All about Buddha

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1. A Fortunate Birth 2. A Holy Man's Visit 3. The Kind Prince 4. The

Marriage Contest >>5. The Pleasure Palaces 6. A Song of Beauty 7. An

Unexpected Sight 8. The Second Journey 9. The Final Shock 10. Fading

Pleasures 11. A Vision of Peace 12. A Father's Fear 13. Escape 14. The

Journey Begins 15. Six Years of Struggle An Offering 17. The Great Battle 18.

Awakened 19. Whom to Teach 20. The First Teaching 21. A Mother's Grief 22. A

Rude Man 23. Words of Praise 24. Kindness to Animals 25. The power of Love

26. The return 27. The King and the Spirit Tree 28. Equal love to All 29. The

Final days Issued a Buddha poornima wallpaper Buddha & Sai Baba

 

A Fortunate Birth

Many, many years ago, in a small kingdom in the north of India,Something was

happening that would change the whole world. Queen Maya, wife of the good King

Suddhodana, lay asleep and hada wondrous dream. She dreamt she saw a brilliant

white light shiningdown to her from the sky, and in the rays of this light was

a magnificentelephant of light flew closer and closer to the Queen and finally

meltedinto her body. Queen Maya awoke, filled with greater happiness thanshe

had ever felt before.Quickly she went to the king and together they asked the

wise men at the court what this strange and wonderful dream might mean. The

wise men answered "O Your Majesties, this dream is a most excellent one! It

means that the Queen will give birth to a son, and this prince will someday

become a great man. Not only you, but the entire world is fortunate that the

Queen will have such a special child."Hearing this good news, the King and

Queen were overjoyed. The King was especially happy because he belonged for a

son who would someday rule his kingdom in his place. And now it seemed his wish

was being granted.It was the custom in those days for a woman to return to her

parents home in order to give birth. And so, when the time had almost come for

the baby to be born, Queen Maya and many of her friends and attendants left the

palace of the king and began to journey to her childhood home.They had not

traveled far when the Queen asked that they stop and rest. She knew the baby

would be born very soon. They had reached the beautiful gardens of Lumbini and

the Queen went into this garden looking for a comfortable place in which she

could give birth. The stories say that even the animals and plants, somehow

understanding what a special child was about to be born, wanted to help. A

large tree bent down one of its branches and the Queen took hold of it with her

right hand. Supporting herself in this way, she gave birth to a son. The

attendants cradled the baby in their arms and were amazed at how beautiful he

was and how peaceful he seemed. top

A Holy Man's Visit

At that moment, throughout the land, there was a great feeling of peace and

happiness. People forgot their troubles, ceased their quarrels and felt great

love. and friendship for one another. Some people saw rainbows suddenly and

unusual things were seen.Wise men from all over the kingdom noticed these signs

of peace and joy and excitedly said to each other, "Something very fortunate has

just happened. Look at all these wonderful signs! Today is the full moon day of

the fourth month. It must certainly be a special day!"Queen Maya, unaware that

her joy at having a son was being shared at that very moment throughout the

kingdom, took the new-born baby in her arms and returned to the palace of the

King.With great rejoicing, King Shuddhodana greeted his Queen and his new son.

Splendid festivals were held and the whole kingdom was decked in beautifully

colored banners. It was a time of great happiness and peace. There was so much

gladness everywhere that his parents decided to name the Prince "Siddhartha",

which means "the one who has brought about all good ".Now the wise men made new

predictions about the baby. "O King," they said, "the signs of the Prince's

birth are most favorable. Your son will grow up to be even greater than you are

now!" This news made the King very proud. "If these wise men are correct," he

thought, "my son, Prince Siddhartha, may one day be the ruler not only of my

small kingdom, but perhaps of the entire world! what a great honors for me and

my family !"In the first few days after his birth, many people came to the

palace to see the new baby. One of these visitors was and old man named Asita.

Asita was a hermit who lived by himself in the distant forests, and he was

known to be a very holy person. The King and Queen were Surprised that Asita

would leave his forest home and appear at their court, "We are very honored

that you have come to visit us, O holy teacher," They said with great respect.

"Please tell us the purpose of your journey and we shall serve you in any way

we can."Asita answered them, "I thank you for your kind welcome. I have come a

great distance to visit you because of the wonderful signs I have recently

seen. They tell me that the son recently born to you will gain great spiritual

knowledge for the benefit of all people. Since I have spent my entire life

trying to gain such holy wisdom, I came here as quickly as possible to see him

for myself."The King was very excited and hurried to where the baby Prince lay

sleeping. He carefully picked up his son and brought him back to Asita. For a

long time the holy man gazed at the infant, saying nothing. Then he finally

stepped back, looked sadly up at the sky, sighed heavily and began to cry.

