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THE STORY OF PRINCE SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA THE BUDDHA

The hero of this story is Prince Siddhartha, theBuddha-to-be, who lived more than 2,500 yearsago. His father was the Rajah of the Sakya clan,

King Suddhodana, and his mother was QueenMaha Maya.

They lived in India, in a city calledKapilavatthu, in the foothills of the Himalayas.They belonged to the Indian warrior caste.

The Buddha lived in India more than two thousand five hundred years ago.His teachings are known as Buddhism. Even as a boy, Siddhartha, theBuddha-to-be, liked to meditate. This is how he became enlightened. Histeachings help people to live wisely and happily.

The Birth of Prince Siddhartha

A long time ago in India, there lived a king named Suddhodana and a queen

named Maha Maya. They were both good and kind people. One full moonnight, the Queen dreamt of four devas. They carried her to a lake, to reston a soft bed. A white elephant carrying a lotus flower went round her threetimes and disappeared into her. Wise men explained that the Queen wasgoing to give birth to a prince.

When the time came for the baby to be born, Queen Maha Maya left thepalace with the attendants to go back to her parent's home to give birth tothe baby. On the way, they passed by a beautiful park called LumbiniGarden. Queen Maha Maya took a rest in the garden. While she was standing

up and holding on to a tree she gave birth to the baby.

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The birth took place on the fifth month of Vesakha, on a full moon day in623 BC. We call it Vesak or Buddha Day. Queen Maha Maya then returned tothe palace with her baby prince. King Suddhodana was very happy andcelebrated the birth of the baby with his people all over the country.

The Naming Ceremony

Five days after the birth of the prince, many wise men were invited to thepalace for the Naming Ceremony. They looked at the marks on the child'sbody. Seven wise men raised two fingers and said that the prince wouldeither become a Great King or a Buddha. The youngest, Kondanna, raisedonly one finger and said that the prince would become a Buddha. The princewas then given the name "Siddhartha" by the wise men, which meant "wish-fulfilled".

Seven days after the birth of her child, Queen Maha Maya passed away.Pajapati Gotami, her younger sister, who was also married to KingSuddhodana, brought up the prince as her own child.

The Childhood of the Prince

The prince grew up to be kind and generous. He was liked by all. When stillin his early years, Prince Siddhartha witnessed a bird carrying a worm thathad been turned up by the farmer's plough. This sight caused him to thinkabout the unhappy situation of creatures which were killed by othercreatures for food.

Seated under a rose-apple tree the young prince experienced the joy ofmeditation. At another time, the compassionate prince saved the life of aswan which had been wounded by Devadatta's arrow.

As a prince, young Siddhartha received an education in the arts and sciencesand mastered the art of war and the royal sports of his time.

The Prince Marries

At the age of sixteen, Prince Siddharthamarried a beautiful young princess calledYasodhara. She loved and cared for him, andtogether they lived a life of royal luxury fornearly thirteen years.

He was protected from all the problems of lifeoutside the palace gates. He had all thecomforts that a prince of his day could desire.He lived in a world where there was nothing buthappiness and laughter. One day, however, hewished to discover the world outside his palace.

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When the king learnt about this, he gave an order to the people of the city,"Have the houses along the road to the city cleaned and decorated. Makethe roads sweet with incense and have the people dressed in colourfulclothing. Make certain that all the beggars, the old and the sick stay indoorsuntil the prince has left."

The Four Sights

After some time the prince was not happy living in the palace. He wanted togo outside and see how other people lived. He went out with his attendant,Channa. They left the palace four times.

On the first trip, the prince saw an old man. He came to know that everyonehad to grow old.

On the second trip, the prince saw a sick man. He came to know thateveryone could get sick any time.

On the third trip, he saw a dead body. He knew that everyone would have todie one day.

On the fourth trip, the prince saw a monk who was happy and calm. Hemade up his mind to leave home so that he could help people to find peaceand happiness.

