Tanhankara Buddha

Biography (ජීවිත කථාව)

Birth and family

City: —

Father: —

Mother: —

Clan/class: Kṣatriya (royal lineage)

Era and lifespan

Kalpa context: Ancient past (pre‑Dīpaṅkara sequence)

Average human lifespan: —

Tanhankara’s lifespan: —

Renunciation and enlightenment

Renunciation motif: Four sights (jarā, vyādhi, maraṇa, samana)

Enlightenment tree: —

First sermon location: —

Teachings and disciples

Chief disciples: —

Attendant monk: —

Notable lay disciples: —

Editorial cue: Details for the earliest Buddhas vary by recension. Use the Buddhavaṃsa verses as your primary anchor, then supplement with SuttaCentral notes and the Sinhala commentarial tradition. Mark uncertain fields with a badge until verified.

Canonical anchors (සිද්ධාන්ත සංකේතා)

Buddhavaṃsa (Pāli) Commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā) Sinhala vaṃsa tradition

Anchor 1: Tanhankara precedes Medhankara and Saranankara in the ancestral triad.
Anchor 2: Established rediscovery of the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
Anchor 3: Lifespan and kalpa context presented in hyper‑extended ages characteristic of ancient cycles.
Anchor 4: Pattern: renunciation after the four sights; formation of a vast Saṅgha of arahants.

How to verify: Cross‑read the Buddhavaṃsa chapter for Tanhankara, then align names (city, parents, tree) with Sinhala sources. If names diverge, keep the Pāli as primary and add variants in a collapsible note.

Symbolic meaning (සංකේතමය අර්ථය)

Origin lens: Tanhankara symbolizes “beginning through seeing craving clearly.” The ancestral triad frames the Dharma’s arc: insight arises when craving is understood rather than obeyed.

Ritual resonance: Place Tanhankara at the gateway of your lineage page—his scroll acts as the threshold where the Chronicle turns from mythic time to teachable method.

Editorial overlays (සම්පාදනාත්මක ආවරණ)

Variant names

Pāli: Taṇhaṅkara

Sinhala: තණ්හංකර

Transliteration: Tanhankara

Notes block

Variants to log: city of birth, parents’ names, bodhi‑tree species, chief disciples. Record each with source tag: [BV], [SC], [Si‑Comm].

Cross‑links

Prev/Next: — / Medhankara, Saranankara, Dīpaṅkara

Sources and further reading (මූලාශ්‍ර සහ වැඩිදුර කියවීම)

Buddhavaṃsa (Pāli): SuttaCentral entry for the Buddhavaṃsa, chapter on the earliest Buddhas.
Buddhavaṃsa (English): Translation and notes to corroborate names and lifespans.
Sinhala commentaries: Local vaṃsa traditions for city and parental names; log variants transparently.

Verification checklist: 1) Confirm triad order; 2) Record lifespan values; 3) Identify bodhi‑tree species; 4) Capture disciples’ names; 5) Align Sinhala spellings across your Chronicle.