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    The Life of The Buddha

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    Ian LeBlanc
    Prince Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha, was born into a life of luxury but was sheltered from the realities of suffering. After seeing an old man, sick man, corpse, and ascetic on rides outside the palace, he became aware of aging, illness, death and the spiritual path of renunciation. Leaving the palace in search of enlightenment, he studied under teachers but remained unsatisfied, then pushed himself to physical extremes with disciples which also did not provide answers. While meditating under the Bodhi tree, he overcame inner demons and temptations and achieved enlightenment, understanding that controlling the mind can end suffering. He then taught others the Four Noble Truths and

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    The Life of The Buddha

    Uploaded by

    Ian LeBlanc
    172 views4 pages
    Prince Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha, was born into a life of luxury but was sheltered from the realities of suffering. After seeing an old man, sick man, corpse, and ascetic on rides outside the palace, he became aware of aging, illness, death and the spiritual path of renunciation. Leaving the palace in search of enlightenment, he studied under teachers but remained unsatisfied, then pushed himself to physical extremes with disciples which also did not provide answers. While meditating under the Bodhi tree, he overcame inner demons and temptations and achieved enlightenment, understanding that controlling the mind can end suffering. He then taught others the Four Noble Truths and

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    The Life of the Buddha

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    Prince Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha, was born into a life of luxury but was sheltered from the realities of suffering. After seeing an old man, sick man, corpse, and ascetic on rides outside the palace, he became aware of aging, illness, death and the spiritual path of renunciation. Leaving the palace in search of enlightenment, he studied under teachers but remained unsatisfied, then pushed himself to physical extremes with disciples which also did not provide answers. While meditating under the Bodhi tree, he overcame inner demons and temptations and achieved enlightenment, understanding that controlling the mind can end suffering. He then taught others the Four Noble Truths and

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    172 views4 pages

    The Life of The Buddha

    Uploaded by

    Ian LeBlanc
    Prince Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha, was born into a life of luxury but was sheltered from the realities of suffering. After seeing an old man, sick man, corpse, and ascetic on rides outside the palace, he became aware of aging, illness, death and the spiritual path of renunciation. Leaving the palace in search of enlightenment, he studied under teachers but remained unsatisfied, then pushed himself to physical extremes with disciples which also did not provide answers. While meditating under the Bodhi tree, he overcame inner demons and temptations and achieved enlightenment, understanding that controlling the mind can end suffering. He then taught others the Four Noble Truths and

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Prince Siddhartha sees death for the first time

    Siddhartha Gautama's Early Life


    Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became the
    Buddha, was born in northern India about 2500 years ago.
    Siddharthas father, King Sudodana, was a rich and
    powerful ruler. His mother, Queen Maya, died shortly after
    Siddharthas birth.
    When Prince Siddhartha was a few days old, a holy
    man read his fortune. The holy man said that the Prince would
    be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher.
    King Sudodana wanted Siddhartha to be the next king, so he
    trained the Prince to be a warrior and military leader.
    Siddhartha grew up surrounded by luxury and
    protected from suffering. The King protected his son so
    completely that Siddhartha grew up not even knowing that
    pain, disease, poverty, and death exist.

    One day, Prince Siddhartha asked a wagon driver to take him


    on a series of rides through the countryside.
    On these journeys he was shocked by the sight of four
    things: first, an old man, then a sick man, and then a corpse.
    The terrifying realities of old age, disease, and death shocked
    the Prince.
    Finally, he saw a wandering ascetic1. The wagon driver
    explained to Siddhartha that the ascetic was one who had
    given up all interest in the world and was searching for release
    from the fear of death and suffering.

    Siddhartha Rejects Luxury and Comfort

    The Four Passing Sights


    Siddhartha was a naturally curious person. He wanted
    badly to learn about the world outside of the Kings palace.

    Prince Siddhartha returned to his life in the palace, but


    he suddenly he saw his life of luxury and comfort in a different
    light.

