The Buddha's Life
Childhood Years
Buddha was born around 563BCE as Siddhartha Gautama to a prominent family of the Shakya clan, who occupied the foothill of the Himalayas on the northern edge of the plain of the river Ganges., lived in the capital city, kapilavastu.
Some accounts of Siddhartha's early life state that his father, Suddhadhana was the king of the Shakyas, but he may be an important citizen.
Before Buddha was conceive, his mother, Mahamaya, dreamed that she was visited by marvelous white elephant. When she gave birth, she experienced no pain at all, and it is said that streams of water poured from heaven to wash her and her baby.
Then the newly born infant rose up of his own accord and strode northwards with seven sturdy strikes, announcing, "I am the chief of the world, I am the best of the world, I am the first int he world. This is my last rebirth. There is now no existence again." Just one week after the birth, Mahayama died, and Siddhartha was entrusted to her sister, Mahapajapati.
Shortly after this, an elderly sage called Asita visited Siddhartha palace. When he saw the infant Siddhartha, he immediately recognized that he was looking on a child destined to be a great spiritual leader. Asita wept, telling Suddhodhana that his tears were not out of sorrow for the child, but pity for himself, for he knew he would not live long enough to experience the child teachings.
Suddhodhana was delighted that his child was destined for leadership of a high order, but he wanted a son who would find greatness as a warrior or political leader, not as a saint.
To ensure the boy's mind would not turn towards religion, he resolved to educate him in such a way that he would never encounter the painful and ugly side of life. He reasoned that if Siddhartha had all he could wish for, he would not be prompted to look beyond the pleasures surrounding him.
So Siddhartha enjoyed a luxurious upbringing in Kapilavastu, hermitcally protected from he outside world. As a youth, he was everything his father hoped for,: handsome, intelligent and a master of many sports, When he grew to manhood, he married a beautiful young woman, Yosodhara, who bored him a son, Rahula.
But by the time he was approaching his thirtieth year, Siddhartha began to question what happen beyond the city walls. He struck an agreement with his groom, Channa, and together they went on four secrets excursion.
On the first, they encountered an old man, on the second, a sick one, on the third, a corpse being prepared for cremation. Siddhartha view's of the world was suddenly and irrevocably shattered. For the first time in his life, he began to grasp the true facts of the human condition: everyone-rich, powerful, poor or weak-is susceptical to illness, old age and death. and then...? He knew he could not stay in Kapilvasatu and ignore what he had seen. He had to find out more.
Siddhartha's Search
On the fourth expedition with channa, siddhartha saw a sadhu, a wandering sage, dressed in rags. When Channa told him that this sadhu was one of the holy men who seek to unravel the mysteries of life by rejecting the comforts of the material world, Siddhartha decided that this was his path he too must follow. He arrange with Channa to escape from Kapilavastu by dead of the night. The men rode to the border of the shakya kingdom, and siddhartha crossed the river into the neighboring kingdom of Magadha, where he soon encountered another sadhu.
Siddhatha cut off his long black hair and give his clothes to the sadhu in exchange for the sadhu thin , saffron robe. Then he set out to find a teacher.
Siddhartha found his way to two of the most distinguished spiritual leaders of the day Alara Kalama and u8ddha Ramaputtra. But although the two men were able to teach him many helpful mediation practices, he did not feel that either had helped him to resolve the heart of his problem.
So he decided to focus on a life of strict asceticism, in the hope that if he subject his body to the most extreme forms of suffering, he would be bake to overcome suffering itself. He lived with five companions who were also intent on pursuing the ascetic path; he slept on beds of thorns and starved himself until he could touch his backbone through the skin of his belly. But still he did not solve his problem.
He realized that if he continue such practices, he risked dying before finding a solution. But what re his options? He had rejected a life of material luxury and had not made the progress he hoped for with life of renunciation and poverty
As he struggled with the dilemma, sidhharta overheard the instructions of a fisherman who was teaching the lute to a young boy. "if you wind the string too tight, they will snap," the fisherman explained, "whereas if you leave them too loose , the lute will not play. But when the string are just right - not too loose and not too tight - you can start to make music."
