Buddha : life - beginning of an era
In the sixth century B.C., in the parts of north india in the modern
day uttar Pradesh there was a place named kapilvatsu ruled by the sakya
clan. The king or raja the clan was Suddhodana. Suddhodana was married
to Mahamaya. Suddhodana was a man of great military prowess and was a
very wealthy person. he had a second wife, named Mahaprajapati. She
was the sister of Mahamaya.
In the month of Ashad. Suddhodana and Mahamaya came together, and
Mahamaya conceived. In her sleep she had a dream,in which she saw that
she was in the Himalayas and a Bodhisatva , by name Sumedha, appeared
before her saying, and asked for her consent so that he can take birth
on this earth. Next morning Mahamaya told her dream to Suddhodana.
Suddhodana summoned eight Brahmins who were most famous with there
foretelling. Suddhodana related to them the dream Mahamaya had and asked
them what it mean. The Brahmins said, “not to worry , You will have a
son, and if he leads a householder’s life he will become a great king, and if he leaves his home becomes a
sanyasi, he will become the enlightened one , a dispeller of illusions.
When Mahamaya was going to her maternal home in Devadaha for
delivering the baby. She had to pass through a pleasure-grove of Sal
tree in Lumbini.
She delivered a son in the adobe of sal trees.The child was born in
the year 563 B.C. on the Vaishakha Paurnima day. when the child was
born, there was a great sage named Asita visited the kings palace.
Asita after observing the child, beheld that it was endowed with the
thirty-two marks of a great man and also had eighty minor marks, his
body surpassing that of many gods.he fore told that the prince has two
careers and no third. “either he will become a great king or if he
leaves his house he will become a fully enlightened Buddha.” Asita knew
that the child would become a Buddha started shedding tears thinking
that he is old age and will not be able to see it. He said the boy will
become Buddha and attain enlightenment , after that he will turn the
supereme wheel of dhamma and will spread happiness and harmony for
everyone.
On the fifth day, the ceremony took place in which The name siddharth
was chosen for the child. Gautama was his clan name .thus he came to be
called as siddharth Gautama.
In the middle of rejoicing over the birth and the naming of the
child, Mahamaya suddenly fell ill, and her illness became very serious.
She entrusted the responsibility Prajapati and king suddhodana.
At the age of eight, Siddharth started his education under the eight
brahims who had interoperated Mahamaya’s dream. After that he studied
under a great philologist Sabbamitta who had all the knowledge of
Vedas, Vedangas, and Upanishads. Siddharth also learned the science of concentration and meditation from one Bhardawaj, who was a disciple of Alara Kalam, Siddharth gautam showed early traits whenever he could he use to go a quiet place and practise mediation.
The prince belonging to the warrior class(kshatriya) was received
teachings of combat also. He had being taught archery and use of weapons
also. But he did not like it , he refused to join hunting parties with
his friends and family. He was often ridiculed by his friends also
because of this , they said he was afraid of tiger so didn’t go for
hunting. But after all this also he maintanied that he didn’t like
killing of inncocent animals.
Siddharth gautam was very compassionate about all living things from
the beginging , he belived all to be equal. He explained that while
thinking about living beings we create distinction and discrimination
within us only. We divide them on the basis of friends and enemies, we
divide them in animals and human beings. We discriminate between friends
and enimies in the same way we discriminate pets from wild animals. He
belived that universal love can be developed by meditating on the right
subjects.
His supereme senese of compassion for all living beings lead him to
make many enemies also. Once he was resting in the gardens , when a
wounded bird fell in front of him. The bird had been shot by an arrow,
the prince rushed to help . he removed the arrow and dressed its wound.
He gave the bird water and help it him against his chest. His cousin
devdatta came with a bow and arrow and asked siddarth that he had shot a
bird has he seen it. Siddharth showed him the bird devadatta tried to
take the bird but siddharth refused. There was a long argument between
the two which reached the king. Devadutta argued that he had shot the
bird so the bird belonged to him. Siddharth explained the person who
saves the life has the right to claim it. He explained that a person who
saves a life will always be greator than the person who tries to take
it. In the end Siddharth got the bird.
