Approximately 500 - 600 years after the death of the Buddha, the Buddha-Karita ("Acts of the Buddha"), from which the "Enlightenment of the Buddha" has been reworked, was originally written by the Indian poet, Ashvaghosha. Although a consensus has not yet been reached, it is believed he lived sometime between AD 50 - 150. It is documented that he became the spiritual counselor for the court of Kanishka, a Buddhist emperor of the Kushana dynasty, after the defeat of Pataliputra. . Kanishka is mostly remembered for convening the fourth great Buddhist council in Kashmir, which was organized by Ashvaghosha; this marked the beginning of pantheistic Mahayana Buddhism.

Ashvaghosha was born into a Brahmin family not in the predominantly Buddhist northern India. Although he did not start out being Buddhist, Ashvaghosha became a true

Siddhartha Gautama must have been very charismatic, intelligent and confident to be called "The Enlightened One". He must have rationalized and created thorough explanations to have people want to follow his teachings. He made a huge impact on society then and now 2500 years later in several nations. We know that his thoughts and teachings are now a way of life for a great many people all over the world.

follower of the Buddha's teachings. As a highly intelligent man, his Brahminical beliefs led him to debate the virtues of Buddhism with anyone who would dare. Ashvaghosha's reputation preceded him. During his travels he arrived at Magadha in central India, a Buddhist stronghold. A northern Buddhist thinker, Parshva, decided not only to propose a challenge to Ashvaghosha, but also to convert him to Buddhism. This proposal included a debate, after which the defeated individual would become a disciple of the victor. Ashvaghosha accepted those terms and allowed for Parshva to ask the first question. Parshva asked Ashvaghosha in front of a large assembly one simple question, "What shall we have to do in order to keep the kingdom in perfect peace, to have the king live long, to let the people enjoy abundance and prosperity, all free from evils and catastrophes?" Ashvaghosha had no answer, he hung his head low and in adhering to the conditions of the proposal, became Parshva's disciple and began to study the Sutras. Parshva returned to the north leaving Ashvaghosha to be instructed by Punyayashas. During this training period, Ashvaghosha read a Buddhist text in which his conversion and destiny were prophesized by

Some common words found in the essay are:
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