LIFE OF THE

BUDDHA

The Buddha descended from Tusita Heaven after preaching

Abhidhamma to his mother (Queen Maya)

Queen Maya’s Queen Maya’s dreamt of a white elephant entering her side and she became pregnant The White Elephant was the Buddha-

to-be resided as an ‘enlightened existence’ in one of the six deva-heavens

Not long after Queen Maya’s Dream, she conceived. Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini 623 B.C.

Siddhartha’s Birth took place on a Vesak Full Moon Day.

The Baby began to walk 7 steps forward and at each step, a Lotus flower appeared.

“I am the Chief in the world. There is no equal to Me. I amsupreme. This is My last birth . No more Rebirth for Me.”

Asita at the Naming

Ceremony in

the Palace

The Ploughing Festival : Siddhartha meditating when he was 7 years old

Siddhartha Gautama, unlike his cousin,

Devadatta, was full of loving-kindness and

compassion.

At 16, Prince At 16, Prince Siddhartha married Siddhartha married Princess YasodharaPrincess Yasodhara

An old man, a sick man, a dead man and

a monk

Age 29, Gautama goes on four trips out of the castle and sees four sights that change his worldview

Siddhartha leaves the wife

and child

Siddhartha leaves the

Palace with Channa and

his horse.

The Great Renunciation

Prince Siddhartha Prince Siddhartha cuts off his haircuts off his hair

For 6 long years Siddhartha practised Ascetism

• Asceticism pleasure is bad

– Extreme fasting– Holding one’s breath– Exposure to bodily pain

• Gautama nearly starves himself to death without getting any closer to enlightenment

• psychological darkness within each of us to make our own worst fears real

• 3 Lusty Daughters of Mara

– Delight– Desire– Discontent

• was neither attracted nor disgusted by these three things• they remained powerless over Gautama

• Defeated Mara, Gautama enters deeply into an inward spiritual journey

Mara’s Forces Invade The MindMara’s Forces Invade The Mind Literal belief that Mara was a demon

Conquering The Evils Of

Greed, Hatred and

Delusion

Sujata

offer food

to the

Bodhisattva

The Bodhisattva attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi

Tree – He was 35.

The Bodhisattva attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi

Tree – He was 35.

It was on

Vesak

Full Moon

that the

Bodhisattva

Attained Supreme

Enlightenment

Bodhi or Fig Tree

• Revived from near-death by young girl, dedicates himself to meditation.– Mindfulness of breathing to purify oneself

of defilements and as a way to nirvana

• Lotus position under fig tree, vows not to leave until he found “complete and perfect fulfillment” (Brodd, 72).

EnlightenmentEnlightenment

• Gautama realized, after nearly dying, that asceticism is actually counter productive.

– Self-hating practices that brought little spiritual benefit

– One becomes stuck on self while the goal is to transcend one’s self.

• Middle Way is a way of proceeding that exercises moderation between self-indulgence and self-mortification

Middle Way

The Mucalinda Lake Where The Buddha Meditated in The Sixth Week After Enlightenment

Three Watches under the Fig Tree

• First Watch – “Gautama perceived his own previous lifetimes…[his] continuous journey of suffering”

• Second Watch – “acquired the divine eye, ability to perceive the deaths/rebirths of all living things”

• Third Watch – Discovers Four Noble Truths– With this Gautama attained

enlightenment – reached spiritual perfection and had thus won his salvation

– Became the Awakened or Enlightened One

The Buddha Passed Away at Kushinagar The Buddha Passed Away at Kushinagar at the age of 80

Vesak Day Celebration

Vesak Day Celebration