The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter -8

Buddha taught the King “ Your Majesty, a King should treat his subjects as his own children. You should not oppress them; they should be treated with kindness and compassion, they should remain protected in your Kingdom.  The status of the people may vary by their profession, interest, and character, but everyone has the spark in them to shine.”

Once he met a poor old man covered in dirt, he was too weak to stand up.  Buddha approached him and gave hand to lift him up, he refused to touch the hands of Lord Buddha, saying that his hands are too dirty, he belongs to untouchables.  Buddha advised him “ You should not treat yourself as inferior, you should not differentiate people by their work or their birth.  You are cleaning the dirt from the people’s homes; I am cleaning the dirt from the people’s hearts. Hence, you and I are the same.” The old man shed tears of joy, Buddha lifted him up from the ground.

Buddha took every opportunity to teach people for their better life. Once Rahula met his father with a basin of water, he asked him ‘ Rahula, is that water drinkable’ Rahula replied ‘ No Master, it is not drinkable’. He taught Rahula ‘ if you want to remain untainted and crystal clear you should not lie, everyone will cherish you.”  Buddha did not differentiate himself from his disciple, he took every chance to assist them in their tasks, and he considered himself as one among them.

The ruler of Kosala, King Pasenadi set to war against Kapilavasthu.  He approached Kapilavasthu with huge army of warriors with weapons, elephants, and horses.  He saw an old monk sitting in the middle of the pathway, he went closer to the Monk and saw it was Buddha who is the most venerable sitting exposed to scorching heat, he advised Buddha to move under the shade of the tree.  Buddha said ‘King, taking shelter under your own clan is better than taking shelter under a tree.’  The King understood the nectar-like advice of Buddha.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter -7

Siddhartha’s journey began from the river banks of Anoma, he traveled barefoot long forty-nine years throughout the sacred lands along the shores of Ganga.  He spread the knowledge of supreme, he removed the darkness of ignorance, and he encouraged people to walk through the path of liberation. He sacrificed royal comforts, luxuries, and pleasure, conducted a search for the ultimate truth, end of sufferings and miseries of human beings, save the humans from the cycles of repeated births.  He practiced asceticism in the mountains and woods, in the harsh climatic conditions, initial six years he was engaged in the rigorous practice of spirituality, he refused to take a meal for several months, eventually, his health started deteriorating.  He realized that the practice of spirituality is like producing music with the string instrument if the strings are too tight it may break, if it is too lose it will be of no use, in either case, it is good for nothing. In either way indulging in sensual pleasure and extreme penance is attachments, it can lead only to grief and hopelessness.  Therefore he had chosen the middle path,  settled under the Bodhi tree, continued penance for several years.   He confronted all the wickedness of Mara who is the representation of delusion, with serenity and peace, he was enlightened ‘Buddha’.  The sincere prayers of Buddha were “I wish to continue to be humble, not enslaved by fame and wealth, I have born to spread righteousness on the Earth, and I have to liberate the souls from the worldly existence.  I have to free living beings from the world of Samsara.”

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 6

It was believed that Lumbini/Nepal, is the birthplace of Siddhartha, he was brought up in Kapilavasthu located in Uttar  Pradesh.  He was born in the Hindu Kshatriya family and King of Sankhya clan Shudhdhodhana.   The Queen Mayadevi conceived with Siddhartha, on that night she had a dream in that a white elephant with a lotus flower on her right side.  On the next day, King Shudhdhodhana called for a meeting of scholars and  royal astrologers to know more about the dream of Queen Mayadevi.  The royal astrologers interpreted the dream as a highly auspicious one, he will have a son with incredible virtues, will power, might, courage, and he will remain incomparable.  After ten months, when Maya Devi was fully pregnant with the child expressed her wish to be with her father’s Kingdom Devadhaha for the delivery of the child.  She received permission from King Shudhdhodhana and conducted a journey to the Kingdom of Devadhaha in a grand chariot accompanied by several maidservants and kings men.  They have crossed several miles through the lush green land, riverside and beautiful lands of the forest of Lumbini.  They have traveled half of their journey to Kingdom Devadhaha, Queen Mayadevi ordered the counselor to stop for a while to relax.  She advised King’s men to take rest in the shade; it has been half of the day’s journey by foot for them.  The counselor advised “ Your Highness, if you want to take rest, please be seated under the Salavruksha.”

