Individuality of Buddha

From Anthroposophy

The spiritual being or Individuality referenced by the name Buddha is a Boddhisatva of the White Lodge that rose to the status of Buddha-hood in his last incarnation of Gautama Buddha. He is the last of five such Dhyani-Buddhas that humanity has known thusfar (see Three classes of Buddhas), the next Buddha for mankind is referred to as the Maitreya Buddha and will have an impact in some 3000 years in the next sixth cultural age.

Lemurian and Atlantean epochs

This being of Buddha had a development path far ahead of mainstream mankind, which included being part of an advanced development on Venus before descending to Earth again in the Lemurian epoch as a teacher of mankind (1912-06-12-GA137); also in the Atlantean epoch he was a great adept. (1905-03-22-GA90B).

Current Postatlantean epoch

Before his incarnation as Gautama Buddha, he was known before as Wotan in Central Europe and the Northern stream of development (see:Two streams of development), where this spiritual being descended into the physical body of an initiate Sig (the founder of Druidic initiation), see Spiritual guidance of mankind#Sig - Wotan.

He gave what is called the 'Wotan impulse' for the Intellectual Soul and modern thinking in the European culture of the Druidic and Trotten Mysteries (est. around 800 BC). This Wotan-Mercury influence spread through Europe from the Colchis Mysteries.

The Individuality had his last physical incarnation as Gautama Buddha, and established the doctrine of Buddhism in Asia in the 6th century BC. After this incarnation he rose to the level of a Buddha, and such being has only incarnations at the level of the etheric body or astral body (GA117, GA123). Hence, since this last physical incarnation, he only experienced incorporation as far as the etheric body and was henceforth present as a living force working from the spiritual world into our physical world. An example are his teachings at the Colchis Mysteries, bringing the teachings of Buddhism adapted for the Northern stream as permeated by the impulse of Christianity (1912-05-29-GA155).

Another example is the role this being played at the birth of the Jesus (see: The two Jesus children); and preparation of Jesus at the times of the Essenes (1913-11-04-GA148)

Since the fourth century AD, he is co-guiding the Michaelic stream as one of the three Masters of Rosecrucianism, together with the Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz and the Individuality of Skythianos. The being of Wotan-Buddha is said to be "the inspirer of our spiritual science", for example see the link with the Individuality of Julian the Apostate, or his influence inspiring the likes of Schelling and Solovyov.

At the end of the 16th century AD he was called for a mission called the Mystery of Mars (1912-12-18-GA130)

Aspects

  • Mercury
    • "Mercury regarded as symbol of Buddhism: Buddha stands for Mercury and Mercury for Buddha" (1911-03-13-GA124, see Reconquista#1911-03-13-GA124)
    • "Mercury is the body of some great spirits, one of which incarnated in Gautama Buddha" (1906-04-29-GA097)
  • Individuality and name
    • Gautama Buddha, son of King Sudhodana
      • note: Gautama Buddha is placed by contemporary history between approx 600 and 400 BC. Rudolf Steiner states he was born in 550BC and became Buddha and rose the spirit world at age 29 (1911-11-18-GA130)
    • Wotan
      • the being of Wotan is the same as the Individuality incarnated as Gautama Buddha: "the northern god Wotan means the same as Buddha." (1905-12-10-GA90B). Also "Wotan <-> Wodha = Bodha = Buddha ( Asia W, the sound V, becomes B) is linked to the great Atlantean initiate Wod-Wodha-Odin" (1905-11-05-GA093A)
      • "the etheric body of the historic Buddha had been taken possession of by a god, namely Wotan" (1908-08-16-GA105) linking this god to the Dhyani Buddha, see more on the topic page: Three classes of Buddhas#1908-08-16-GA105 (or Discussion Note 2 on that page for positioning)
      • a person who is the reincarnation of an earlier man can develop himself so far and purify his three bodies to such an extent that he is a vessel for a higher being: Buddha became such a vessel for Wotan. The same being who was called Wotan in the Germanic myths, appeared again as Buddha. Buddha and Wotan are even related linguistically. (1908-09-12-GA106)
      • the initiate Sig, who founded the Trotten Mysteries (1909-05-06-GA057), had a fellowship of twelve great Initiates and left his own Individuality which was exchanged for the Individuality of Odin or Wotan, who already lived in the Atlantean epoch as a great adept. (1905-03-22-GA90B). This process is comparable with what happened with Jesus at the Baptism. This means Wotan was working to the different incarnations of all that is related to Sig and Siegfried. In other words the influence of Wotan was working through Sig, leading the Northern stream in the preparatory ages upto the fourth and fifth cultural age.
    • Buddha-Wotan had a development path far ahead of mainstream mankind, this included being part of the development on Venus before descending to Earth again in the Lemurian epoch (1912-06-12-GA137), see more on Development of the I and Lemurian epoch.
  • rise to Buddha-hood
    • when Buddha rose from the level of a Bodhisattva to a Buddha, his angel became free and rose to the level of an archangel (1913-05-20-GA152). See also coverage on Archangel Michael
    • end of physical incarnation (1909-09-17-GA114)
    • for an explanation of Buddha vs Bodhisattva, see Three classes of Buddhas
  • Buddha and Christ
    • "Buddha and Christ worked in co-operation" (1909-09-25-GA114) and "The difference between Buddha and Christ lies in what necessitated the continuation of the life of Christ Jesus beyond that of Buddha. Buddha and Christ are not understood by simply throwing them together. (1902-GA008 Ch 6.)
    • link with the ancient Indian stream (inner) and the Gospel of Luke (feeling), ao the nirmanakaya of the Buddha with the pure astral body of the Nathan Jesus Child, see both Schema FMC00.102 and Schema FMC00.452 on Gospels
  • influences

