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The Storr of Buddha's Enlightenment

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The Storr of Buddha's Enlightenment Indian Religions Buddhism The Storrof Buddha's Enlightenment Buddhism beganalmost 2,500 years ago. The foundationof Buddhism restson the life of one teacher, an Indian princenamed SiddharthaGotama. Prince Siddhartha grew up in small kingdom in northeast Indi� an area which now rests in Nepal. His father, King Sudhodana, ruled over the Shakya people. Although the King hopedhis son would carryon his legacy, the prince had a verydifferent calling,one which made him one of history's most famous andinfluential figures. In order to understand the principals of Buddhism, one must begin withthe life of its founder. The deeds and words of Lord Buddha are the source and inspiration behind this popular faith. As you read the story of Buddha's enlightenment given below and on the following pages, be sure to locateall place names on themap, page 173. Prince Siddharthawas born around 563 BCE, son of King Sudhodanaand Queen Maya. Evenbefore the birth, the queen had premonitions of greathappenings. Legendtells that in her dreamsradiant a white elephant descendedfrom the sky. As theelephant descended, its six largetusks pierced the queen's womb, and she was filledwith light. Thatmorning, the king and queen sought thecounsel of the wise, forthis was no ordinarydream. The fortune tellers explained that the queen would give birth to a son, andhe would be a great leader. The couple was overjoyed at hearing this. King Sudhodana was thrilled, fornow he would have a succes­ sor. About ten months later, on the fullmoon night, in the Indian monthof Vaisakha (May/June), Queen Maya was on her way to her father'shouse inthe town of Lumbini. Suddenly, she haltedher escorts, descended from her carriage, and entered a lush, beautiful garden. Thereshe gave birthto a son. Legends tellof thesacred silence which anointed the garden that nightand of a peacewhich flowed throughout the land. Theroyal couple decided to name the baby Siddhartha, whichmeans "the one who brings allgood." News of the prince's birth spread, andthere was much celebration. Manyvisitors cameto pay tribute to Siddhartha. One of these visitors was the holy sage, Asita. Asita told the parentsthat the prince would be either a greatking or a great saint. Then somethingstrange happened. When Asita's eyes met the infant's,the sage began to weep. This worried the king and queen, but Asitaexplained that these were bittersweet tears he shed forhimself, for he saw thatthis indeedwas a specialchild, one who could lead others to peace. Now the holy man wept because, aftera lifetime of searching, he would not live to hearSid dhartha'steachings. Both the king and queen were happy, but Sudhodana wanted to be certain thathis son became a great emperor, not a saint. Therefore, he set out to give Siddhartha all he could desire. But the couple's joy was quickly ended when Queen Maya shortly became seriously ill. Withinseven days of giving birth,she layon herbed dying. She asked her sister, Prajapati, to mother her son. Prajapaticonsented. Soon afterwards, the queen passed away. Prajapatiraised Siddhartha as though he were her own son, and the princelived a carefreechildhood withinthe palace walls. King Sudhodana made certain that theboy received the finesteducation, for Asita's prophecy remained with him. The princelearned quickly. In fact, legend has it that afteronly a l fewlessons he had no need of teachers-he had learned all they could teach him. #624Interdisciplinary Unit-WorldReligions 170 @1995 TeachuCreated Materials, Inc. Buddhism IndianReligions De Slor,ol Buddha's EnliUhl8Dll811(cont.) As Siddharthagrew, his intelligence was matched witha compassionategentleness. Unlike his peers, he spent a great dealof time alone, wanderingthe palacegardens. Hedid not participatein the common games of boys but sought the companyof animals and nature. It was on one of these garden days that the prince came upon a wounded whiteswan, anarrow still piercing its wing. He removed the arrow and comfortedthe bird, tending to its wounds. Shortly thereafter,Devadatta, Siddhartha's cousin, came running. Adorned withbow and arrow,Devadatta demanded the swan he had hunted. But the Princerefused. The boys argued until they agreedto settle their dispute in thepalace's court. When Devadattacame before the judges, heclaimed that because he shot the bird, it should belong to him. When Siddharthaspoke, he said thathe had saved the swan'slife, and therefore it belonged to him. Thejudges sided with theprince, agreeingthat the bird'ssavior has a greaterright. Years went by, and as theprince became a young manhe continued in his gentle, quiet ways. This disturbed his father, who wantedhis son more involvedin worldlymatters. But the King's worn.es wereallayed when Siddharthamet Princess Yasodhara,daughter of King Suprabuddha. The young couple wantedto bemarried, but theneighboring king needed proofof Siddhartha'sbravery and skills. Only then would hegive his daughterin marriage. Although he had littleexperience in warriorgames, the prince gladly agreed to take part in a contest against other