Srilanka, Oct. 5 -- The early Buddhist scriptures (Pali suttas) record that at the time of his enlightenment (c. 450 B.C.E.) - when Siddhattha Gautama attained Nirvana and, therefore, freed himself from the wheel of Death and Rebirth (Samsara) - he initially recoiled at the prospect of teaching his experience to other people.
The Buddha, or 'Awakened One,' as he was henceforth known, feared that his teaching (Dhamma) was too difficult for a generation that 'delights in worldliness' to understand, and that its realisation lay beyond their spiritual grasp:
'Those dyed in lust, wrapped in darkness,
Will never discern this abstruse Dhamma
Which goes against the worldly stream,
Subtle, deep, and difficult to see.'
At this point, however, the ...