Illustrations

Lecture coverage and references

Coverage overview

Rudolf Steiner covers Buddha extensively in the cycle 1909-09-GA114 (Gospel of Luke), touching on Buddha in eight lectures.

Reference extracts

1909-09-16-GA114

synopsis (extract):

This spiritual stream is Buddhism — the religion of compassion and love. Description of the nature, the earlier development, the spiritual powers and the mission of the Bodhisattva who in his twenty-ninth year became Buddha, six hundred years before our era. Account of his power of astral vision; his escape from his father's palace; his experiences in the world and temptation by the, demon Mara. Legend of the horse, symbolizing faculties bestowed from above and not yet developed from a man's own soul. The teaching of compassion and love, embodied as a human quality, arose when ‘under the Bodhi tree’ the Bodhisattva became Buddha.

He does not thereafter return to earthly incarnation but from spiritual worlds participates in happenings on Earth.

It was the glorified Buddha who appeared to the shepherds in vision and rayed down his power upon the child born to parents descended from the priestly (Nathan) line of the House of David. The, prophecy of the sage Asita in India that after his death the child born as the Bodhisattva would become Buddha. Asita was born again as Simeon to whose spiritual vision the glorified Buddha was revealed above the head of the Nathan Jesus-child on the occasion of the presentation in the temple. (Luke II, 25–32.)

1909-09-17-GA114

synopsis (extract):

The spiritual achievements of Buddhism stream from the Gospel of St. Luke but in an even higher form. Compassion and love in the highest sense of the words are the ideal of Buddhism.

Buddhism appears in this Gospel as though rejuvenated. The Bodhisattva and his participation in the evolution of humanity before becoming Buddha in his final incarnation on Earth. Remembrance of his incarnations.

The attainment of Buddha-hood signified the complete descent of the Bodhisattva into a human physical body. The teachings of the great Buddha were eventually to become powers universally possessed by men, arising from within themselves and from thence streaming back into the cosmos. In Buddha these powers were incarnate for the first time. This is a fact of far-reaching importance for the whole evolution of the Earth and of humanity.

The Buddha's inaugural sermon at Benares. The essentials of Buddha's teaching expressed in the principles of the Eightfold Path. Legend of the ‘hare in the moon’.

The Buddha's influence continues to work after his final incarnation on the Earth.

The names of the spiritual sheaths of a Being such as the Bodhisattva who became Buddha: DHARMAKAYA (before the attainment of Buddha-hood); SAMBHOGAKAYA (‘body of perfection’); NIRMANAKAYA (‘body of transformation’).

