Taṇhaṅkara
Taṇhaṅkara or Taṇhaṅkara Buddha is the first of the twenty-seven Buddhas who preceded the historical Gotama Buddha and the earliest known Buddha.[1] He was also the first Buddha of the Sāramaṇḍa kalpa.
| Taṇhaṅkara Buddha | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | Tṛṣṇaṃkara |
| Pāli | Taṇhaṅkara |
| Burmese | တဏှင်္ကရာ ဘုရား |
| Sinhala | තණ්හංකර Tanhankara |
| Information | |
| Venerated by | Theravada |
 Religion portal | |
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.[2]
Biography
He had practiced pāramitā for 16 asaṃkhyeya and 100,000 (16×10^140 + 10^5) aeons to gain enlightenment. After practising, he resided at the tushita 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 for seven days. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Alstonia scholaris.
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.
Taṇhaṅkara Buddha lived for 100,000 years. He liberated many living beings in his lifetime.[3]
References
- Horner, IB, ed. (1975). The minor anthologies of the Pali canon. Volume III: Buddhavaṁsa (Chronicle of Buddhas) and Cariyāpiṭaka (Basket of Conduct)
- "The brief history of Buddhas", Buddhavamsa
- "Life of 28 Buddhas", http://www.dhammaransi.com
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