Welcome

During this week, you will be learning about the early life and journey to enlightenment of the Buddha. You will also begin a series of meditations. This week our first meditation will be about breathing and the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind.

In Buddhism, all lineages and teachings begin with Sakyamuni Buddha and his enlightenment; this wisdom has been faithfully transmitted down through the ages in an unbroken line of teachers and traditions.  In receiving these teachings, and by the practice of meditation, one places themself on the path to becoming a Buddhist.

You may have heard the term “Bodhisattva”. This term means “One who has taken the great vow to rescue all beings from suffering and guide them to Enlightenment".

 

Birth of the Buddha

Born as a bodhisattva, the Buddha had passed through thousands of existences before coming to Earth for his ultimate transmigration. This last lifetime he began as a son of a King who ruled at Kapilavastu on the border of Nepal. He was born in a village called Lumbini into the warrior tribe called the Sakyas (one the many titles of the Buddha is Sakyamuni, meaning "Sage (or ascetic) of the Sakyas").

Prince Siddhartha

The Buddha, who was born as Prince Siddhartha, was very beloved by his father.  When the young prince was in his twelfth year the king's advisors revealed that Siddhartha would devote himself to asceticism if he came to know about aging, sickness, or death—and, if he were to meet a hermit.

In an attempt to keep his son from this life of asceticism, the king surrounded the palace with a triple enclosure and guard and proclaimed that the use of the words death and grief were forbidden. The King also married him to a beautiful princess named Yasodhara.

For a while Siddhartha lived his privileged life within the walls of the palace, but one day he decided to visit the nearby town. While Siddhartha was walking through the streets, an old wrinkled man appeared before him. Still later he met a person with an incurable illness and then a funeral procession. Finally, he met an ascetic, a beggar, who told Siddhartha that he had left the world to pass beyond suffering and joy, to attain peace at heart.

All these experiences awakened in Siddhartha the idea of abandoning his present life and embracing asceticism. Grief-stricken at the idea of losing his son, the king tried everything to keep Siddhartha from leaving the palace. Also, at this point, Yasodhara bore him a son whom he called Rahula (meaning "chain" or "fetter"), a name which reflected the fact that his tender feelings for his son were one more bond keeping him from an ascetic life.

Buddha Begins his Journey

Birth of the Buddha | Buddha Begins His Journey| The Bodhi Tree |Defeating the Mara's | Enlightenment