Revelation of the Nirmanakaya of Buddha to the shepherds and its union with the astral sheath detached from the twelve-year-old Nathan Jesus-child. Rejuvenation of Buddhism.

extract see: Three classes of Buddhas#1909-09-17-GA114

1909-09-18-GA114

synopsis (extract):

Buddhism rejuvenated by the youthful forces of this child when his astral sheath united with the Nirmanakaya of Buddha.

1909-09-19-GA114

synopsis (extract):

Contrasting natures of the two Jesus-children: the Solomon Jesus gifted with prematurely advanced understanding of the outer world; the Nathan Jesus with infinite depth of feeling. The twelve-year-old boy in the temple, when the I of Zarathustra left the body of the Solomon Jesus and passed into that of the Nathan Jesus. That was the point of time when the Nirmanakaya of Buddha united with the cast-off astral sheath of the Nathan Jesus.

1909-09-20-GA114

synopsis (extract):

The significance of the Bodhisattva who became Buddha. Principles of the Eightfold Path had been revealed from above before the achievement of Buddha made it possible for men consciously to discover them within themselves.

The body of a Bodhisattva never encloses the whole of his being. When the last Bodhisattva became Buddha he descended fully into a human organism. Beings for whom human embodiment was too limited to receive the whole Individuality were said to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”. This can rightly be said of Buddha in his previous incarnations as Bodhisattva.

The “etheric substance withdrawn from Adam before the Fall” was preserved and merged into the Nathan Jesus-child. (See also previous lecture.) Overshadowing by the Nirmanakaya of Buddha.

Influence exercised upon the birth of John the Baptist.

Contrast between the teaching given through Buddha to the people of India, and through Moses to the ancient Hebrews.

The Nirmanakaya of Buddha, hovering above the embryo of the Nathan Jesus, worked upon Elisabeth and through her upon the Ego of the child who was the former Elijah and was to be born as John the Baptist. (See also the previous lecture.)

Blossoming of Buddha's teaching in that given by John on the banks of the Jordan.

1909-09-21-GA114

synopsis (extract):

The Bodhisattva who became Gautama Buddha was succeeded by the Bodhisattva who will become the Maitreya Buddha. The Lodge of the Twelve Bodhisattvas, and their missions. The Christ is the ‘Thirteenth’ from whom the Bodhisattvas receive what they have to carry into Earth evolution.

1909-09-24-GA114

synopsis (extract):

Suitable physical organisms were essential for Christ and also for the Buddha. Far-reaching significance of the Eightfold Path and its connection with the sixteen-petalled lotus-flower in Man.

1909-09-25-GA114

synopsis (extract):

What Buddha brought to mankind was the wisdom, the teaching of Love; Christ brought Love itself as a living power which was eventually to flow from the Egos of men themselves into the world. The ‘power of Faith’ is possessed by one who receives Christ into himself in such a way that Love overflows from his Ego. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” — a cardinal principle of Christianity. (Matt. XII, 34.)

The successor of the Bodhisattva who attained Buddhahood five or six centuries before our era will become the Maitreya Buddha in about three thousand years reckoned from the present time. He will be able to fulfil his mission in evolution if a sufficient number of human beings have developed within themselves not only the wisdom of the Eightfold Path but from whose hearts the living Substance of Love overflows into the world.

The mission of the Bodhisattvas and of the Buddha: to bring the ‘Wisdom of Love’ to the Earth. The mission of Christ: the redemption of souls through the ‘Power of Love’ He brought to the Earth.

1909-12-02-GA058

lecture with the title: 'Buddha and Christ'

1910-04-13-GA118

see Three classes of Buddhas#1910-04-13-GA118

1910-09-05-GA123

Gazing upwards to those beings who lead human development, we come at last to a group of high individualities who, according to Eastern terminology, are called Bodhisattvas — for it is in the East where knowledge of them has been established. There are many Bodhisattvas; they are the great teachers of mankind. From the spiritual worlds they infuse into humanity through the Mystery schools what according to the degree of human ripeness is appropriate to each epoch. Bodhisattvas succeed one another throughout the ages.

Two of them are of special interest to present humanity, one, who as son of King Sudhodana became Buddha; and the other, his successor in this dignity, who is still a Bodhisattva.

