Alara Kalama

Alara Kalama (Pāḷi & Sanskrit Āḷāra Kālāma, was a hermit and a teacher of ancient meditation.[1][2][3] He was the specialist of Śramaṇa philosophy. According to the Pāli Canon scriptures, he was the first teacher of Gautama Buddha.[4]

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History

After 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 Gautama Buddha meditation, especially a dhyānic state called the "sphere of nothingness" (Pali: 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 Buddha found a new teacher, Uddaka Ramaputta.[8]

References
  1. Wynne 2007, p. 10.
  2. Laumakis, Stephen. An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy. 2008. p. 8
  3. Upadhyaya, K. N. (2017). Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. Wisconsin, USA: María Triana. p. 163. ISBN 113891701X.
  4. "Ariyapariyesana Sutta,translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu". Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  5. Eliade, Mircea (2009). Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind. Boston, USA: Wisdom Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9780861713356.
  6. Wynne 2007, p. 76.
  7. "Ālāra Kālāma". Article on Palikanon.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  8. "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.

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