Takmo Lu Jyin (Namo Buddha)

Namo Buddha is a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site near Panauti in the Kavrepalanchok district. It is believed by Buddhists to be one of the three most sacred Stupas, the Boudhanath, Swayambhunath and Namo Buddha. Namo Buddha, which means “Greetings to the Buddha”, is a holy site that has been sacred for thousands of years. Namo Buddha illuminates the extraordinary story of the Buddha’s previous life, who was moved by compassion at the pitiful sight of a tigress and her five little cubs, which led the Bodhisattva prince to give his body to the tigress as food, saving the lives of the tigress and the cubs. The tragic story of the origin of the Namo Buddha Stupa is related to the thirty-second reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Lord Buddha. The old name of the current Namo Buddha was Gandhamalaparvata.

As mentioned in Buddhist mythology, it relates to the present city of Panauti. The old name of Panauti was Panchal and Gunalatiavatipur during the reign of King Mahratha. Once upon a time, the royal family went to the forest for fun. While the princes were side-touring, they entered the dense forest. The younger prince saw a tigress who gave birth to 5 cubs. But she was so weak that she could not go hunting and left her cubs to starve. In the utmost piety, the prince offered his flesh and blood to keep the tigress and the cubs alive.

At this place, there is a small Buddhist stupa built in honour of Buddha’s ultimate sacrifice. The sacred books of Buddhism describe the biography of Prince Siddhartha Gautama Buddhas’ previous lives and that the five cubs are the first five disciples of Gautama Buddha in the Jataka stories.

The ancient story of the current Namo Buddha (Takmo Lu Jyin).

In ancient times, many immeasurable ages ago, Siddha Buddha was practising the path of learning in one of his previous births. The Jataka stories describe how the tigress and her cubs were suffering from hunger and how the prince felt piety and offered his body to the tigress and her cubs.

In the ancient past, the region was ruled by a king named Mahratha (ShingtaKshenpo), who ruled a small kingdom (present-day Sankhu) of about five thousand people. Due to the meritorious acts of the king, all his people enjoyed happiness and well-being, and crops and animal husbandry flourished. The king had three princes: the eldest was named Da Kshenpo (Mahadev), the middle one LhaKshenpo (Mahasabdh) and the younger SempaKshenpo (Mahasatya). The two elder princes, skilled in the arts of war and confident, always helped the king rule the kingdom, but the younger prince was full of heart and compassion from his early years.

One day, when the time was fine, the king and his queen, princes and ministers left the city to rest in the country. The king and queen rode on elephant chariots while the princes, ministers and staff rode beautiful horses. After a half-day journey, they arrived at a picturesque place with a rich variety of flowers blooming in a thick forest resounding with the sound of birds. The king was pleased to see this scene and ordered the royal servants to camp here for everyone’s enjoyment. At the king’s order, the staff immediately unpacked everything, pitched tents and set up stone hearths for cooking. Servants prepared different kinds of food and served drinks to everyone. Then, the youth began to sing, dance and play, turning the camp into a heavenly realm. The king, queen, and ministers enjoyed the eighty-four-course meal and helped entertain by watching.

Then, in the prime of their youth, the three princes, armed with their bows, arrows and swords, set out for a forest tour. While touring through, they came to a cave in the dense forest. Inside that cave, he saw a thin tigress lying beside her cubs. Da Kshenpo and LhaKshenpo loaded arrows in their bows, preparing to shoot the tigress, but SempaKshenpo stopped the brothers, saying it was wrong to kill. When he looked into the cave again, SempaKshenpo saw that the tiger could not walk, feed, or hunt to save herself and the cubs. Even though the tigress knew that the man had come, the tigress lay down on the ground, unable to raise her head due to hunger. That sight moved Prince SempaKshenpo to tears of compassion from the depths of his heart. He asked the brothers which food would save the tigress and her cubs. They replied that tigers survive by eating fresh, hot blood and freshly killed meat. So, if you want to save them, you must be able to find fresh blood and flesh.

Prince SempaKshenpo thought momentarily: Hot blood and flesh are indeed needed to save the tigress and her cubs. But for that, I have to kill another living being, and that means killing another to save one. What else can I do? He thought for a long time but could not find a solution. Then his brothers said, we have come here to have a good time. It is pointless to worry about this tiger and her cubs; all in the camp are in time to return, so the prince brothers return from there.