Both Oriental wisdom and clairvoyant investigation agree that the latter's mission will extend over the next two thousand five hundred years, when this Bodhisattva will rise to the higher rank of Buddha as did his predecessor. This, the present Bodhisattva will then be exalted to the dignity of Maitreya Buddha. In the long line of Bodhisattvas we have to recognize the great guiding teachers of evolution, but they should not be confused with the source of their teaching, the source from which they themselves draw what they bestow upon humanity. Rather we have to picture a collegium of Bodhisattvas, and the centre of this collegium is the living source whence this teaching is derived. This living source is none other than He Whom we call the Christ, from Whom all Bodhisattvas receive what in due course they hand on to humanity. A Bodhisattva devotes himself principally to teaching, but upon attaining Buddha-hood he ceases to descend into incarnation, and his mission becomes different. In accordance with all Eastern philosophy it can be said that Gautama Buddha, who, in his last incarnation, was the son of King Sudhodana, has since then only experienced incorporation as far as the etheric body. In the course of lectures on the Gospel of Luke we explained what the next task of this Buddha was.

When the Jesus of the Gospel of Luke was born — the Nathan Jesus of whom Luke tells, and who is not to be confused with the Jesus of the Gospel of Matthew — the Being of the Buddha, who was then incorporated as far as the etheric body, entered into the astral body of the Nathan Jesus.

It is therefore possible to say that having incarnated as Gautama Buddha, this Being did not come again as a teacher, but was henceforth present as a living force. He had become an actual force working from the spiritual world into our physical world.

1910-09-07-GA123

In the earlier cycle on the Gospel of St. Luke I drew your attention to the ‘eight-fold path’ which men can follow who hold to the teaching which flowed into human evolution through Gautama Buddha. This is usually given as: right opinions, right judgments, right speech, right actions, right standards, right habits, right memories, and right contemplations. These are qualities of the human soul.

It may be said: before Gautama Buddha lived, human nature lacked the power to develop such faculties, but since then it has advanced sufficiently to make the gradual development of these qualities of the eight-fold path possible as faculties of man's inner being. Before Gautama Buddha lived on earth in his Buddha incarnation, the independent development of these qualities was not possible.

In order that they might gradually be developed, a being like Gautama Buddha had to come in the flesh to give the necessary impulse so that in the course of hundreds and thousands of years they might develop independently in mankind. This fact must be emphasized.

In the lectures already referred to, I said that in a certain number of people these faculties are already developed, and when this number has sufficiently increased the earth will be ripe for the reception of the next Buddha, the Maitreya Buddha, who at the present time is a Bodhisattva.

Enclosed between these two events lies the period during which a sufficient number of men will have acquired the higher intellectual, moral, and emotional qualities of the eight-fold path. It was, however, necessary at the birth of this period, that once, and for the first time, the impulse whereby all the qualities of the eight-fold path could be developed, should find expression in a single exalted individual, in the personality of Gautama Buddha.

Such is the law of human evolution. A faculty destined for development in the whole human race must, in the first place, be fully evolved in a single person; then by slow degrees, throughout the ages, maybe thousands of years, these faculties pass into mankind as a whole.

But that which is to enter humanity through the Christ Event will not be confined within some five thousand years — the period of the influx of the Buddha impulse — it will come to life and continue working as a special faculty to the very end of our earthly evolution. But what is it that actually entered through the Christ Event, in a way similar to what entered through the Buddha, but in an infinitely greater and more exalted manner?

1911-03-02-GA060

lecture with the title: 'Buddha'

According to ancient Indian wisdom, a Buddha arises whenever an epoch of decline draws to its close.

The last of the Buddhas — Gautama Buddha — was the Being who incarnated as the son of King Suddhodana. The Indian, therefore, looked back to former Buddhas, of whom five had already appeared during the time of Man's gradual descent from the spiritual world, and who, coming again and again into the world of men could bring them something of that primordial wisdom whereby they could be sustained in earthly life and not utterly lost in maya.

In his descending path of evolution, Man loses hold of this wisdom and when it is lost, a new Buddha appears. Of these, Gautama Buddha was the last.