Queen Mayadevi moved near the Salavruksha, suddenly she felt throbbing pain on the back, felt the urgency to give birth to the child.  The entire group was frightened, the maidservant rushed all over the place to give help to their Majesty,  nature showed its sign of the birth of a divine child, a pleasant breeze filled in the air.  The child born walked through the path filled with lotus flower revealing his identity as the supreme one; soon it assumed the form of an infant.  Queen Mayadevi returned to Kapilavasthu with the newborn,  the chief of the Sakhyan royal family paid a visit to King Sudhdhodhana to greet the divine child.

An assembly of the meeting with the Sankhyan royal family chief with the family of King Sudhdhodhana was arranged, to listen to the predictions about the future of the child.  The chief of the Sakhyan Royal family instructed the King to place the child on the cradle so that he can calculate his predictions about the child.  He thoroughly examined the child from head to toe, he was baffled to witness all the characteristics on the newborn of the divine being which are mentioned in the sacred texts.  He has not seen such a marvelous creation all his life,  suddenly he rose from the seat and prostrated before the child.  The King Sudhdhodhana was mystified to see Asita/Chief of Sakhya clan, head bow down before the child, he began to speak “ I have thoroughly examined all the characteristics of the newborn if he chooses to be in the royal family he would become one of great Emperor of the world.  If he chooses to leave the Palace and lead a saintly life, he would become an enlightened soul, Buddha.”  Asita was deeply disappointed that he had grown too old to witness the growth of the miraculous child and his pastimes.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 5

At the Palace gate, Siddhartha was met Vasavathimara who represents Maya/illusion, manifested before Siddhartha to put a hold on his search for truth. But Vasavathimara was quite sure that he cannot persuade Siddhartha or his sensual pleasure to deceive him.  Vasavathimara threatened Siddhartha to return to the royal palace where there are only luxuries and happiness, lead a comfortable life of a Prince, in seven days he will be crowned as Monarch, if he discards all the royal pleasures he will go through sufferings and agonies.  Siddhartha sternly replied to him “I do not want to be a Monarch, I do not want any royal status, happiness or luxuries which are not going to provide me bliss, these momentary pleasures are not going to help my subject, and dear ones from their sufferings and sorrows of worldly existence.  Therefore, move away from my path and let me go in search of eternal truth.”  Vasavathimara disappeared from the sight of Siddhartha, before leaving promised that he will chase Siddhartha with greed, hatred, delusion and make his life miserable and follow him like a shadow.

Siddhartha crossed several miles on horseback, Channa dutifully followed the Prince and finally, they have arrived in the beautiful lush green land on the riverside of Anoma.  Siddhartha discarded the royal costume, adopted the saffron robe, long hair was rolled and piled-up as a summit, assumed the form of an ascetic.  Channa was terribly upset and sad, fallen at the feet of the Prince.  He advised Channa “ Channa, I am discarding all the pleasures and royal comfort for finding a way out of sufferings and sorrows for all the living beings on the Earth.   Therefore do not feel depressed or sad.  You go back to the Palace and inform my father that I will not return to the Kingdom until I receive the supreme knowledge and the reason for sufferings and sorrows of worldly existence.”  That was the beginning of the journey of a royal Prince Siddhartha to the highest state of spirituality.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 4

On the third day when Siddhartha returned to the palace after the visit of the outside world, he was extremely disappointed and mystified after witnessing the realities of life,one of the servants rushed to him with the good news.  “ Your Highness, your wife has given birth to your son.”.  Siddhartha could not express his joy like an ordinary person; he was just begun to learn the harsh truth of aging, illness, and death which are the trap of human life on the Earth.   He felt the birth of the child was to firm his worldly bondage.    He went to meet the child and Yasodhara, but both of them were asleep.  He uttered in silence “ Yasodhara, you are dear to my heart, and Rahula you are everything to me. Oh! Dear ones, we all have to go through the sufferings like aging, sickness, and death, I have to find a way out of these sufferings for all, I have to find a way beyond all these pain and anguish, I am ready to take up all those troubles and turmoil in search of supreme bliss where there is no sufferings and misery.”  He silently left the chamber of Yasodhara, once again looked at the new born Rahula and his dear wife.

