One full moon night, sleeping in the palace, the queen had a vivid dream having a white elephant with six great tusks entering her stomach. Soon after that, she was pregnant.
2. The Birth of The Prince
- On the way back to the Queen's parent palace (Indian custom on delivering baby at parent place), suddenly the pain strikes the Queen. At the garden name Lumbini Park the baby was delivered. According to the legends about this birth, the baby began to walk seven steps forward and at each step a lotus flower appeared on the ground. Then, at the seventh stride, he stopped and with a noble voice saying:
"I am the leader of this world,
Eldest am I in the world,
Foremost am I in the world.
And this is my last birth."
3. The Naming Ceremony
- During the naming ceremony, Asita, the old and long lost hermit appears. Due to his status and knowledge, The King asked the old hermit for naming the Prince and forecast the life of the little prince. The old hermit said. This prince will become a very great leader or great teacher in this world. The Prince will be the King of Kings if he choose to rule, but if he choose a religious life then he will become The Enlighten One, Wisest among others." Thus the hermit name the prince, Siddhartha meaning "wish-fulfilled".4. The Prince's Education
On the seventh day after his birth, Prince Siddhartha's mother died. It was the prince's aunt who brought him up. He was the wisest among others, he is a quick learner and very compassionate. It was this that made his cousin, Devadata, his lifetime enemy.
5. The Four Sights
- In order for the Prince to succeed from his father's throne, the King has ordered not to let Siddhartha leave the Palace. But one day, the prince asked the King for him to go out of the Palace to visits his people. The King refuse at first but agreed after the King ordered his soldiers to make some arrangements. After leaving the palace, with many peoples welcoming him, he saw a beggar. He jump off his chariot and follow the beggar. Till he reached a village he saw many aging people, people who are sick and cremates ceremony with monks chantings.
6. The Prince Leave Home
- Soon after that, he cannot sleep, thinking and thinking, someday everyone will be get old, sick and death. So Siddhartha left the palace in order to search for the truth on understanding and end the suffering of old age, sickness and death.
7. The Prince's Many Teachers
- At that time, in India, many religious teachers, monks and hermit are meditating in the jungle. Siddhartha bump into Alara Kalama, his first teacher who teaches him meditation and spiritual guidance. But Siddhartha personally thinks that this is not what can ends the suffering of old age, sickness and death. So he seeks and practices under many gurus.
8. Six Years of Searching
At first he practice austerity and fasting having thought that this is the best way taught by the five peoples which becomes his first five disciples. He lived on birds drops, grass, one grain per day. He become so thin and looked like skeletons.
9. The Shepherd and A Bowl
- One day, a shepherd pass by Siddhartha. She pitied on him having so thin and almost going to died of hunger. She offered him a bowl of milk. Before she left, she fasten a little of the rope on the cow's nose. Saying to the cow, "Sorry for it, you must be in pain as the rope is tighten.". And suddenly Siddhartha realise that austerity is not the way. So he crawl to the river after drank the milk and whisper, "if austerity is not the way, let the bowl flow upward the stream". And indeed, the bowl flow up stream.
10. Striving For Enlightenment
- After that, Siddhartha looked for a place under a tree (Bodhi tree) to sit down and meditate. He vows that, "Though my skin, my nerves and my bones shall waste away and my life blood go dry, I will not leave this seat until I have attained the highest wisdom, called supreme enlightenment, that leads to everlasting happiness."
11. Under The Full Moon
- Hearing this solemn vow, Mara, the Buddhist manifestation of death and desire, felt threatened, Mara sent his three beautiful daughters named Desire (Future), Fulfillment (Present), and Regret (Past). But all through the tribulations, Buddha sat calm and unflinching, and Mara had no other recourse than to withdraw, and thus was cleared the final hurdle on the way to Siddhartha enlightenment thus becoming the Buddha.
12. Seven Weeks After Enlightenment
- Under the tree, the Buddha experiencing the happiness of calm, peace and blissful. After several weeks of claiming the happiness of enlightenment, The Buddha needs to spread the Dharma (which is helping others to end their suffering). It was the First Five Monks The Buddha preach on them thus this indicating the start of The Dharma Wheel being turned.
13. The Passage into Parinirvana
- Having unconditionally preaching and spreding the Dharma, travelling great distances to disseminate his teachings, Buddha finally realised that death was approaching.The passing away, or the final nirvana of the Buddha, occurred in 543 BC on a full-moon day in the month of May, known in the Indian calendar as Wesak.
14. The First Buddhist Council
The First Buddhist Councilcollected together and arranged the Buddhist Scriptures known as the Pali Tipitaka, which have since been handed down from one generation of monks to another. In the early days of Buddhism, there was no written record of the teachings. The monks had to memorise the scriptures and then teach the next generation of monks in the same way, it being an oral tradition.
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