In his sixteen year Siddharth was married to Yeshodhara . Yeshodhara
was the daughter of another sakyan named Dandapni, she was famous for
her beauty and conduct. After few years Yeshodhara gave birth to a son
who was named Rahula.
The king was worried about the prophecy of the sage asita. He was
ready to anything so that the prophecy fails. Hethougth of engrossing
the prince with all the pleasures and joys of life. He built three
luxurious palaces one for summer , one for rainy season and one for
winters. These palaces had huge gardens with all kinds of flowers and
trees.
He even built a place for courtseans who could keep Siddharth
occuipied with sensual pleasures. But all of them failed as Siddharth
thought how can some one be attracted to beauty which is perisable.
At the age of 20 Siddharth Gautama was introduced to the sangh and he
started participating in the activities if the kingdom. He was always
against war once there was a conflict between the sakyan’s and the
neibhouring koliyas . Siddharth tried his best to persue the sangh not
to go to war. He explained to them that enmity does not disappear by enmity. It can be conquered by love only.”
When Siddharth was 29 he went to see his kingdom with channa his
charioteer. His father had made all the efforts to hide from him the
sick, aged and suffering because he didn’t want to proficy to come true.
Siddhartha while travelling in his kingdom was said to have seen an old
man. Then he asked charioteer
Channa
about the old man he explained to him that all people grew old. The
prince took further interest and increased his trips trips beyond the
palace. During these trips he encountered a
sick man, a dead body, and an
ascetic. These depressed him, and he tired to find the reason for suffering of human beings.
One night when Siddharth was around 30 years old he left the palace
with Channa in serach for the answers of suffering of life. Siddharth
send back channa and his horse and went on foot. He initially reached
Rajagaha where
King Bimbisara’s recognised Siddhartha after learning of his pursuit
, king Bimbisara offered Siddhartha his throne. Siddhartha
respectfully rejected the offer, but promised the king that he will
visit again after attaining enlightenment.
After that he practised
yogic meditation under two teachers on of the teachers was alara kalama. When he completed his learnings there he was asked by
Alara Kalama
to succeed him. However, Siddharth felt that his pursuit was not over
and he felt unsatisfied so he moved on . then he practised under a
yoga teacher named , he reached the highest level meditative consciousness under him. again he was asked to succeed
Udaka Ramaputta. But, again he felt that he had not found his answers so he moved on
Siddhartha then met five ascetics led by
Kaundinya, they decided to get enlightenment through restricting themselves on food intake and by undergoing
self-mortification.
He practised it for many days and nearly starved himself to death by
reducing his food intake. One day he fell down near the river because
of the strict practise he was following .A village girl named Sujata saw
Siddharth on the ground and gave him some kheer (milk and rice). after
having that Siddhartha recoverd and got back some energy . then
Siddhartha started to contemplate the path he was following.
He realises that extereme asceticism does not work , he realized the
middle way- a path of moderation. He discovered that the two exteremes
of self- indulgence or self- mortification should be avoided. Thus
awakened to this fact he decided to find the truth of life he sat under
the bodhi tree (commonly know as pipal tree) on the banks of niranjana
river near gaya(bihar). He mediated for many days. He realised complete
insight in into the cuse of suffering and how to finish it.
He realised
the four noble truths and the eight fold path. He was awakened to this
truth and after that Siddharth gautam became the enlighted one or the
awakened one whom we commonly call the Buddha.
After awkening he gave his first discourse at sarnath near banars to
the 5 asthetics led by kaundinya who had abondened him. He explained the
four noble truths and eight fold path. He explained the end of
suffering was possible by achieving nirvana. Nirvana was a state free
from greed , ill-will and delusion. These 5 ascetics became his first
disciples and started sperding Buddha teaching everywhere.
For next 45 years Buddha preached his Dhamma to all .
