Brief History of the Buddha

The place of Birth

On full moon day of May, there was born Shakya Prince named Siddhattha or Bhodhisatta, in the small Kingdom of Kapilavastu, the birth place of Lumbini, the border of Nepal and India, now which is located in Nepal,. His father was a King, Sudhodana, the leader of Shakya, the mother, queen Mahamaya was a Koliyan princess. When she got a pregnancy, she wanted to visit to her hometown and to show it her parents and relatives.

So they went there, but on the way she gave birth great son, the place was in the Lumbini, under the Sal tree, between Shakys and Koliya , in 566 B.C.E, in accordance with some scholar’s mention. Many wonderful things happened on his birthday. The baby, Prince walked on seven lotuses after he was born and said or declared three words. They were; In Pali, Aggo Hammssami Lokassa, Jettho Hammssami Lokassa and Settho Hammassami Lokassa.  That mean Great am I in the world, Noble am I in the world and Supreme am I in the world, because he would become a Buddha later.

On the fifth day, after the birth of Prince, the King Suddhodana invited many educated Brahminas to celebrate to give a name of him. And gave a name he was named Siddhattha. Seven of them raised two fingers and said that Prince would either become a universal Monarch or a Buddha. But the youngest, Kondanna raised and finger and said that he would surely become a Buddha. After seven days of his birth, his mother died and was born in the Thusita Heaven. His mother’s younger sister Mahapajapati Gotami brought him up. He was said that to have been destined birth life of a Prince and had three palaces- one was for summer season, one was for raining season and another one was for winter season built for him by the King Sudhodana.

And the King wished his son to be a great king and shielded him from religions teachings and the suffering of human beings. The King brought him up in the lap of luxury, receiving education to be appropriate a Prince and to enjoy in the palace without worrying. His father splendidly arranged to hold marriage to a cousin named Yasodara at the age of 16. They led a very happy married life ,

because they agreed with each other in every ways and had also three palaces for three seasons. But he merely enjoyed worldly pleasure in the palace of life. After have been enjoying in the palace for several years as a Prince in Kapilavastu, one day he went the outside of palace to visit around the garden with Chana, his charioteer.

He saw the four storage sights or omens; namely an old man, a sick person, a death person and a noble hermit or recluse. When he saw the first one, he asked Channa who that man was and Channa answered that he was an old man. He asked the second one and Channa answered that he was a sick person. And then he asked again who the third one was. Channa answered that he was a death person. When he saw the last one, he asked again who the fourth one was. Channa replied that he was a recluse. So he considered that was the ideal life to go in search of truth, the remedy for suffering life.

The first three were signify the nature of life. When he was in the garden, someone came and informed that Yasodhara gave birth a lovely son. The boy was named Rahula. Chaged his greatly his mind and he also understood the nature of life and deeply thought for leaving the world in search of truth and peace.

Renunciation

Returning to the palace, he deeply thought for leaving the world to seek the truth and peace.  At night at first, he thought the formers cases in the palace which were happened.  At daytime, over thousands of ladies, some were dancing and some were dressing beautifully, but at nighttime they were sleeping very dirtily and giving a smile badly.  He thought again and again what happened to them. What the nature of lives were.  And what the nature of truth and peace were. And then he thought deeper and deeper.

At last he decided his mind and went to the Yasodhara’s room and opened the door at the threshold,gazing at his wife and a child who were fallen asleep. He loved them deeply as he loves all, because he had a great compassion for them and all others. However, his contemplative nature and boundless compassion did not permit him to enjoy the fleeting material pleasures of Royal household.

So he realized that it is time to leave for the palace, Kingdom, stepmother and father, his wife and his lovely son. At midnight he, with Channa, rode his favorite horse, Kanthaka and went on to the forest in the dark at the age of 29.

 When arrived at the Anoma River bank, the Prince removed his garments and handed them over to Channa and ordered Channa to take these garments and the horse and go back home. And then he ordained himself. With his sword, he shaved and beard and wore yellow robes to become an ascetic. He had no permanent place and he wandered place to place for his survival and searching the truth. Sometimes, he stayed in caves or beneath the threes.  He was living alone and seeking Truth and leading a pure and simple life.