Seeing Asita weep, the King and Queen became very frightened. They were afraid

that the holy man had seen something wrong with their child. With tears in his

eyes, the King fell to his knees and cried out, "O holy teacher, what have you

seen that makes you weep? Didn't you and all the other wise men say that my son

was born to be a great man, to gain supreme knowledge? But now, when you look at

my baby you cry. Does this mean that the Prince will die soon? Or will something

else very terrible happen to him? He is my only child and I love him dearly.

Please tell me quickly what you have seen for my heart is shaking with sadness

and fear."Then with a very kind look, Asita calmed the new parents and told

them not to worry. "Do not be upset," he told them. "I am not crying because of

something bad I saw for the Prince. In fact, now that I have seen your son, I

know for certain that he will grow up to be more than just a great man. There

are special signs that I have seen on this child-such as the light that shines

from his fingers-that tell me he will have glorious future."If your son decides

to stay with you and become a king, he will be the greatest king in history. He

rule a vast realm and bring his people much peace and happiness. But if he

decides not to become a king, his future will be even greater! He will become a

great teacher, showing all people how to live with peace and love in their

hearts. Seeing the sadness in the world he will leave your palace and discover

a way to end all suffering. Then he will teach this way to whoever will

listen."No, dear King and Queen, I was not crying for the child. I was crying

for myself. You see, I have spent my whole life looking for the truth,

searching for a way to end all suffering. And today I have met the child who

will someday teach everything I have wanted to learn. But by the time he is old

enough to teach, I shall already have died. Thus, I shall not be able to learn

from him in this life. That is why I am so sad. But you, O fortunate parents,

should not be sad. Rejoiced that you have such a wonderful child." Then Asita

took one long, last look at the child, and slowly left the palace. The King

watched him leave and then turned towards his son. He was very happy that there

was no danger to the Prince's life. He thought, "Asita has said that Siddhartha

will become either a great king or a great teacher. It would be much better if

first he became a king. How proud I would be to have such a famous and powerful

son! then, when he is an old man like Asita, he can become a holy man if he

wants."So, thinking like this, King Shuddhodana stood happily with his baby in

his arms, dreaming of the fame that his son would someday have. top

The King Prince

While the new baby was still very young, his mother, Queen Maya died. Shortly

before she passed away, the Queen said to her sister, "Soon I shall not be able

to take care of my baby anymore. Dear Sister, after I have gone, please look

after Siddhartha for me." Her sister promised that she would. She loved the

little Prince very much and brought him up as if he were her own child.The

Prince grew into a bright, handsome and kind hearted boy. His father, the King

, arranged for him to be educated by the best teachers in the kingdom, and very

quickly he showed his remarkable intelligence. After the first few days of

classes the teachers reported to the King, "Your Majesty," they said, "the

Prince does not need us anymore. After only a few lessons he has learned

everything we have to teach him. In fact, he has taught us a few things that we

ourselves never knew before!"Hearing this, the King's pride in his son grew even

greater. "With his intelligence, my son will certainly grow up to be a wise and

powerful king," he thought, and this made the King very happy.But there was

something else about this boy that was even more remarkable than his

intelligence. He had a very kind, gentle and loving nature. The rest of his

young playmates enjoyed the rough and tumble games of small children, or

pretended they were soldiers and fought with one another. But Prince Siddhartha

quietly spent most of his time alone. He loved the small animals that lived in

the palace gardens and became friendly with them all. The animals knew that the

Prince would never hurt them, so they were never afraid of him. Even the wild

animals, who would run away if anyone else came near, would come to greet the

Prince when he entered the garden. They approached him fearlessly and ate from

his hand the food he always brought with him for them.One day as the Prince was

sitting in the garden, a flock of white swans flew overhead. Suddenly an arrow

shot up into the air, striking one of them. It fell out of the sky and landed

at the Prince's feet, the arrow still stuck into its wing. "Oh, you poor swan,"

Siddhartha whispered as he gently picked up the wounded bird, "do not be afraid.

