THE
LIFE OF BUDDHA
Buddha
Shakyamuni was born Prince Siddhartha around 563 B.C. among
the southern foothills of the Himalayas, the son of the great
king Shuddhodana Gautama and Queen Maya.
One night
when the moon was full, Queen Maya dreamed that a white elephant
descended and entered into her womb through the right side
of her chest, and she became pregnant. According to their
custom, the Queen Maya returned to her parents' home for the
birth, and on her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she
took a rest in the Lumbini Garden. All about her were Ashoka
blossoms. In delight she reached her right arm out to pluck
a branch, and as she did so, a prince was born. In great joy
King Shuddhodana Gautama named the child Siddhartha, which
means " Wish Fulfilled."
The
Buddha's birthday was on the eighth day of April.
The King
and Queen then consulted the hermit sage Asita, who came to
the palace to honor the child. He predicted: "This Prince,
if he remains in the palace, when grown up will become a great
king and subjugate the whole world. But if he forsakes the
court life to embrace a religious life, he will become a Buddha,
the Savior of the world."
At the
age of seven, Prince Siddhartha began his lessons in the civil
and military arts, but his thoughts more naturally tended
to other things. One spring day he went out of the castle
with his father. Together they were watching a farmer at his
plowing when he noticed a bird descended to the ground and
carried off a small worm which had been turned up by the farmer's
plough. He sat down in the shade of a tree and thought about
it, whispering to himself: "Do all living creatures kill each
other?"
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