Prince Siddhartha was born in the Central India. There are different opinions about the date of his birth and death. The Mahayana Buddhists hold that Siddhartha was born in 565 B.C. and passed away in 485 B.C., while the Hinayana Buddhists believe that he lived from 624 B.C. to 544 B.C.. His father was Suddhodana(the Pure-Rice King), the king of the Ancient Kapilavastu, and his mother was Princess Mayadevi(or Mahamaya) of the neighboring Koliya Kingdom who married the Pure-Rice King. It is said that the couple had no son until the husband reached the age of 50, and the wife 45. One day, when Princess Mayadevi was taking a nap, she dreamed that a white elephant entered her belly which had six tusks. Afterwards, she got pregnant. That is the reason why the elephant has become the most holy animal of Buddhism.
According to the Buddhist Sutra and the lunar calendar, Siddhartha descended to the world on the 8th day of the 4th month. His mother gave birth to him under an Asoka tree in Lumbini Garden. Unfortunately, the mother passed away seven days later. She was reborn in Indra’s Heaven(one of the six heavens of the desire realm) and Siddhartha went there to teach her after he became Sakyamuni Buddha. When Gautama Siddhartha was born, he could speak. His first word was that he alone was honored in heaven and on earth. Suddenly, the earth shook and nine dragons came out. The dragons spit clear water and the speaker showered. Therefore, Buddhists always celebrate Sakyamuni Buddha’s Birthday in the way of showering or bathing Buddha’s statues.
Siddhartha was educated with the traditional Brahman in his childhood. When the prince was 17 years old, he married Princess Yasodhara. Siddhartha once paid a visit to the countryside with his father. The prince was touched by the plight of laborers. In the following years, he was always sad that people were suffering from labouring, aging, illness and death. Siddhartha realized that all creatures in the world might be mortal and impermanent. He also felt dissatisfied with the gloomy caste system. Eventually, Siddhartha was determined to abandon his life in the royal family and seek the truth of human’s life. When the prince reached the age of 29, he got a son whose name was Rahula. Afterwards, Siddhartha left home and got free from worldly attachments. He led an ascetic life in a forest for 6 years until he realized that the asceticism would not help himself to achieve emancipation. Siddhartha went to Nairanjana River and had a bath. He drank a cup of milk which was offered by a cowgirl. Then, the ascetic moved to Gaya Hill and sat on a straw seat under a Bodhi tree. He vowed that he would not stand up until he found the truth of human’s life. He meditated a long time. Finally, the great thinker achieved enlightenment and attained the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Causation in the evening of the 8th day of the 12th month.
After being enlightened, Gautama Siddhartha returned to his homeland and preached his first sermon at Varansi Sanarth. He taught his family members the knowledge about the truth of human’s life. In order to propagate his belief, Siddhartha travel around India for 49 years. During this period, he established the Sangha(or the Monastic order) and the fundamental doctrines of Buddhism.
Siddhartha gained a great number of followers. According to the Buddhist Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha once held a meeting for his five hundred followers. Among them, the top ten disciples were Maha-kasyapa, Maudgalya-yana, Purna, Subhu-ti, Sariputra, Rahula, Ananda, Upali, Aniruddha and Mahakat. Sakyamuni is also a Sanskrit word. Sakya refers to the ancient Sakya Clan, and Muni means a saint or a sage. Sakyamuni is a title granted to Gautama Siddhartha by his disciples. The founder of Buddhism passed away in Kushnaga, when he reached the age of 80.
Nowadays, many Buddhists make their pilgrimage trip to the top four sacred places of Sakyamuni, namely Lumbini Garden(the birthplace of Siddhartha), Bodhi-Gaya(the place where Siddhartha got enlightened), Varansi Sanarth(the place where Siddhartha preached his first sermon) and Kushnaga(the place where Siddhartha achieved Nirvana or passed away).
Author: Tina Luo
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