1911-09-21-GA130

lecture with the title: 'Buddha and Christ - The sphere of the Bodhisattvas'

1911-11-18-GA130

The loftiest teachers of the successive epochs are the Bodhisattvas who already in the pre-Christian era pointed to Christ in His full reality of being; again in the post-Christian era they point to Him as a Power Who is now united with the Earth. Thus the Bodhisattvas work both before and after Christ's physical life on Earth.

He who was born as the son of a King in India, 550 years before Christ, lived and taught for twenty nine years as a Bodhisattva, and then ascended to the rank of Buddha; thereafter he was never again to appear on the Earth in a body of flesh but from then onwards he worked from the spiritual world.

When this Bodhisattva had become Buddha, he was succeeded by the new Bodhisattva whose mission it is to lead mankind to an understanding of the Christ Impulse. All these things had come to pass before the appearance of Christ on the Earth.

1912-06-12-GA137

Let us now fix our attention on the point of time when the Sun has just separated from the Earth.

When this separation took place, the two planets Venus and Mercury — I am giving them their astronomical names — were still within the Sun. The Earth alone separated off, Venus and Mercury remaining within the Sun. We have therefore now Sun and Earth. On Earth, evolution continues. Only a small number of human beings remain behind; others go up to the planets, to return again later on. With the Sun went also Beings; for the world does not consist just of external matter, but of Beings. Beings went with the Sun when it separated from the Earth. And their Leader is the Christ. For at the time in Earth evolution when the Sun separated from the Earth, What one may call the taking precedence by the Christ over Lucifer and the other planetary Spirits had already come to fulfilment.

Then later on, Venus separated, and Mercury.

Let us consider for a moment the exit of Venus from the Sun. Together with Venus are Beings who had also at first gone with the Sun but were not able to remain there. These break away and inhabit Venus. Among them is the Being who stands behind the later Buddha. He went as a messenger from the Christ to the dwellers on Venus. The Christ sent him to Venus, and here on Venus Buddha passed through all manner of stages of evolution.

Later on, souls came back from Venus to Earth. The ordinary human souls were of course but little developed. Buddha, however, who also descended to Earth with the Venus souls, was a highly evolved Being, — so highly evolved that he could at once become a Bodhisattva and afterwards early a Buddha. Thus we have in Buddha one who had long ago been sent out by Christ and had the task of preparing the work of Christ on Earth.

For his mission to the Venus men had this meaning, — that he should go to Earth beforehand, as a forerunner of the Sun.

And now you will be able to understand that Buddha, having been with Christ for a longer time than the other Earth men — for the Earth separated off earlier — needed only that portion of the Christ Impulse which he still had in him from the Sun, to enable him to follow the Christ Event from the spiritual world. For Buddha that sufficed. Other human beings had to await the Christ Event on Earth. But because Buddha had this special relationship to the Christ, because he had been sent out by the Christ as a forerunner, he did not need to await on Earth the Christ Event. He took with him from Earth the capacity of remembering — even without the help of the Christ, which other men need — what the I means on Earth. Hence he was able also to look down and behold the Christ Event from higher worlds. Thus was preparation made long beforehand in the World All for the remarkable mission that Buddha had undertaken at the behest of Christ.

