING." The four noble truths and the eightfold path were suggested as solutions.

So far so good. What is difficult to be understood in the two ephiphanies of Buddha is why it should take 12 years for a person to realise that DESIRE WAS THE CAUSE OF SUFFERING. When he relinquished his wife and son after the first epiphany, a few days of months or an year of contemplation would have been sufficient.

Desire being the cause of suffering is not a complex or subtle theory to understand. This everybody can know by the slightest application of analysis and mind. The problem with all of us is even we too know everything and only lag behind in implementation. When we spend our 12 years on family life critics can say that all these years have been wasted. But truth still remains that humanity will cease to exist if all the people avert from family life. Procreation is an embedded embellishment of human life.

By 9th Century AD, common people in India considered the Buddhist monks as lazy persons and gradually avoided giving alms. At a recent Buddhist global conclave held at Amaravati (Guntur-India) attended by the thousands of Buddhists monks from China and Tibet, villagers in the neighbourhood whisphered 'What these monks will do 24 hours in the day?'

So, back to the question: "What did Buddha undertake for 12 years near the banyan tree?'