The Prince Leaves Home

Siddhartha went quietly to see hisnewborn son for the last time. His wifewas sleeping with the baby beside her,her hand resting on the baby's head. Theprince said to himself, "If I try to moveher hand so I can take the child for one

last cuddle I fear I will wake her and shewill prevent me from going. No! I mustgo, but when I have found what I amlooking for, I shall come back and seehim and his mother again."

Siddhartha left the palace. It wasmidnight, and the prince was on hiswhite horse Kanthaka with Channa, hisfaithful servant, holding on to its tail.He was going away to try to understandold age, sickness and death. He rode to

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the bank of a river and dismounted from his horse.

He removed his jewellery and princely clothes and gave them to Channa toreturn to the king. Then the prince took his sword and cut his long hair, puton monks robes, took a begging bowl and told Channa to go back with

Kanthaka to the palace.

Searching for Teachers

Siddhartha wandered along the Ganges River looking for spiritual teachers.Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta were considered to be the bestteachers in meditation at that time so Siddhartha went to study with them.

First he studied under Uddaka Ramaputta, then under Alara Kalama. Verysoon he had learnt all they had to teach, but he had not learnt to endsuffering. He said to himself, "I must find the truth on my own".

Six Years of Hardship

With his five friends, Siddharthawent to a forest near the villageof Uruvela. Here, several holy

men were living in andtormenting themselves withextreme poverty.

They believed that if they puttheir bodies through terriblephysical hardship, they wouldunderstand the truth. Some slepton a bed of nails. Some stood ontheir head. They all ate so littlethey were just skin and bones.

Siddhartha found a quiet spot onthe banks of a nearby river. Therehe practised the most severehardship. He slept on a bed ofthorns. He ate only one grain ofwheat and one sesame seed aday.

At other times, he would eat nothing at all. His body wasted away untilthere was only a layer of thin skin covering his bones. Birds made nests in

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his matted hair and layers of dust covered his dried-up body. Siddhartha satcompletely still, not even brushing away insects.

The Song of the Lute

One evening, a group of young girls ontheir way home passed by Siddhartha whowas sitting in meditation. They wereplaying lutes, a musical instrument, andsinging. He thought, "When the strings ofthe lute are loose, its sound won't carry.When the strings are too tight, it breaks.When the strings are neither too loose nortoo tight, the music is beautiful. I'm pullingmy strings too tightly. I cannot find theWay to Truth living a life of luxury or withmy body so weak."

Thus, he decided to give up self-torture.He came to know that this was not thecorrect way.

Soon after, while bathing in the river,Siddhartha was so weak that he fainted and fell. Sujata, a young village girlwho lived by the river, saw him and brought him a bowl of rice and milk.After his meal, he immediately felt stronger and continued his meditation.

When his five companions saw him eat, they were disgusted, thinking he'dgiven up. So they left him.

The Sun of Enlightenment Shines

Siddhartha remembered meditating under the rose-apple tree when he wasa child. "I shall meditate as I did before. Perhaps that is the way to becomeenlightened."From then on he began to eat daily.

Still seeking a way to understand the meaning of life, Siddhartha set out for

Bodh Gaya. Near a grove, he sat down under a huge Bodhi tree. Silently hevowed, "Even if my flesh and blood were to dry up, leaving only skin andbones, I will not leave this place until I find a way to end all sorrow."He satthere for forty nine days. He was determined to discover the source of allpain and suffering in the world. Mara, the evil one, tried to scare him intogiving up his quest. For instance, he hoped to lure Siddhartha into havingselfish thoughts by sending visions of his very beautiful daughters. But theBuddha's goodness protected him from such attacks.

During this period, Siddhartha was able to see things as they truly were.Now he had finally found the answer to suffering: "The cause of suffering isgreed, selfishness and stupidity. If people get rid of these negativeemotions, they will be happy."

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During a full-moon night in May, Siddhartha went into deep meditation. Asthe morning star appeared in the eastern sky, he became an enlightenedone, a Buddha. He was thirty five years old.

When the Buddha stood up at last, he gazed at the tree in gratitude, to

thank it for having given him shelter. From then on, the tree was known asthe Bodhi tree, the tree of Enlightenment.