Listening to this instructions, siddhartha realised that there was another path available to him: the Middle Way. But when e told the five companions that he intended to renounce fasting and try another method, he was scorned by them.
So he set out on the next stage of is search alone. At a place called Bodh Gaya, in the modern Indian state of Bihar, he made himself a cushion of grass beneath the branches of the Bodhi Tree.
He resolved to sit in mediation here until he found an answer to the problem of suffering.
Siddhartha's action and action were watched with mounting alarm by Mara, lord of the demons and master of illusory world. Mara's role in the scheme of thing is to tempt humans to believe that there is nothing beyond the repeating ccle of birth, death and rebirth. When he saw Siddhatha has come close to breaking through the illusory veils that surrounds him, Mara staged an all out assault.
He sent armies of hideous demons, but Siddhatha was unmoved. He sent each of his seductivelive daughters, but Siddhatha was again unmoved. Finally Mara had to admit defeat. Siddhatha had entered the state of Samadhi, or enlightenment, and in this state he made thre crucial discoveries.
First, he remembered his former lives; second, he understood the workings of karma and saw how those who acquired bad karma through evil actions are reborn in misery, while those who acquire good karma through generous actions are reborn to happiness. Finally, he gained mastery of all kinds of addiction: sensual desire, mortal life and ignorance.
In the terms of modern science, we could say that Siddha had experience the manifest world as an outpouring of energy from a mysterious, unlimited source.
Once the mind was perfectly quiet and still he could feel he presence of this energy within depth of his own being ans in all animate life forms around him.
This he understood, was this true nature. When siddhatha came out of his final confrontation with Mara, he was no longer siddhatha. He had become the Buddha, the awakened one.
Leaning forward he touched the earth to witness to is achievement.
The Buddha's Ministry
The Buddha is said to have remained in meditation under the bodhi tree for several weeks. Blissful though he was, he felt sure it would be impossible to convey his discovery to others.
Then he was visited by the Hindu god Brahma Sahampati, who told him that there were some people with "just a little dust in their eyes"
The Buddha's sense of compassion was stirred and he agreed to help them see clearly.
The first people the Buddha sought out were the five ascetics who had spurned him when he gave up his fight against hunger. As soon as he approached them, they could see at once he had undergone a complete spiritual transformation. When he started to teach them about the Middle Way and the truths he had discovered one of them, Kondanna, understand him at once. Kondanna became the first Buddha monk, or Bhikkhu
Soon afterwards the remaining four ascetics were also ordained, and the first Buddhist community, or Sangha, was formed.
The Buddha was about thirty-five years when he becomae enlightened. He continue to teach until g=his death at bout eighty. During those years, he walked tirelessly across northern India, teaching to whoever was willing to listen and drawing no distinction between race, caste, sex or vocation.
He was apparently an inspiring figures, for many people who heard him speak were immediately ready to give up their former lives and devote themselves to followng him. Before long, the numbers of mass conversion promted the Buddhato et up a former ordination procedure.
This involved making three simple vows called:
3 Jewels or Triple Gems
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the Dhamma
I take refuge in the Sangha
Later, the Buddha introduced a more detailed monastic code. Like him, his monks led a homeless life, wandering from place to place.
As the message of Buddha spread, more donations were offered to the monks, and many lay communities were established.
The prinnciple of exchange between lay people an monks has been a hallmark of Buddhism ever since: monks may recieve food, shelter, clothing, medicine and other necessities, offering the teachings in return.
Inevitably, the Buddha found his way back to Kapilavastu. When he taught there, large number of poeple converted, mong then his younger brother Nanada, and son Rhula.
His cousin, Ananda, also converted toBuddhism and would be his faitful attendent during the later part of his life.
During the fifth year of the Buddha's Ministry, Suddhodhana died, The Buddha's aunt, Mahapajapati, ask him to ordinaed her. When he refused, she cut off her hair, put on the saffrn robe and renounciate, and follewdhim with a group of with a group of female companions. At last, the Buddha agreed to ordian her, but he laid down eight stringent requirements, one of which was that nun- Bhikkhuni - would always be junior even to the recently ordined mnks, and must defer to him. However, he recorded as having said to ananda both the women and men have the same sipirtua;l potential.