I shall take care of you. Here, let me remove this arrow." Then, with one hand

he gently stroked the bird, calming its fear. With his other hand he slowly

pulled out the painful arrow. The Prince was carrying a special lotion with

him, and softly rubbed it into the bird's wing , all the time speaking in low,

pleasant voice that the swan would not become afraid. Finally he took off his

own silk shirt and wrapped it around the bird to keep it warm.After the short

time, another young boy came running into the garden. It was the Prince's

cousin, Devadatta, he was carrying a bow and some arrows and he was very

excited. "Siddhartha, Siddhartha," he shouted "great news! I got a swan! you

should have seemed. I hit it with my first shot! It fell down somewhere near

here. Help me look for it."Then Devadatta noticed one of his arrows, with blood

still on its tip, lying on the ground near Siddhartha's feet. Looking closer he

saw that the Prince was holding something in his arms, and realized it was the

swan he was searching for. "Hey, you took my swan," he yelled. "Give it back to

me. I shot it and it's mine!" Devadatta grabbed at the bird, but the Prince held

onto it, keeping his angry cousin from even touching it."I found this bird lying

here bleeding," the Prince said firmly, "and I don't plan to give it to anyone

while it is still wounded.But it's mine!" shouted Devadatta again. "I shot

it fair and square, and you've stolen it from me. Give it back or I'll take it

back."The two boys stood arguing like this for some time. Devadatta was getting

angrier and angrier, but Siddhartha refused to give him the swan. Finally the

Prince said, "When two grown-ups have a quarrel like this, they settle it in

court. In front of a group of wise people, each one explains the story of what

happened. Then the wise people decided who is right. I think you and I should

do the same."Devadatta did not like this idea very much, but because it was the

only way he could ever get the swan back, he agreed. So the two of them went to

the palace and appeared in front of the King and his ministers. The people at

court smiled at each other when they heard what these two children wanted. "To

Think," they said, "that they want to take up our time over a mere bird!" But

the King said, "Both Siddhartha and Devadatta are royal princes, and I am glad

they brought their quarrel to us. I think it is very important that , as future

rulers, they become used to the ways of this court. Let the trial begin!"So in

turn each of the boys described what happened. Then the minister tried to

decide which boy was right and should therefore have the swan. Some thought,

"Devadatta shot the bird; therefore it should belong to him. " Others thought,

"Siddhartha found the swan; therefore it should belong to him." And for a long

the ministers talked and argued about the case.Finally, into the court came a

very old man whom no one remembered ever seeing before. But because he looked

so wise, they told him the story of the boys and their swan. After listening to

what they had to say, he declared, "Everyone values his or her life more than

anything else in the world. Therefore, I think that the swan belongs to the

person who tried to save its life, not to the person who tried to take its life

away. Give the swan to Siddhartha."Everyone agreed that what the wise man said

was true, so they decided to let the Prince keep the swan. Later, when the King

tried to find the old man and reward him for his wisdom, he was nowhere to be

found. "This is very strange, " the king thought. "I wonder where he came from

and where he went." But no one knew. This was just one of the many unusual

things that happened concerning the Prince, so many people thought he must be a

very special child indeed! top

The Marriage Contest

As the Prince grew older, his kindness made him well-loved by everyone who knew

him. But his father was worried. "Siddhartha is too gentle and sensitive," He

thought. "I want him to grow up to be a great kind and kings must, be strong

and powerful. But the Prince is more interested in sitting by himself in the

garden than he is in learning how to be the ruler of a kingdom. I am afraid

that my son will soon want to leave the palace and follow the lonely life of

holy men like Asita. If he does this he will never become a great king."These

thought bothered the King very much. He sent for his most trusted ministers and

asked them what he could do. Finally one of them suggested, "O King your son

sits and dreams of other worlds only because he is not yet attached to anything

in his world. Find him a wife, let him get married and have children, and soon

he will stop dreaming and become interesting in learning how to rule the

kingdom."

The King thought this was an excellent idea. So he arranged for a large banquet

at the palace. All the young women from noble families were invited. At the end

of the evening the Prince was asked to give presents to each of the guests,

while several ministers watched him closely to see which of the young women the

Prince seemed to like.The women, who were scarcely more than young girls, were

all very embarrassed to appear before the Prince. He looked so handsome but so

distant as he stood in front of the table bearing all the expensive gifts. One

by one they shyly went up to him, timidly looking downwards as they approached.

They silently accepted the jewel or bracelet or other gift, and quickly returned

to their places.Finally, only one young woman was left. She was Yasodhara, the

daughter of a neighboring King. Unlike the others, she approached the Prince

without any shyness. For the first time that evening, the young Prince looked

directly at the woman before him. She was very beautiful and the Prince was

immediately attracted to her.They stood in silence for a while, looking into

each other's eyes. Then Yasodhara spoke, " O Prince, where is the gift for me?"