For

  • he was first sent to the Venus men — and compare what I am now telling you with the lectures I gave at Helsingfors — and
  • afterwards to the Earth;
  • then he made his way back to the Mars men, and there has to continue working, carrying out on Mars the mission for which he had so long been preparing. On Mars it is so, that the men who have remained there stand in great peril, even as the Earth men were in peril, from which Christ set them free. The danger for the Mars men is, that their astral body — they have, as you know, not an I to develop as we — their astral body, and thereby indirectly also their ether body, may suffer a very serious diminution of force and become dried up. The whole nature of the Mars men has proved to be of a kind that leads to terrible wars. The men of Mars tend to settle permanently on a certain spot. Men on the Earth are cosmopolitanly inclined; Mars men are wedded to the soil, there are very few cosmopolitans among them. And there is, or rather was, on Mars constant war and strife, due to the astral bodies that are very strong and not tempered and made gentle by an I. If you will think it over you will understand that among men who develop in this way there must inevitably be a terrible amount of strife and conflict. Mars is nothing else than a kind of reincarnated Moon; what the astral body holds is not tempered with the softening influence of the I, with the result that the men of Mars have quite an exceptional lust for war. The Greeks acted on a true knowledge when they made Mars the God of War. One is indeed filled with wonder and amazement when one finds in the world of legend these echoes of the truth. Unforgettable is the impression one receives when, having discovered that terrible wars took place there, one finds that this occult knowledge is present in the names that were given out of the knowledge contained in the ancient Mysteries. Think of the continuation of the life of Buddha, this Master of Compassion and Love, this Master in the overcoming of caste-distinctions, and you will understand the mission that Buddha had on Mars, — to introduce something to which the Mars men could never come unaided, something which would seem to them like an exaggerated piety, a kind of monastic attitude to life. For it was the mission of Buddha by means of a conspicuous example of exceeding humility and poverty to quicken the Mars men to life in this direction. I can only just begin to draw for you the picture of Buddha's influence upon Mars. The meaning of his work there for the Mars men who live without the I, is in point of fact entirely similar to the influence of a redeemer and a saviour, one who liberates men to a higher world-conception. And whilst upon Earth universal brotherhood and love of one's neighbour are connected in their deepest impulse with the Christ, cosmopolitanism in its essential character is connected with the Deed of Salvation which Buddha has to fulfil on Mars.
1912-12-18-GA130

lecture with the title: 'The Mission of Gautama Buddha on Mars'

see also: Colchis Mysteries#1912-12-18-GA130

1913-05-20-GA152

full extract see: Archangel Michael#1913-05-20-GA152

I have spoken here on different occasions of the evolution which Buddha passed through. ... We turn our gaze to evolution as a whole and describe what different impulses underlie it, giving to each its due value. Again and again we have spoken of the Bodhisattva who was born as Gautama Buddha and have shown that for us it is truth that he became ‘Buddha’. We have followed his evolution until the time when he received his mission on Mars. And of that mission we have also spoken here.

As long as man dwells on Earth, there is always for each human being, however high he may stand, an individuality who guides him from incarnation to incarnation. The individual guidance of human beings is made subject to the angels. When a Man from being a Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha, then his angel is, as it were, set free. And it is such angel beings who, after the fulfilment of their mission, ascend into the realm of the archangel beings.

Thus if we really understand how to penetrate ever more deeply into the super-sensible evolution which lies behind our sense evolution, we are actually able to perceive at some point how an archangel ascends to the nature of the archai, and an angel being to an archangel being.

internet translation from DE version

We have been able to follow Michael, a spirit who ascended to convey a new impulse to mankind, has ascended or is ascending, from the range of the archangels to the range of the archai. The place is filled by another being. I have spoken here several times about the evolution that the Buddha underwent.

...

We direct the view to the evolution, and we characterize what is subject to evolution out of the different impulses and give each of them its right. How often it has been emphasized that for us it is a truth that the Bodhisattva, who was born as the Gautama Buddha, has completely become a Buddha. We have followed his evolution up to the moment when he received his mission on Mars. ...

As long as man remains on Earth, however high he may be, one can always speak of the Individuality that guides him from incarnation to incarnation. The individual guidance of human beings is subject to the angelic beings.

When a human being becomes a Buddha from a Bodhisattva, his angel becomes free, so to speak. Such angelic beings, having then accomplished their mission, ascend to the realms of the archangels.

Thus at one point we really take hold of the ascension of the archangel to the to the being of the archai and the ascension of an angelic being to the archangelic being, if we really understand to look deeper and deeper into that which into that which stands behind our sensual evolution as the supersensual evolution.

