PRINCE BECOMINGTHE BUDDHA

SEEKING SOLUTIONSFOR THE SUFFERING

He first tried meditation, which he learned from two

teachers.

He felt that these were valuable skills.

However, meditation could not be extended forever.

He eventually had to return to normal waking consciousness and face the unsolved problems relating to birth, sickness, old age and death.

He then joined a group of similarly-minded students of

Brahmanism in a forest where he practiced breath

control and fasted intensely for six years.

He is said to have brought himself to the brink of death by only eating a few grains of

rice each day.

Some sources say that he consumed only a spoonful of bean soup per day.

This technique produced a series of physical discomforts.

A woman, by the aid of her servant, went to see a strange man meditating under a tree who was

already thin, hungry and weak.

The was Sujata. She offered the prince milk porridge.

And thus ended the long extreme ascetic life

THE MIDDLE WAY

Ultimately, the prince rejected this extreme ascetic path as well.

He realized that neither the extremes of the mortification of the flesh or of hedonism would lead to enlightenment.

Extreme Mortification or having very little of everything

Extreme Hedonism Or having too much of everything

He determined that a better path to achieve the state of Nirvana -- a state of liberation and freedom from suffering –

was to pursue a "Middle Way." This way was largely defined by moderation and meditation.

MARA AND HISTEMPTATIONS

Mara (Thai: มาร;) in Buddhism, is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him

Mara brought his most beautiful daughters to

seduce Siddhartha.

Siddhartha, however, remained in meditation.

Then Mara sent vast armies of monsters to attack him. Yet Siddhartha sat still and untouched.

Mara claimed that the seat of enlightenment rightfully belonged to him and not to the mortal Siddhartha.

Mara's monstrous soldiers cried out together, "I am his witness!" Mara challenged Siddhartha, who will speak for

you?

Siddhartha said:“The Earth is my witness.”

Mara and his demons were subdued. Siddhartha overcame the temptations

ATTAINING ENLIGHTENMENT

One night, at the age of 35, he was seated underneath a large tree -- later known as the Bodhi tree.

He began to experience some major spiritual breakthroughs– these are called the FOUR WATCHES OF THE NIGHT.

During the first watch of the night, he developed the

ability to recall the events of his previous reincarnations

in detail and sees the rebirth of beings.

During the Second Watch he recognized that the cycle of rebirth affects all sentient

beings in all worlds, and that the law of karma determines

the quality and type of rebirth, and its suffering

During the third watch, he was able to see how the good and

bad deeds that many living things performed during their lifetimes led to the nature of their following reincarnation

into their next life and the means of freeing oneself from

this.

During the fourth watch, he learned that he had progressed beyond "spiritual defilements," craving, desire, hatred, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, fear, doubt, and

delusions.

He had attained nirvana. He would never again be reincarnated into a future life.

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AFTERENLIGHTENMENT

The prince assumed the title Buddha

A name which means one who has awakened or the one who has attained enlightenment by himself.

For seven days, he puzzled over his future whether to:

1. Withdraw from the world and live a life of seclusion,

2. Reenter the world and teach his Middle Way.

He decided on the latter course: to proclaim his

Dharma (teachings) to other humans so that they could also attain enlightenment.

He located five of his fellow seekers with

whom he had earlier fasted, and rejoined them near Benares.

They quickly became aware of the changes brought about by his

enlightenment.

It was to them that he preached his first

sermon.

It contained the essential teachings of Buddhism.

All five accepted his teachings and were ordained as monks.

After the Buddha's second sermon, all five achieved enlightenment. They are referred to as

Arhants (saints).

THE BUDDHAYEARS AFTER

He wandered around Northeast India for decades, teaching all who would listen.

He covered a territory some 150 miles long by 250 miles wide.

He had tens of thousands of disciples and accumulated a large public following.

He later established an order of monks and a corresponding order of nuns.

His wife Yaśodhara (his wife when he was 16 years old) became the first nun.

His health began to fail when he was in this late 70s.

After forty-five years of teaching, he died in a small

town named Kuśinagara (Kushinagar, India), at the age of 80, apparently of

natural causes.

His final words were: "Decay is inherent in all things. Be sure to strive with clarity of

mind" for Nirvana

Buddha never claimed to have come from any divine

source.

He did not also claim that he received any divine

messages from heavens. He meditated but he did not

pray to any god/gods.

He did not choose a successor.

He felt that the Dharma (his teachings) plus the

Vinaya (his code of rules for the monks and nuns) would

be a sufficient guide.

Two and a half centuries later, a council of Buddhist monks collected his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into

written form, called the Tripitaka.

This included a very large collection of commentaries and traditions; most are

called Sutras (discourses).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:BIRTH PLACE OF THE BUDDHA

In February 1996, a team of United Nations- sponsored archeologist announced that they have discovered the ancient birth chamber of Prince Siddhartha beneath the Mayadevi temple in Lumbini, more than 200 miles (350 kilometers) southwest of Nepalese capital, Kathmandu (Compton’s, 2005).

This discovery is important because it settled the long and

international debate over whether Buddha was born in

India or in Nepal

END

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