Life of the Buddha

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Life of the Buddha
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Context

• Prince Siddhartha Gautama
• Part of the Shakya Clan (hence name Shakyamuni)
• Born Kapilavastu in Northern India, 563BCE
• Indian religion at time was Hinduism
• Buddhism part of a revolt against Hinduism
  expensive sacrifices, Caste System, pessimistic
  view of salvation, etc

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Siddharthas Birth

• Birth stories very symbolic
• Queen Mayas dream elephant in side
• Born in garden at Lumbini
• Trees bent down to support Queen Maya
• Born out of her side
• Golden Skin
• Walked seven steps and lotuses grew at his feet
• Declared this was his last rebirth

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Siddharthas Early Life

• A seer called Asita told his father King
  Sudohanna that he would either grow up to be a
  great leader, or a holy man.
• To make sure he became a king like him, the King
  kept Siddhartha in the palace for his whole life.
• He was surrounded by youth, beauty, pleasure and
  wealth, and had no idea that life could be any
  different.

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The Great Renunciation (The Four Sights)

• Siddhartha began to question life, and asked what
  was beyond the palace walls.
• He convinced his charioteer Channa to take him
  outside 4 times.
• On these occasions he saw an old man, a sick man,
  a corpse, and lastly a holy man (saddhu).
• The first three sights dispirited him, but the
  fourth gave him hope that he could figure out how
  to stop all the suffering in life (he was moved
  by great compassion)
• He decided to leave his family (wife and child
  too also symbolising leaving attachments
  behind) to become a wandering holy man in search
  of the truth.

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Asceticism

• Siddhartha first came across some yogins who
  taught him the art of meditation. He stayed with
  them for a couple of years, then moved on to join
  a group of ascetics.
• Ascetics deny themselves things in order to
  force the mind to see clearly. For example, a
  lazy person might force themselves to stand all
  the time.
• Siddhartha decided that since he had lived a life
  of material luxury, he would starve himself.
• Legend has it that he reduced his food until he
  was living on 3 grains of rice a day and almost
  died.
• He eventually realised that this was not helping
  him realise the truth, and (with some help from a
  local girl) made himself better.

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Enlightenment

• Soon after this, Siddhartha sat under a pipal
  tree (commonly known as a bodhi tree) and decided
  he would not move until he had an answer to the
  worlds suffering.
• For many days Siddhartha meditated, facing Mara
  and all of his temptations.
• Eventually Siddhartha came to realise the truth
  about reality and became enlightened.
• He was now the Buddha (enlightened one)
• He spent the rest of his life travelling and
  teaching what he had learned.