 Enlightenment

He spent a week fasting and enjoyed the bliss to solitude and he went house to house to collect alms food with bowl in hand and eyes cast down in the street at Rajagaha. The people and King Binbisara were very amazed at the sight such a noble figure collecting alms food in the city. After getting enough alms food to eat, he went back to the forest. And then he went to seek the truth and peace.  One day he met one of an ascetic named Alarakalama and studied the doctrines.  He was not pleased with his system because he could not teach him up to a certain mental stage only. He did not get what he wanted.  So he went again to another famous an ascetic named Udaka kalamaPutta. He also either could teach only a certain higher mental stage, so he was not pleased with his system. Because was seeking only truth and pace to gain Nibbana, to end full of suffering.

Thus he chose to go to another place name Uruvela, a beautiful and quiet forest.  He struggled to try extremely hard to achieve a Buddhahood for six years.  He did many penances. He was steady for much suffering and he practiced many forms of severe but he did not achieve right way or truth in that way.

So he changed his method as his penances proved useless.  At last, he practiced the way called Mijjima patipada    and he thought that I need the strength to achieve Buddhahood .  He gave up fasting one ate some of the normal food. He sat under a huge Bodhi Tree. He meditated over and over on these questions, “Why do people suffer? How can I help them to be happy?” After practicing in the middle way day by day or time to time, he destroyed all passions, and realized the four noble truths. At the age of thirty-five, he found a way for people to end their pain and sadness and gained his Enlightenment on full moon day of May. From then on, he was called the Buddha.

 Teaching and Passing a way

After getting an Enlightenment, the Buddha preached the doctrine ( Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta)  for five  monks,former  his teachers , at Isipatana. That doctrine means the establishment of wisdom or the wheel of Truth. He explained step by step.  Firstly He taught two members of the Eightfold path: namely Right Understanding ( Sammaditthi) , that means understanding the Four Noble Truths. And Right Thought ( Sammasankapa)  it means to think what is good , what is evil. Secondly  he preached three members : namely Right Sppech ( Samma Vaca) it means  good saying.1 Noble speech is apt;2 Speak the Dhamma not Adhamma;3 Say what is pleasant, not unpleasant;4 Speak what is true not lies. Right Action ( Samma Kammanta) it means for respecting other life, property and personal relationship. And Right Livelihood (Samma Ajiva) it means for moral training teaches how to earn one’s living rightly. Finally he preached last three members: namely Right Effort ( Samma Vayama) it means  mental energy  to try to get good things. Right Mindfulness ( Samma Sati)  it means beings aware of being, attentive to and observing one’s own mind, watching where it is going, what it is doing etc. And Right Concentration (Samma Samadhi) it is a part and parcel of our day to day lives. The benefits of practicing meditation is obtained here and now, if we constantly practise-peace and happiness will be attained.

The Buddha taught above his fist discourse of else of the Four Noble Truths. Those mean suffering, its cause, its end and the way to its end. At the end of discourse Kondaynya understood and became a Sotapanna (has attained the first stage of saimhood and one who has seen the Nibbana for first time).At the end of the discourse, all Devas and Bramas they a shouted Sadhu, Sadhu and Sadhu( well-done, well-done and well-done).

After hearing the Buddha’s explanation the other four monks also understood and realized what the Buddha had taught is, and became Sotarpanna later. The Buddha went to make his missionary place to place for the people to understand what meaningful life is. The Buddha then sent for next 45 years of his life teaching what he finally came to understand. He founded a community of monks known as the Sangha and the Buddhism spread. There were Kings, Nobles, Merchants and peasants became his disciples and followers and even now countless people everywhere benefit from his teachings. After sending 45 years, he got a sick then he knew his condition so he advised last word for his disciple  that O Bhikkhus strive on with diligence , in Pali ‘’Appamadena Bhikkhave Sampadedha.’’ Again the Buddha said with regard to the best form of followers and Buddhists people. A person who honors me best, practice my teaching best. He then advised his disciples to regard his teachings as their teacher.  After advising those words for his followers, he attained Jana and passed away peacefully without any sorrow at Kusinara in his 80 years on full moon day of May over 2500 years ago.

By Varabuddhi

Refrences:

The life of the Buddha
The Buddha and His Teachings By Naradamaha Thera