THE STORY OF PRINCE SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA THE BUDDHA

The hero of this story is Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, who lived more than 2,500 years ago. His father was the Rajah of the Sakya clan, King Suddhodana, and his mother was Queen Maha Maya. They lived in India, in a city called Kapilavatthu, 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, the Buddha-to-be, liked to meditate. This is how he became enlightened. His teachings 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 moon night, the Queen dreamt of four devas. They carried her to a lake, to rest on a soft bed. A white elephant carrying a lotus flower went round her three times and disappeared into her. Wise men explained that the Queen was going to give birth to a prince. When the time came for the baby to be born, Queen Maha Maya left the palace with the attendants to go back to her parent's home to give birth to the baby. On the way, they passed by a beautiful park called Lumbini Garden. 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.

The birth took place on the fifth month of Vesakha, on a full moon day in 623 BC. We call it Vesak or Buddha Day. Queen Maha Maya then returned to the palace with her baby prince. King Suddhodana was very happy and celebrated 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 the palace for the Naming Ceremony. They looked at the marks on the child's body. Seven wise men raised two fingers and said that the prince would either become a Great King or a Buddha. The youngest, Kondanna, raised only one finger and said that the prince would become a Buddha. The prince was then given the name "Siddhartha" by the wise men, which meant "wishfulfilled". Seven days after the birth of her child, Queen Maha Maya passed away. Pajapati Gotami, her younger sister, who was also married to King Suddhodana, 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 still in his early years, Prince Siddhartha witnessed a bird carrying a worm that had been turned up by the farmer's plough. This sight caused him to think about the unhappy situation of creatures which were killed by other creatures for food. Seated under a rose-apple tree the young prince experienced the joy of meditation. At another time, the compassionate prince saved the life of a swan which had been wounded by Devadatta's arrow. As a prince, young Siddhartha received an education in the arts and sciences and mastered the art of war and the royal sports of his time. The Prince Marries At the age of sixteen, Prince Siddhartha married a beautiful young princess called Yasodhara. She loved and cared for him, and together they lived a life of royal luxury for nearly thirteen years. He was protected from all the problems of life outside the palace gates. He had all the comforts that a prince of his day could desire. He lived in a world where there was nothing but happiness and laughter. One day, however, he wished to discover the world outside his palace.

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. Make the roads sweet with incense and have the people dressed in colourful clothing. Make certain that all the beggars, the old and the sick stay indoors until the prince has left."

The Four Sights After some time the prince was not happy living in the palace. He wanted to go 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 everyone had to grow old. On the second trip, the prince saw a sick man. He came to know that everyone could get sick any time. On the third trip, he saw a dead body. He knew that everyone would have to die one day. On the fourth trip, the prince saw a monk who was happy and calm. He made up his mind to leave home so that he could help people to find peace and happiness.

The Prince Leaves Home Siddhartha went quietly to see his newborn son for the last time. His wife was sleeping with the baby beside her, her hand resting on the baby's head. The prince said to himself, "If I try to move her hand so I can take the child for one last cuddle I fear I will wake her and she will prevent me from going. No! I must go, but when I have found what I am looking for, I shall come back and see him and his mother again." Siddhartha left the palace. It was midnight, and the prince was on his white horse Kanthaka with Channa, his faithful servant, holding on to its tail. He was going away to try to understand old age, sickness and death. He rode to

the bank of a river and dismounted from his horse. He removed his jewellery and princely clothes and gave them to Channa to return to the king. Then the prince took his sword and cut his long hair, put on 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 best teachers in meditation at that time so Siddhartha went to study with them. First he studied under Uddaka Ramaputta, then under Alara Kalama. Very soon he had learnt all they had to teach, but he had not learnt to end suffering. He said to himself, "I must find the truth on my own".

Six Years of Hardship With his five friends, Siddhartha went to a forest near the village of Uruvela. Here, several holy men were living in and tormenting themselves with extreme poverty. They believed that if they put their bodies through terrible physical hardship, they would understand the truth. Some slept on a bed of nails. Some stood on their head. They all ate so little they were just skin and bones. Siddhartha found a quiet spot on the banks of a nearby river. There he practised the most severe hardship. He slept on a bed of thorns. He ate only one grain of wheat and one sesame seed a day. At other times, he would eat nothing at all. His body wasted away until there was only a layer of thin skin covering his bones. Birds made nests in

his matted hair and layers of dust covered his dried-up body. Siddhartha sat completely still, not even brushing away insects. The Song of the Lute One evening, a group of young girls on their way home passed by Siddhartha who was sitting in meditation. They were playing lutes, a musical instrument, and singing. He thought, "When the strings of the lute are loose, its sound won't carry. When the strings are too tight, it breaks. When the strings are neither too loose nor too tight, the music is beautiful. I'm pulling my strings too tightly. I cannot find the Way to Truth living a life of luxury or with my body so weak." Thus, he decided to give up self-torture. He came to know that this was not the correct way. Soon after, while bathing in the river, Siddhartha was so weak that he fainted and fell. Sujata, a young village girl who 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'd given up. So they left him. The Sun of Enlightenment Shines Siddhartha remembered meditating under the rose-apple tree when he was a child. "I shall meditate as I did before. Perhaps that is the way to become enlightened." 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 he vowed, "Even if my flesh and blood were to dry up, leaving only skin and bones, I will not leave this place until I find a way to end all sorrow." He sat there for forty nine days. He was determined to discover the source of all pain and suffering in the world. Mara, the evil one, tried to scare him into giving up his quest. For instance, he hoped to lure Siddhartha into having selfish thoughts by sending visions of his very beautiful daughters. But the Buddha'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 is greed, selfishness and stupidity. If people get rid of these negative emotions, they will be happy."

During a full-moon night in May, Siddhartha went into deep meditation. As the morning star appeared in the eastern sky, he became an enlightened one, 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 as the Bodhi tree, the tree of Enlightenment.