The Life in brief of Buddha (Post 1)

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• Name : Gautama Buddha
• Place of Birth : : Lumbini, Nepal
• Place of Death : Kusinara, India
• Originally : Siddhartha Gautama
• Father Name : King Suddhodana
• Mother Name : Queen Maya Maya

Birth of Royal Prince Siddhartha

Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha, lived between 563 and 483 BC in the area known now as the Indo-Nepalese region. As a bodhisattva, he had passed through thousands of existences before coming to Earth for his ultimate transmigration.

This last lifetime he began as a son of the King of the realm Sakya,King Suddhodana, who ruled at Kapilavastu, in Ancient India on the border of present-day Nepal, and was born in a village called Lumbini into the warrior tribe called the Sakyas (from where he derived the title Sakyamuni, meaning "Sage of the Sakyas"). His mother, Queen Maha Maya and she’s king Suddhodana's wife

Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived. Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side. 

"Queen Maha Maya Dream"

Ten months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya Maya  left Kapilvastu for her father's kingdom to give birth. However, her son is said to have been born on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree. He immediately walked, spoke, and was received by Brahma.   Seven Lotus blossoms rose in his each footsteps, he stopped at seventh lotus and told to world “I had come to free all mankind from suffering”. 

"Birth of Prince Siddhartha at Lumbini"

Queen Maha Maya returned to Kapilavastu with royal baby. Also at this time a devout old man named Asita came down from the Himalayas to meet the newborn prince. An ascetic of high spiritual attainments, Asita was particularly pleased to hear this happy news. Having been a tutor to the King, he visited the palace to see the royal baby. The king, who felt honoured by his unexpected visit, carried the child up to him in order to make the child pay him due reverence. Asita announced “this child would either become a great king (chakravartin- is an ancient Indian term used to refer to an ideal universal ruler, who rules ethically and benevolently over the entire world) or a great holy man”.

This occurred after with giving wonder to allthe child's legs turned and rested on the matted locks of the ascetic. Instantly, the ascetic rose from his seat and recognizing in the young child the 80 signs (Birth marks) that are pledges to a highly religious vocation, and foreseeing with his supernormal vision the child's future greatness, saluted him with clasped hands. The Royal father also did likewise. 

"Royal baby's legs turned and rested on the matted locks of the ascetic"

The great ascetic smiled at first and then was sad. Questioned regarding his mingled feelings, he answered that he smiled because “this prince would eventually become a Buddha, an Enlightened One”, and he was sad because “I would not be able to benefit from the superior wisdom of the Enlightened One owing to his prior death and rebirth in a Formless Plane”

The Naming Ceremony

King Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on the fifth day after birth of prince. The young prince received the name of ‘Siddhartha’ which means "he who has achieves his goals." and King invited eight Brahmin scholars to read the future. All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great king (Chakravartin- is an ancient Indian term used to refer to an ideal universal ruler, who rules ethically and benevolently over the entire world) or a great holy man except one Brahmin scholar.  The named Kondañña, the youngest, and he’s the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become a Buddha.

Sadly after seven days Queen Maha Maya died, and her place as mother was taken by her sister named called Queen Maha Pajapati Gotami, whose devotion and love became legendary.

The Prince’s childhood

When the young prince was in his twelfth year, the king called the wise Brahmans in council. They revealed that Siddhartha would devote himself to asceticism if he cast his eyes on age, sickness, or death and, if he were to meet a hermit.

The King wanting his son to be a universal monarch instead, the king surrounded the palace with a triple enclosure and guard and proclaimed that the use of the words death and grief were forbidden. King Suddhodana made three different palaces with fully comforts for Siddhartha and Places names are ‘Ramya’,‘Suramya’ and ‘Suba’. ‘Ramya’ made for summer, ‘Suramya’ made for the winter, and ‘Suba’ made for the rainy season.

The prince grew up to be kind and generous. He was liked by all.  As a prince, young Siddhartha received an education in the arts and sciences and mastered the art of war and the royal sports of his time

"As a prince, young Siddhartha mastered the art of war and the royal sports"

The Prince Siddhartha Marriage

When the prince reached the age of sixteen, King Suddhodana arranged his marriage to a beautiful Yashodhara. To stop the prince from thinking about leaving home, Dancers and singers entertained them, and only young people were allowed into the palace.

The Prince reached the age of twenty nine without much experience of the world outside the walls of luxurious palaces. The king did not want Siddhartha to know that everybody gets sick, grows old and will die. But the prince was not happy. He wanted to know what life was like for people who lived outside the palace walls. 

The Prince Siddhartha Marriage

To Read Post Two Click The four Passing Sights - "The Life in brief of Buddha (Post 2)"