The life of the Buddha.. Siddartha Gautama was the son of a King of the Sakya clan, who ruled in...
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Transcript of The life of the Buddha.. Siddartha Gautama was the son of a King of the Sakya clan, who ruled in...
The life of The life of the the Buddha.Buddha.
Siddartha Gautama was the son of a King of the Sakya clan, who
ruled in Lumbini; a city in Northern India. It had been
prophesied that he would be a great king, unless he saw human suffering, in which case he would
be a great sage. His father wanted him to grow up to be a
great king, and arranged for him to be educated properly, in isolation from the world.
Siddartha grew up in unimaginable luxury. His palace was protected
from the world, and he was educated as a prince should be, in art, music, diplomacy, and warfare. He was attended only by beautiful,
young servants. He married a beautiful princess, and had a son.
Whenever Siddartha left the palace, he was attended by an
army of attendants, who moved all ordinary people out of the
way!
One day, bored with life in the
palace, Siddartha went on a journey, without his
usual attendants. He sneaked out of the
palace, with only his
charioteer for company.
As they drove along, Siddartha saw things that
he had never seen before; new
sights, visions of the way that
ordinary people lived!
First, beside the road, Siddartha saw a sick
man. “What is the matter with him?” he
asked the Charioteer, as he had never seen anyone sick before!
“He is sick, my Lord” replied the charioteer.
“Why” asked Siddartha, “What has he done to deserve such a
terrible fate?” “Nothing Lord, sickness comes to
all of us.” Siddartha was struck dumb,
terrified by the thought that he, although young and strong,
might become ill!
Next, Siddartha saw an old
man sitting by the road;
wizened with age, more
like a bundle of rags than a
man. Hunched over,
wrinkled. “What is the matter with
him? He asked.
“He is old, My Lord”, replied the charioteer, who
then had to explain to a shocked
Siddartha, that this was an inevitable
part of life!
Next they saw a corpse, laid out on a
funeral pyre for cremation. “What is
this” asked Siddartha, “Why are they burning him?”
Now the charioteer explained
about death to him; how it
means the end of life, and
how it comes to all, no
matter how rich or
powerful they are. “Death is inevitable. My Lord,” he said. Siddartha was paralysed with
fear!
They drove along in silence, Siddartha lost in his thoughts.
All his riches, all his youth, all his health would go; he would
experience sickness, old age, and death. How could he face such
suffering happening to him?
On their way back to the palace, they saw one more sight. An
old man, in a tattered orange robe, who
walked along the road with a firm stride, his
gaze fixed on the horizon, a smile
playing on his lips.“Who is that?” said Siddartha, and how can he smile when
sickness, old age and death await?”
“He is a holy man, My Lord”, replied the charioteer.
“He has abandoned all his possessions, and his life, to live in the forest, and work hard at
liberating himself from suffering. By leaving the world he hopes to find
the truth”
That night, in the palace, Siddartha could not sleep, tormented by
what he had seen, he lay awake and worried. Not even his wealth and power could save him from
Sickness, Old age and Death. He decided to follow the holy man,
and ask for his help. He kissed his wife and son goodbye. He climbed over the wall in secret, cut off his hair with his sword, swapped his rich clothes with a beggar’s rags,
and vanished into the night.
Siddartha spent the next six years with the
ascetics. He learned to meditate, and practiced yoga to try and control his body, and free his
soul. He practiced fierce
austerities, eating only a few grains of rice each day, and meditating for
weeks at a time; trying to force himself to
happiness.
Eventually, as he sat in
meditation, terribly
emaciated, he realised that he
had achieved nothing.
Neither as a rich prince, nor as a penniless ascetic, could
he find happiness.
Rising from his seat, he left the other ascetics, and seated himself under a
tree. He vowed that he would not move, until he had discovered the secret of happiness. As he sat in meditation, he saw his previous
lives, and understood all the suffering which he had undergone. Although tempted by “demons” of lust and anger, he overcame all of them, and when morning came, he understood how to be happy; he
was enlightened!
He touched the earth, as the witness to his achievement, and rose to
begin his new life; no longer
Siddartha Gautama, no longer the
Ascetic, he was now the
enlightened teacher: