The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the Burmese (Volume II)

In Short

This volume presents the conclusion of Buddha’s earthly journey, detailing his final teachings, his death, and the immediate distribution of his relics, while pairing this legendary account with extensive scholarly commentary on Burmese Buddhist traditions. It charts the historical development of the faith through early councils, royal patrons like King Ashoka, and Chinese pilgrimage records, before examining the monastic discipline of the Burmese Phongyies. The book endures as a foundational nineteenth-century Western study that captures both the textual ideal and the lived reality of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia with unusual detail and empathetic precision.

The Story

The text opens with the venerable Buddha, now seventy-nine years old, offering his final instructions to his disciples as he moves through various villages toward his ultimate departure. Experiencing severe physical illness after taking his last meal, he maintains a serene detachment, demonstrating control over the physical principles of life before lying down between two trees in the forest of Kootheinaron. Surrounded by grieving followers, he converts his last disciple, delivers a final charge on the impermanence of existence, and enters the final state of Neibban. His death triggers violent earthquakes, setting off elaborate funeral preparations, the miraculous burning of his corpse, and a heated division of his remaining relics among regional leaders.

Following Buddha’s demise, the narrative shifts to the consolidation of his teachings. The senior disciple Kathaba organizes the First Buddhist Council at Radzagio, gathering nearly five hundred learned monks—including Buddha’s constant companion, Ananda—to commit the master’s doctrine to memory and establish a unified canon. The historical narrative expands outward, tracing the royal lineages of ancient India, such as the rise of Tsanda-gutta and his grandson Ashoka. Ashoka’s sweeping conversion and imperial patronage transform Buddhism from a localized movement in Magadha into a pan-Asian faith through the erection of pillars, monasteries, and foreign missions. This historical trajectory is complemented by accounts of Chinese pilgrims, such as Fa-Hian, who journeyed across treacherous mountain ranges and seas to gather authentic Pali scriptures.

In its final movement, the volume transitions into a critical sociological and theological study of Burmese monasticism. Bigandet analyzes the core tenets of the faith, identifying ignorance as the root of human suffering and meditation as the path toward deliverance. He details the daily lives, strict dietary regulations, and social influence of the Burmese monks, known as Phongyies. While observing their rigid hierarchies, elaborate rituals, and pervasive presence in everyday society, the author reflects on the deep-seated lay devotion that sustains the monastic order across generations, concluding with observations on the construction of pagodas and the selfless piety of local believers.

How It Unfolds

The final journey and departure Buddha travels among his followers, offering his last discourses on impermanence before succumbing to a painful illness in the Kootheinaron forest, where he enters Neibban amidst global tremors.

The division of relics and the first council After the cremation of Buddha’s body, his relics are distributed among kings, while Kathaba convenes a council of five hundred perfected monks at Radzagio to preserve the teachings.

Imperial patronage and foreign expansion The narrative traces the rise of King Ashoka, whose devotion enables the wide dissemination of Buddhism, accompanied by historical records of Chinese pilgrims traveling to India to collect sacred texts.

The path of contemplation and monastic life Bigandet details the philosophical foundations of Buddhism, explaining how knowledge overcomes ignorance, while documenting the strict disciplinary rules, hierarchy, and daily routines of the Burmese monastic order.

Lay piety and local devotion The study concludes with observations of contemporary Burmese religious practices, highlighting the deep financial and spiritual sacrifices made by ordinary believers to erect pagodas and support monasteries.

The People

• Buddha (Gaudama): The founder of the faith who, at seventy-nine years of age, seeks to guide his followers through his final physical days. He desires to instruct his disciples on the impermanence of existence and break every tie linking him to material rebirth, leaving behind a completed path to spiritual release.
• Ananda: Buddha’s cousin and devoted personal attendant for twenty-five years. He seeks to capture every detail of his master's teachings while wrestling with deep personal grief over Buddha's impending death, ultimately securing a pivotal role in the First Council due to his unparalleled memory of the discourses.
• Kathaba: A senior disciple who assumes leadership over the order after Buddha’s death. He aims to protect the integrity of the doctrine by organizing the First Synod at Radzagio, carefully selecting five hundred learned monks to codify the sacred traditions.
• King Athoka (Ashoka): The powerful Indian monarch whose vast conquests and subsequent patronage allow him to protect Buddhist heralds, build thousands of monuments, and spread the religion far beyond its original regional borders.

In Its Own Voice

"Beloved Bickus, the principle of existence and mutability carries along with it the principle of destruction."

This central declaration is spoken by Buddha as his final instruction to his assembled disciples, emphasizing the fleeting nature of all physical reality just before he enters Neibban.

"As a mighty warrior on the battle-field throws down every barrier or obstacle that he meets, so Buddha broke down all the ties that had hitherto linked him to the state of existence."

This imagery illustrates the moment Buddha masters the principles of life near the dzedi of Tsapala, severing his connections to the physical world with complete mental detachment.

"Let knowledge be, and ignorance shall vanish away in the same manner as darkness is noiselessly but irresistibly dissipated by the presence of light."

Bigandet uses this metaphor in his theoretical commentary to explain how Buddhist meditation serves as the primary remedy against the fundamental ignorance that drives human suffering.

What It's Really About

At its core, the text examines the tension between absolute impermanence and the human drive for spiritual continuity. It presents Buddhism as an intellectual and psychological system designed to overcome suffering by dismantling the illusion of self and existence. The narrative contrasts the serene, uncompromising detachment of Buddha's philosophy—where the ultimate goal is the cessation of rebirth—with the vibrant, highly structured institutional life that developed to preserve it. Furthermore, Bigandet explores how a faith devoid of a supreme, interventionist deity maintains profound moral authority and emotional devotion among its lay followers through shared reverence for the monastic ideal and the practice of self-denial.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a fascinating double lens for modern readers: it serves as both a detailed summary of Southeast Asian Theravada traditions and a historical artifact of nineteenth-century European scholarship. Readers interested in religious history, Eastern philosophy, or colonial-era ethnography will appreciate the sheer depth of Bigandet's documentation, from royal genealogies to the minute disciplinary rules governing Burmese monks.

The reading experience requires patience, as the prose moves deliberate between archaic transliterations, lengthy scholarly footnotes, and dense theological classifications. Bigandet writes with directness and occasional sharp European bias—particularly when evaluating monastic demeanor or non-Christian theology—yet his prose remains remarkably lucid and grounded in close observation. What stays with the reader is the vivid contrast between the stark, uncompromising doctrine of universal decay and the enduring, warm-hearted generosity of the Burmese laypeople who cheerfully build monuments and surrender their material wealth to support the faith.