    One night Siddhartha was unable to sleep. He


    wandered around the palace alone. The luxuries that had once
    pleased him now seemed ugly and meaningless.
    In the Kings enormous dining room Siddhartha saw
    the leftover food and wine from a celebration earlier in the
    evening. Handsome princes and beautiful princesses were
    sleeping on the floor of the dining room. Looking at them,
    Prince Siddhartha realized that, despite their wealth and
    beauty, they would all eventually grow old, get sick, and die,
    and that their bodies would inevitably rot and turn to dirt.
    He realized then that he could no longer be happy
    living the life of a prince. That very night he left the palace,
    shaved his head, and exchanged his prince's clothes for the
    rags of an ascetic.

    he knew the cause of suffering, but not how to escape


    suffering.
    Around this time, Siddhartha remembered how
    peaceful he felt when, as a young boy, he would do nothing
    but sit in front of a fountain and watch the water. He realized
    that peace came to him when he cleared his mind of all
    thoughts and focused on nothing but the water.
    It came to him that the way to enlightenment was to
    develop this level of calm focus and concentration at all times.
    He realized that instead of starvation, he needed nourishment
    to build up his strength for this effort. But when he accepted a
    bowl of milk from a young girl, his companions assumed he
    had given up the quest for enlightenment and abandoned him.

    Then he began his quest for enlightenment.


    The Enlightenment of the Buddha
    The Search for Enlightenment
    Siddhartha began his quest by seeking out religious
    teachers, who taught him everything they knew. But after
    Siddhartha had learned all they had to teach, his questions
    remained. So he and five disciples2 decided to find
    enlightenment by themselves.
    The six friends attempted to understand suffering
    through physical discipline. They pushed their bodies to the
    limit, enduring pain, holding their breath, fasting3 nearly to
    starvation. Yet Siddhartha was still unsatisfied. He realized that

    After his companions left him, Siddhartha sat beneath


    a sacred tree, known ever after as the Bodhi Tree. He swore to
    himself that he would not stand up until he discovered how to
    achieve enlightenment.
    In his mind, Siddhartha struggled against desire and
    distraction. He visualized these feelings as Mara, a demon
    whose name means "destruction. In Siddhartas mind, he
    imagined Mara bringing armies of monsters to attack him and
    beautiful women to seduce him.
    Despite all of Maras efforts, Siddhartha remained
    calm. Siddhartha understood that Mara, his monsters and his

    beautiful women were all illusions that only existed in


    Siddharthas imagination. And as the sun rose in the sky,
    Siddhartha Gautama realized that if he controlled his own
    mind, he could achieve enlightenment for himself. Realizing
    that, he became the Buddhathe Great Teacher.

    Buddha the Teacher


    At first, the Buddha didnt want to become a teacher,
    because it was so difficult to explain the great truth of life to
    other people. He was unsure how to put into words all of the
    experiences he had gone through in order to achieve
    enlightenment. Nevertheless, he felt that it was his mission to
    try.
    After he left the Bodhi Tree, the Buddha traveled to
    northern India. There he found the five companions who had
    abandoned him, and to them he preached his first sermon4.
    This sermon was where the Buddha first explained the
    Four Noble Truths5, his most important teaching. By
    understanding and living by the Four Noble Truths, he said,
    people could achieve enlightenment.

    The Buddha devoted the rest of his life to teaching


    people how to find enlightenment for themselves. He traveled
    and taught until his death at age 80. His last words to his
    followers were the following:
    My friends, this is my last advice to you. Nothing in the world
    lasts forever. Everything that is born will die; everything that
    is made will be destroyed. Accept this and live your life
    accordingly to gain your own peace.

    Word Bank

    1.Ascetic:Aholymanwhorejectsallmaterialpossessionsandwho
    wandersaroundbeggingforfoodandteachingpeopleaboutreligion

    2.Disciples:Peoplewhofollowareligiousleader

    3.Fasting:Whenapersonchoosesnottoeatforalongperiodoftime,
    usuallyasareligioussacrifice

    Buddhas Last Words


    4.Sermon:Areligiousmessage,usuallyspokentoagroupofpeople

    5.TheFourNobleTruths:ThemostimportantteachingsofBuddhism

    It is possible to end desire and suffering: We can stop our


    own suffering, and we can do it ourselves, without help from other
    people--or even gods
    The solution to suffering is enlightenment: If we understand
    the real truth about life, and learn to stop wanting things, we will
    stop suffering

    Life is suffering: Everyone suffers during their lives, and life


    always ends in death
    The cause of suffering is desire: Suffering comes from wanting
    worldly things that come and go, like wealth, power, and
    relationships

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