suitors. Now even Siddhartha's father was woni.ed. How could theprince compete against the other young men who had spent years in training? But the princesurprised everyone with his abilities. He began by winningthe archery match, defeating his cousin, Devadatta. Next, he won the swordsmanship contest when, in one lightningquick stroke, he slashedthrough a tree-a treewithtwo trunks! However, thoughthe prince was powerful,it was his gentleness which won him thefinal contest. Eachof the suitors was given an opportunity to mount a wild horse. One by one theywere thrown by the wild, kickingbeast. In fact, thehorse wasso ferociousthat the judges were aboutto stop. But whenSiddhartha approachedthe horse, stroking it softly and speakingkind words, thehorse mellowed. The princemounted the horse, and the contest was over. Prince Siddharthaand Princess Yasodhara were wed. Although King Sudhodana was happy, he remained worried thathis son may yet become a saint. So, he built the newlyweds two enonnous, heavenly palaces-one for winter and one forsummer. These dwellingswere surrounded by walls. Onlybeautiful servants, accomplishedmusicians, and the finest foodswere allowed in the lush, natural settings. Inthis way, the king hoped Siddhartha would never be disturbed or seek to go outside the palace, and foryears the prince and princess lived undisturbedwith­ in the palacewalls. In time, theygave birthto a son, Rahula Now, although Siddharthahad all the luxuriesin the world, he had yet todo onething: venture outside the palace grounds. From servants he heard tales of other landsan d wonders of different peoples, lan­ guages, and landscapes. A stirringbegan inside him. Shortly after, he askedhis father's permission to visit the capital city of hiskingdom. The king consented, but he ordered hissubjects to hide away any­ one who wasill or old and to decorate their houses in festive colors, for Sudhodanadid not want any sightsto trouble his son. So, aboard his chariot the Prince entered the cityof Kapilavastu. The streets, lined with onlookers, were tilledwith gaiety and celebration. The cheerful citizens, all of them healthy and young, showered the princewith praise. For a moment, Siddharthawas pleased, thinking thatthis city was like his ©1995 TeacherCreatt!d Materials, Inc. 171 #624Interdisciplinary Unit-WorldReligions IndianReligions Buddhism De Storvor Buddha's EnliUhlenment (cont.) Amidst the crowdstood an elderlyman, saddened andbent with age. Inall his years,the Prince had never seensuch a sight. In fact, he did not even knowthat people grewold. This knowledge stunned him, and when hereturned to the palace,he satalone in deep contemplation. In time,the Prince jo urneyed again into the city, and againthe streets werelined with happy faces. However, amongthe citizens was a sick man, coughing and pale. In allhis palace years, sicknesswas unknown to Siddhartha Now, he learned of disease. He learned thatanyone can fall ill atanytime. Thisnews sad dened him. But theprince's thirdtrip to the cityaffected him most deeply. Riding along in his chariot, he saw a groµp of mourners carryinga coffin. Insidethe coffin, he saw a dead man wrappedin white. Now he learned of deathand the rites of cremation. He was overwhelmedw ith the .thought that�ven W.§ beloved wifeand son would someday die. Siddharthavery became depressed and spent his time alone. His father triedto cheerhim, butto no avail. .Theprince wonderedhow people could livehappily knowing that old age, sickness, and death awaited them. His gloom deepened, until one day he rode outagain on his chariot. This time, he trav­ eledto thecountryside. There hesaw a saint meditating undera tree. He learnedthat this hennit had exchangedall worldly pleasures to seek fortruth. Thisman had also seenthe suffering in theworld and soughtto go beyond it to enlightenment., Prince Siddharthawas deeply moved by the sight. He returnedto the palace, sure of his calling. Siddhartha'smind was made up: he would leave his life of luxuryand searchfor truth. Knowinghe would.not receive consent, thatvery night aseveryone lay sleeping,he bid a silentfarewell to his wife and son. He mounted his horse and set out for theforest in the farreaches of the landwhere the holy mengather. Whenhe arrived, he cut his long hairand donnedthe robe of an ascetic, a man of solitude searching forwisdom. Now,at theage of twenty-nine, his journeyhad begun. Prince Siddharthaspent the next six years in the forest. He studied withthe most famoussages, but stillhe did not findan end to suffering. He joineda group of men who believedenlightenment could befound by denying the body nourishment and sleep,thereby masteringpain. For yearsthe princeate and slept verylittle. Hegrew asthin as a skeleton, and thoughthe rainand sun beatdown on him, he did not waver from his practices. Finally,realized he that he was getting nowhere. Though he hadneglected his bodily needs, he had not foundan end to suffering. Thus, when a young woman cameto him offering food,he accepted. Now thatwas he nourished he satin meditation under a bodhi tree in the town of Bodhgaya He sat down andvowed, comewhat may, he wouldnot move untilhe found an end to sorrow.
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