Q:

What was the chronology of events in the Buddha's life?

This is the sort of question I'd find really useful to get an answer on; I'm looking for a rough chronology of the 45 years of the Buddha's (not the Bodhisatta's) life, year by year. I know there is some orthodox-approved order, I just can't find it yet. Does anyone know where it can be found, or even better can post it here?

A:

This is from Hajimi Nakamura's "Gotama Buddha" vol. 1
Sorry about the quality...

1st         36      varanasi                migadayavana

2nd         37      Vulture Peak            Veluvana

3rd         38      Vulture Peak            Veluvana

4th         39      Vulture Peak            Veluvana

5th         40      Vesali                  Mahavana

6th(1)      41      Mount Mankula           Makula mountain

7th         42      Heaven of 33 [Gods]     Tavatimsa

8th(2)      43      realm of Yakkhas        grove of Tesakala

9th(3)      44      Kosambi                 Kosambi

10th        45      Cetiyapabbata           Palelayaka

11th(4)     46      realm of Yakkhas        Dakkhinagiri monastery

12th(5)     47      Magadha                 Veranja

13th(6)     48      realm of Yakkhas        monastery near Tsalia

14th        49      Anathapindika’s Park    Jetavana monastery

15th        50      Kapilavatthu            Nigrodha monastery

16th        51      Kapilavatthu            Alavi

17th(7)     52      Rajagaha                Veluvana

18th(8)     53      Rajagaha                monastery near Tsalia

19th        54      Mount Calika            Veluvana

20th        55      Rajagaha                Jetavana

21-24(9)    56-59   Mount Calika

25-43rd     60-78   Savatthi

44th        79      borders of Vajji

45th        80                              Veluvana

The Buddha moved from Vaisali to Sravasti, where he spent the sixth retreat. At the end of the retreat he moved to Rajagrha (H. Kern, Manual of Indian Buddhism IStrassburg: Verlag von Karl J. Triibner, 1896], p. 31). As can be seen below as well, Kern makes conclusive statements about the chronology, perhaps based on a South Asian tradition.
Kern states that the eighth retreat was held at Crocodile Hill (Simsumara-giri), a hill in Deer Park of Bhesakalavana in the country of Bharga (Kern, Manual, p. 34).
According to one Southern tradition, the Buddha spent the ninth retreat in Ghositarama in Kausambi (P. Bigandet, The Life or Legend of Caudama, vol. 1 (Rangoon) American Mission Press, 1855], p. 234). However, see Kern, Manual, p. 34.
During the eleventh retreat, the Buddha stayed near Rajagrha (Kern, Manual, p. 35).
Concerning the twelfth through fourteenth retreats, see Bigandet, Life or Legend, pp. 240—41; Kentoku Hori, Bijutsujé no Shaka (Sakyamuni in art; Tokyo: Hakubunkan, 1910), pp. 208—9. During the twelfth retreat, the Buddha stayed at a place near Veraﬁja (Kern, Manual, p. 36).
The thirteenth retreat was spent at sravasti and Calika (Kern, Manual, p. 36).
The Buddha went from Alavi to Rajagrha, and spent the seventeenth retreat in the Bamboo Grove there (Kern, Manual, p. 37).
The eighteenth retreat was spent on a hill near calika, the nineteenth at Venuvana, and the twentieth at Jetavana (Kern, Manual, p. 37).
Concerning Mount Calika, Shinko Mochizuki, “Buddha jodé shijﬂgonen ni okeru agon no chiten” (The places of vassa during the forty-five years of enlightenment) (Bukkyé kenkyu 1, no. 2 [July-August 1937], p. 8) says: “If we consider calika to be in Savatthi because it was located nearby, this would mean the Buddha spent a total of twenty-five years at Savatthi.” Akanuma does not refer to the mountain in his dictionary.

A:

The following link provides a better pdf version:
Table 6. Gotama's Age, Years After Enlightenment,
and Sites of the Rainy-Season Retreats

Namo Buddhassa!