The rapid growth and the high morale of the Buddhist Sangha attarcted th envy of other religion sects in india. Hoever the Buddha's minsitry was charcterised by tolerenceand liveration and by exceotional skills as a peace maker, both within anthe Buddhist community and with other religious sects. In fact, modern Hindus do not regards theBuddha as an outsider, but as a manifestatuin of the great god Vishnu, the preserver, who decents to the world in particular difficult times to set things right.
The Final Year
The last years of the Buddha's life is recorded in some detail and his death has become a myth in its own right. While the Buddha was visitng a town called Pava, he was given a meal by Cunda the smith that triggered his fatal illness.
Despite the ravaging effects of the poison that was in his meal, he and his companion went on their way to the village of Kusinari, but he was racked with pain by the time he reached the village outskirt that he had to stop and rest.
As he left this life, it is said the sala trees rained blossom, even though it was out of season, that the gods of all the world system gathered around him in such dense crowd that a hair could not clipped between them.
In ever sphere of existence, there were grieving, among animals and gods as well as among humans, Evn as he died, the Buddha continued to teach, and his last words were addressed to local ascetic named Subhada: "All created things are impermanent, Strive on mindfully."
Who is the Buddha?
Once a certain Brahmin named Dona, noticing the characteristic marks of the footprint of the Buddha, approached Him and questioned Him :
‘Your Reverence will be a Deva ?’
‘No, indeed, Brahmin, a Deva am I not,’ replied the Buddha.
‘Then Your Reverence will be a Gandhabba ?’
‘No, indeed, Brahmin, a Gandhabba am I not.’
‘A Yakkha then ?’
‘No, indeed, Brahmin, not a Yakka.’
“Then Your Reverence will be a human being ?’
‘No, indeed, Brahmin, a human being am I not.’
“Who, then, pray, will Your Reverence be ?’
The Buddha replied that He had destroyed Defilements which condition rebirth as a Deva, Gandhabba, Yakka, or a human being and added he is now called
Buddha - The Awaken One.
Here's a short recap of Buddha's wonderful and amazing life:
Life of the Buddha
Prince Siddhattha Gotama
(Siddhatta means ‘wish fulfilled’ The family name is Gotama)
Before Conception: At Tusita Heaven
Surveyed: 1. Mother 2. Society 3. Place 4. Time
Year born: 623 B.C.
Place : Lumbini Park at Kapilavatthu
(On the Indian borders of present Nepal)
Father King Suddhodana of the aristocratic Sakya Clan
Mother Queen Maha Maya
Adopted by Maha Pajapati Gotami
(The Queen younger sister, who married the King)
King’s Tutor Asita
- smiled at first then became sad
- Predicted that the prince will be a Buddha
Married Age Sixteen
Son Rahula (Means Fetter)
Renunciation Age Twenty-nine
1st Teacher Alara Kalama
- Realm of Nothingness (Akincannayatana)
2nd Teacher Uddaka Ramaputta
- Realm of neither Perception nor Non-Perception
(N’eva sanna N’asannayatana)
Enlightenment Age Thirty-Five
(From hereon known as Sakyamuni Buddha or Gotama Buddha)
Invitation Brahma Sahampati
Parinibbana Age Eighty (543 B.C.)
Some 15 Billion years ago, our universe began with the mightiest explosion of all time. The universes expand , cool and darken, energy condenses into matters mostly hydrogen atoms, these atoms accumulated in vast clouds rushes always from each other that would one day become the galaxy.
There were in those time no planet to receive the lights, and no creature to admire the radiance of the heaven, but deep in the stellar furnaces nucleus fission atom were creating the heavier matters carbon and oxygen silicon and iron, these elements the ash left by hydrogen were the raw material which the planets and life which later arrive.
Some colony attached themselves to sea floor, others swam freely eyes evolve and now the cosmos can see living thing move on to colonize the land . The reptile help shave for a time but give way to small warm blooded creature with bigger brain that develop dexterity and curiosity about their environment, they learn to use tools and fires and language star stuff the ash of stellar have emerge into consciousness.