On that night, Siddhartha rushed to the attic of Channa who was half asleep, he called for Channa and asked him to keep the horse ready to leave the palace.  Channa was shocked where did the Prince want to leave in the middle of the night.  Channa received instruction from the Prince to keep his horse Kanthaka ready to leave, he will be waiting before the front gate of the Palace.  Siddhartha informed Channa that no one in the Palace should know that he is leaving the palace forever.  That was the beginning of the journey of a royal Prince to achieve the status of a great religious Monk.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 3

As usual the next day, Channa and Siddhartha left the palace in the chariot.  It rolled through the pathways of a village,  Siddhartha could witness a sick old man sitting on the patio of a house.  Seeing this, Siddhartha asked Channa to stop the chariot.  “What’s that, Your Highness?”  Siddhartha said “ Channa, why is that old man is shivering so badly and finding difficult to breathe?”  Channa said, “ He is sick, Your Highness.”  Siddhartha was curious to know what is sickness.  Channa continued “ The sickness is a natural part of life, whoever born on the Earth has to undergo these challenges several times in their lives, none can protect themselves from this for a long time. In fact, every one of us has to experience it several times in our lives.”  On that night after returning from outside of the palace, Siddhartha has nothing to think other than the grave situation of the man who was shaking hardly for breath.  The thought of aging and illness put him gloomy and depressed.  He has not witnessed any of these miserable sights in all these years, there are several people and physicians to serve in the palace.

The next morning, Channa and Siddhartha left the palace a little early.  As usual, they have witnessed the beauty of nature, people, and village.  Siddhartha could see a person fully covered in a white robe, a few of his relatives were standing around and shedding tears.  Siddhartha could not resist himself; he jumped out of the chariot and rushed to the people who were mourning.  Channa requested “ Oh! Your Highness, please come back.” But Siddhartha could not hear Channa.  Soon Channa joined with the Siddhartha who asked: “ Channa, why this man is wrapped in a white robe?”  Channa replied “ Your Highness, that’s a dead man, all the living things have to die.  This is also one of the natural processes, whoever take births has to die one day, no one can escape from it.” Siddhartha asked bluntly, “Even me has to undergo death?” Channa said, “ Yes, Your Highness, everyone is subject to death.”   That night Siddhartha returned home extremely disappointed, he pondered over the things he had witnessed in the last three days.  There was not much appealing sight he could witness other than the beauty of nature.   All that he had been witnessing were terrible realities of life those are aging, sickness and death.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 2

While the chariot was rolling through the pathways, suddenly Siddhartha asked Channa to stop the chariot.  Channa stopped the chariot and enquired “ Yes, Your Highness, why did you ask me to stop here?” Siddhartha said, “ Channa, Look at the man walking on the sideways, he is thin and weak, his hairs are grey, his skin all over the body is wrinkled and unappealing, he is too weak to walk.” Channa replied “ Oh! That’s an old man, Your Highness”.  Siddhartha was curious to know more about this old man’s appearance, he wanted to know should we all go through the same state of the body, does it happen to everyone etc… Channa replied “ Yes, Your Highness, whoever took birth on this Earth should undergo these changes in their lives, this is the process of aging.  No one will be freed from this state of transformation.”  This information was all new to Siddhartha and it was shocking as well.  On that night Siddhartha pondered over the sight he had witnessed in the village, their journey began with the most marvelous sight of nature, when they arrived in the human-inhabited areas there were people of different colors and sizes, and domesticated animals, everyone was engaged in various odd activities, finally the sight of an old man with wrinkles who was struggling to move on the pathways, that was not an appealing sight for Siddhartha.  That was the first time Siddhartha came to know about the nature of human life and the sufferings of living beings on the Earth.