GA114

p45

Ein solcher geistiger Missionar, ein Bodhisattva, kommt an einen Punkt, wo er sich sagen kann: Ich habe meine Mission vollbracht; der Menschheit ist jetzt gegeben, wozu sie vorbereitet worden ist durch viele, viele Zeiten hindurch. An einem solchen Punkte angelangt, kann der Bodhisattva zum Buddha werden. In der Zeit, als Gautama zum Buddha erleuchtet worden war, trat für ihn als Bodhisattva eine letzte Verkörperung ein. Er gelangt in einen Menschenleib hinein, der die Fähigkeiten in einem höchsten Maße ausgebildet hatte, die früher von oben gelehrt werden mußten und die nun nach und nach eigene menschliche Fähigkeiten werden sollten. Dann braucht er sich nicht mehr zu verkörpern. Dann schwebt er, die Angelegenheiten der Menschen fördernd und leitend, in geistigen Regionen und wirkt von dort in die Menschheit hinein. Und die Menschen haben dann die Aufgabe, das, was ihnen früher von Himmelshöhen heruntergeströmt ist, weiter auszubilden und sich zu sagen: Wir müssen uns jetzt so entwickeln, daß wir jene Fähigkeiten ausbilden, welche wir erreicht sehen, die im Buddha aufgetreten sind.

GA124

GA126

GA130

p 47

Diejenigen Mächte, diejenigen Kräfte, die den Menschen wiederum hinaufziehen in die geistige Welt, die zerfallen in zweierlei: in solche, die ihn hinaufziehen auf dem Wege der Weisheit, und in solche, die ihn hinaufziehen auf dem Wege der Moraliät.

Diejenigen Kräfte nun, welche vorzugsweise den intellektuellen Fortschritt bewirken, die gehen alle aus von Gautama Buddha. Es ist merkwürdig, daß uns die okkulte Forschung lehrt, daß gerade die scharfsichtigsten und wichtigsten Gedanken, die in unserer Kulturepoche gedacht worden sind, ausgegangen sind von Gautama Buddha.

Der zweite Impuls, der außer dem Buddha-Impuls in der Menschheitsevolution nun fortwirkt, das ist der Christus-Impuls, und dieser Impuls ist derjenige, welcher in der Zukunft dem Aufstieg der Menschheit zur Moralität entspricht.

GA131

p 176

Die Buddhakräfte durchsetzten den Astralleib des nathanischen Jesusknaben, so daß in dem Astralleib dieses Knaben das wirkte, was der Buddha in seiner damaligen Form der Menschheit zu geben hatte.

GA137

GA139


GA141

GA335

Sri M

describes a meeting with the Buddha in one of his incarnations, see more on: Karma research case studies#Sri M

Discussion

Note 1 - Rise to Buddha-hood

Rudolf Steiner describes the rise from Gautama Buddha to Buddha-hood. Specifically it reads (unless this is an erroneous interpretation) as that as a Boddhisattva he rose to Buddha-hood. However, until further notice (and maybe further study is required), it is unclear to what level of Buddha-hood exactly, taking into account the descriptions laid out on Three classes of Buddhas - see the summary Schema FMC00.313

Some tips are given:

  • the explanation that the angel was freed (1913-05-20-GA152). From this one might deduce that Buddha was a 'human' Buddha (bearer of, or inspired by, an angelic being). But that appears a contradiction with the fact Steiner calls him a Bodhisattva that rises to the rank of Buddha, a Bodhisattva (bearer of, or inspired by, an archangelic being) being already a level higher than a human Buddha.
  • the fact that he no longer incarnates, but works through the etheric body as the lowest principle (1910-04-13-GA118). See Schema FMC00.313.
  • Buddhas influence at the birth of Jesus, see: Three classes of Buddhas#1909-09-17-GA114

Related pages

References and further reading

see also: Eightfold Path of Buddha#References and further reading

  • Bruno Freydank: 'Buddha und Christus : eine buddhistische Apologetik' (1902)
  • Julius Dutoit (editor): 'Das Leben des Buddha: eine Zusammenstellung alter Berichte aus den kanonischen Schriften der südlichen Buddhisten' (1905)
  • Hermann Beckh
    • 'Buddhismus' later editions 'Buddha und seine Lehre' (original in DE 1916, also in NL 1992 as 'Boeddha en zijn leer')
    • 'Von Buddha zu Christus' (1924)
    • Der Hingang des Vollendeten: die Erzählung von Buddhas Erdenabschied und Nirvana - Mahâparinibbânasutta des Palikanons (1924)
  • Hella Krause-Zimmer: 'Der Buddha und die Himmlischen Heerscharen bei der Verkündigung' (article in 'Das Goetheanum nr 67, 51/52, pages 428-431)
  • Herbert Wimbauer: 'Von Buddha-Wodan und seinen Strömungen (1985)
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