The Buddha was not only perfect in knowledge and conduct and developed supreme purity, compassion, wisdom and liberation but he was also the unsurpassable trainer of trainable people and teacher of gods and humans and as supreme teacher he had the ability to guide others to awakening.Just like the sun is not only bright and radiant only for itself, but also provides the energy for the entire ecosystem of the planet earth and all beings living on it - so too the Buddha didn't realize awakening just for his own...
The Buddha was not only perfect in knowledge and conduct and developed supreme purity, compassion, wisdom and liberation but he was also the unsurpassable trainer of trainable people and teacher of gods and humans and as supreme teacher he had the ability to guide others to awakening.
Just like the sun is not only bright and radiant only for itself, but also provides the energy for the entire ecosystem of the planet earth and all beings living on it - so too the Buddha didn't realize awakening just for his own benefit but illuminated the life of countless beings and lead them to liberation.
During the 45 years when the Buddha was teaching he led several 1000 people to the realization of Arahantship - the highest spiritual attainment and the same liberation that the Buddha himself had realized and he led several 10000 people to the first stage of awakening, after which they were secure to realize the goal in at least 7 more lifetimes (streamentry).
Also after the Buddha had passed away already his disciples continued to practice and realize his teaching in the last 2500 years up to the present day.Among all these noble disciples the Buddha mentions 41 monks, 13 nuns and 20 male and female lay disciples as so called "great disciples" with special outstanding qualities and encourages us to emulate them.
By recollecting them we can gain a deeper understanding what it means "to practice well", why they are worthy of respect, we can get to know their qualities, follow their example and enter into the stream of Dhamma and become noble disciples ourselves.
“Then there is the case where you recollect the Sangha: ‘The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples who have practiced well… who have practiced straight-forwardly… who have practiced methodically… who have practiced masterfully—in other words, the four types (of noble disciples) when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individual types—they are the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples: deserving of gifts, deserving of hospitality, deserving of offerings, deserving of respect, the incomparable field of merit for the world.’
At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Sangha, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Saṅgha. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma.
In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one whose mind is enraptured, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated.“Of one who does this, Mahānāma, it is said: ‘Among those who are out of tune, the disciple of the noble ones dwells in tune; among those who are malicious, he dwells without malice; having entered the stream of Dhamma, he develops the recollection of the Saṅgha.’"- The Buddha in Anguttara Nikaya 11:12
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