The Prince was startled as if awakening from a dream. He looked down at the

table and saw it was empty. All the gifts had already been given out to the

other guests. "Here , take this," said the Prince, taking his own ring from his

finger. "This is for you." Yasodhara graciously accepted the ring and walked

slowly back to her place.The ministers saw all that happened and excitedly ran

to the King. "Sire!" they reported happily, "we have found the perfect bride

for the Prince. She is Princess Yasodhara, daughter of your neighbor, King

Suprabuddha. Let us immediately go to this King and arrange for the marriage of

his daughter and your son.King suddhodana agreed and soon afterwards visited

Ysodhara's father. The other King greeted him warmly and said, "I am sure that

your son is a fine young man, but I can not give my daughter away to just

anyone. Many other princes want to marry her, and they all excellent young men.

They are skilled in riding, archery and other royal sports. Therefore, if your

son wants to marry my daughter, he will have to compete in a contest with the

other suitors, as is out custom."And so it was arranged for a great contest to

be held, with beautiful Yasodhara as the prize. King Shuddhodana was worried.

He thought, "My son has never showed the slightest interest in warrior games.

How can be ever win this contest?" But the Prince understood his father's fears

and said to him, "Do Not be worried. I am prepared to do whatever is necessary

to win Yasodhara for my bride."The first event was archery. The other men

placed their targets a long distance away, yet each was able to hit the bull's

eye. And when it was Devadatta's turn for Siddhartha's cousin was also one of

the suitors-he not only hit the bull's eye, but sent his arrow right through

the target until it stuck out the other side. The crowd cheered, but Yasodhara

covered her eyes in fright. "How can my beloved Siddhartha ever beat that

shot?" She thought. "How dreadful if I had to marry Devadatta!"But the Prince

was confident. When it was his turn he had his target placed so far away that

most of the people could hardly even see it. Then he took an arrow from his

quieter and pulled back on his bow. The Prince was so strong, however, that the

bow burst in half; he had drawn it back so far!"Please fetch me another bow,"

the Prince asked "but a much stronger one this time that will not break like

the other one." Then a ministers called out, "O Prince, there is a very old bow

in the palace. IT belonged to one of the greatest warriors of the past. But

since he died many years ago no one has been strong enough to string it , much

less shoot it."

"I shall use that one," said the Prince, and everyone was amazed. When he was

handed the bow he carefully bent it and strung it easily. Then he notched an

arrow on the string, drew it back so far that the ends of the bow almost

touched, aimed, and let the arrow fly. Twang! The bow made such a loud sound

that people in far away villages heard it. The arrow shot away so fast that

when it hit the distant target right in the central of the bull's-eye-it did

not even slow down, but continued to fly until it was out of sight.The crowd

roared in delight! "The Prince has won! The Prince has won!" But archery was

only the first event of the day; the next contest was in swords man ship.Each

young man selected a tree and showed his strength by slashing through it with

his sword. One suitor cut through a tree six inches thick, another nine inches,

and a third cut through a tree a foot thick with a single stroke of his

sword!Then it was the Prince's turn. He selected a tree that had two trunks

growing side by side. He swung his sword so quickly that it cut through the

tree faster than anyone could see. His sword was so sharp and his cut so even

that the tree did not even fall over. Instead it remained standing, perfectly

balanced. When they saw the tree still standing upright, the crowd and

especially Yasodhara moaned, "He has failed. The Prince's sword did not even

cut into the first trunk."But just then a breeze stirred up and blew over the

neatly severed tree trunks. The crowd's moans turned into cheers, and again

they shouted, " The Prince has won!" The final contest was in horsemanship. A

wild horse, while had never been ridden before was held down by several strong

men while each young suitor tried to mount it. But the horse bucked and kicked

so furiously that none of them could stay on its back for more than a few

seconds. Finally on young man managed to hold on and the attendants let go of

the horse. But it jumped and lunged about with such fury and anger that the

rider was thrown to the ground. And he would have been trampled if the men had

not rushed out and pulled him to safety.The crowd began screaming loudly, "Stop

the contest! Don't let the Prince near that horse! It is too dangerous; the

horse will kill him! But Siddhartha had no fear. "Gentleness can be more

powerful than brute strength, " he thought, and slowly reached out and took

hold of a small tuft of hair that grew from the horse's forehead. Speaking in a

low and pleasant voice, and gently stroking the wild horse's head and sides, he

calmed its anger, rage and fear.Soon the horse was so gentle that it began

licking Siddhartha's hand. Then, still whispering sweetly to the horse, the

Prince climbed onto its back. While the crowd roared happily, he paraded the

steed in front of the kings and ministers, and bowed low to his fair prize, the

lovely Yasodhara. The contest was over; young Siddhartha had won! And he had

done so not only by the power of his great strength, but of his gentleness and

kindness as well. top

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