Prince SempaKshenpo thought as he followed his brothers back to the camp. I have been wandering in the world’s time cycle for a long time, sometimes with excessive desire, sometimes with hatred, sometimes with ignorance, ruining countless lives. I have rarely come across such an opportunity to sacrifice for others. What else is this body used for, if not for compassion? Finally, Prince SempaKshenpo decided I should be generous this time. So before going far with his brothers, he said to the brothers, you both go ahead; I have something to attend to, and I will see you soon.

Then, Prince SempaKshenpo accelerated his walk towards the cave. When he found the weak tigress again, he felt so sorry that he took off all his clothes and ornaments and hung them on a nearby tree and slept in front of the tigress, but the tigress was so weak that she could not even open her paws and mouth. Then Prince SempaKshenpo prays, “Today I am giving up this life to protect these lives, and by this virtue attain supreme knowledge, enlighten them and free them from worldly life”. After the prayer, SempaKshenpo took his sword from the tree and cut his body, which he gave to the tigress to lick. Before long, the tigress opened her jaws and stood up; with a roar, she devoured the prince and saved herself and her cubs.

The two brothers waited for a long time on the way, but the younger prince did not return. So they started looking for him. Considering what he had said earlier, there was no doubt that he had returned to the tigress. When they reached the cave, they found nothing left but their brother’s blood stains, bones and hanging clothes. In this sad scene, Prince Da Kshenpo and LhaKshenpo were speechless. They took their brother’s clothes and headed to their camp, weeping deeply.

At this time, the queen was on a nap, and in her dream, she saw three doves flying in the sky. As they were flying around, the smallest was pecked by a hawk. Frightened, the queen immediately told the king about her dream. King replied, after hearing your story, I believe that the three doves are our three sons. Among them, pecked by a hawk, is my dearest son. I’m sure something terrible has happened to him. Saying this, the king immediately sent royal servants to search for his son.

In no time, the two princes reached the camp, and the king asked, Has something terrible happened to my dear son? Is there any news? Suffocated and in utmost grief, the two princes were unable to speak or even breathe for a while. Finally, they took a deep breath and told their parents that Prince SempaKshenpo had sacrificed his body to save the tigress and her cubs.

On hearing this terrible news, the queen immediately fainted; the king was in great grief and grief-stricken. After being silent for a long time and taking deep breaths, the king, queen and two princes reached the place where the body of the youngest prince was self-sacrificed. When they arrived at the cave, only the bones and drops of blood left by the tiger remained. The queen retreated, wept profusely, and remained silent and sick for a long time.

Meanwhile, the prince was reincarnated in TushitaBhuvan as Mahasahas (NyingtopKshenpo). He asked himself, what did I do to be reborn here in the heavenly realm of Tushita? Through his divine knowledge, he thoroughly examined the five realms. Mahasahas saw that his parents and brothers gathered around the fragments of his bones left by the tigress. They were in mourning and were utterly distressed. Mahasahas thought that my parents were going through such a sad experience that it may endanger their lives. I speak to them to lighten their spirits.

He descended into the sky from TushitaBhuvan and spoke words of encouragement to comfort his parents: “I am SempaKshenpo. After I generously gave my body to a hungry tigress, I was reborn in the heavenly realm of Tushita”. With tears in their eyes, the king and queen said, “Son, you, who are like our hearts, to save the tiger by sacrificing yourself was certainly commendable.” But to whom shall we tell the pain of losing you? How do we bear it?

Mahasahas replied, please don’t be sad. The end of birth is death, and the end of union is separation. No one can cross it because these rules are the cycle of nature. It is the same for everyone. If we do evil deeds, we will end up in hell; if we do virtuous deeds, we will be reborn in a higher place. So, pursue virtue diligently. Pray, and we will surely meet in the heavenly realm in the next life.

After a few words, he did not hear. The king and queen were somewhat happy and promised to engage in virtuous deeds. They made a small box covered with seven types of gems in which they placed their son’s bones and built a Stupa over the burial site, the present Namo Buddha Stupa. SempaKshenpo reincarnates in TusitaBhuvana and after many lifetimes in Sakya Muni Buddha. Therefore, Namo Buddha and Panauti cities are ancient and holy places.

About eight kilometres below the Namo Buddha Stupa is a place known as King Maharatha’s Palace. Even today, on the fifteenth day of the fourth Tibetan month, the people of this region set up bronze and gold Buddha statues and gather all day long.

Another interesting place is said to be the tomb of Prince SempaKshenpo’s mother, which is in a small temple three kilometres below the stupa. Apart from these, a small spring gives blessed water in the forest below the stupa. At a walking distance of about fifteen minutes from the stupa, one can visit the site where the prince sacrificed his body.