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By Jayaram V
The Buddha was born in the year 563 B.C. in a mango grove
at a place called Lu mbini. It is presently located in the foot hills of Nepal
in the region bordering the present day India. His father Suddhodana was a
Sakya king and his mother Maya also came from a princely family. Seven days
after his birth his mother died, leaving him to the care of her sister and
his step mother Mahajapati, who was also a wife of Suddhodana.
The young Buddha was brought up in Kapilavastha, which was
the capital of Sakya kingdom. When he was born, legend records the occurrence
of several miracles, confirming the arrival of a great being into the world.
His father and some prominent members of his court were aware that a divine
child, who was was destined to be a great person, was born amidst them. His
parents gave him the name Siddhartha. They expected him to grow and become a
successful and skillful king.
Siddhartha was also known in history by the name Gautama.
This was in fact his family name, which he inherited from his mother's side.
Princely life and the great change
We are told that knowing well what was in store for his
son, his father tried his best
to shield him from all possible spiritual
contacts and influences by surrounding him with pomp and luxury and providing
all material comforts, so that when he grew up he would become a great ruler.
He built three palaces for his son with all the comforts and amenities and
arranged for his training in in martial arts and education in various
subjects necessary for conduct of state affairs. We are told that despite of
these arrangements the young Siddhartha was still drawn occasionally into
philosophical and contemplative thinking during which he would suffer from
deep despair.
When he reached the age of sixteen he was married to a
beautiful princess called Yashodhara. She was the daughter of a Sakya
Chieftain called Suprabuddha. He had a son through her by the name Rahula. We
do not know much about his family life, except that he cared for his wife and
spent considerable time in her company. We do not know whether he had any
liaison with some other women too. Yashodhara was probably a very dutiful
wife, who might have suffered later in life when the Buddha finally left her.
During this period he went through four strange
experiences which the Buddhists refer as the "Four Noble Signs".
They changed his thinking completely and brought a fundamental change in his
attitude towards the life he was leading till then.
The first of these signs was the sight of an old and
decrepit man. This made him think about the decay inherent in all life. The
second was the sight of a sick and ailing man. This made him think about the
suffering inherent in existence.
The third sign was the sight of corpse lying in a bier.
This made him think about the transience of human life and need for
liberation from the very experience of death. The fourth was the sight of a
meditating monk, who had renounced the worldly life and was leading the life
of a monk. It reminded him of the possibilities of spiritual life lying
beyond the boundaries of his own materialistic life.
These experiences prompted the young Siddhartha to review
the life he was leading till then and change it if he could. He was
overwhelmed with a sense of grief and compassion for the troubles of the
mankind. He decided not to rest till he found suitable answers to the
questions that were troubling him for some time. His son Rahula was just born
then, as if circumstances were making it a little more difficult for him to
leave his wife and worldly life behind.
The life of a wandering monk
But the young Siddhartha was firm in his resolve. Ever
since he saw the meditating hermit, he became eager to pursue a similar life
of austerity and inner detachment. Shortly afterwards, one day, in the middle
of the night, when every one was asleep, he left the palace, his family,
friends and the kingdom.
He felt relieved as he rode out of Kapilavasthu, in a
chariot driven by his trusted charioteer named Channa, towards the deep
forests that lay beyond the civilized life. After crossing a stream called
Anana, he removed all his jewelry and rich clothes and gave them to Channa.
He ordered him to return to the city with the chariot and all his belongings,
much against the protestations and pleadings of the latter.
Early struggles
After Channa's departure, he proceeded on foot to a near
by mango grove called Anupia and stayed there for a week, contemplating on
the possible course of action he was to take. After a few days he decided to
go to Rajagriha, the capital of the famous Magadha Kingdom, ruled then by the
equally famous king, Bimbisara, who was a man of noble qualities and great
vision. We are told that when he was in Magadha, he was visited by king
Bimbisara, who tried to persuade him unsuccessfully not to renounce his
princely ways and worldly life. But Siddhartha, could not be persuaded. He
remained firm in his resolve. He promised him nothing. But he gave him the
assurance that when he attained enlightenment, he would first come to Magadha
only to preach his gospel to the people there.
From Rajagriha, he went to meet a famous sage named Aalara
Kalama who was living then in a hermitage near by. We do not know how he came
to know about this sage and when he actually decided to see him. It is
possible that he might have heard of the latter's spiritual eminence when he
was staying in Rajagriha.
Alara Kalama accepted him as his disciple and initiated
him into the secrets of ecstatic meditation. He also taught him the doctrine
of Atman and the existence of Brahman. But it appears that he was not able to
exert any influence on his young disciple, as probably he himself was not
very conversant with the deeper aspects of the Upanishadic knowledge of
Brahminism.
By all means, while staying in the hermitage, Siddhartha
grew disillusioned with the teachings of his master. So after a brief stay,
he decided to leave the hermitage and search for Truth on his own. Alara
Kalara's teachings, especially on the nature of Atman and Brahman, convinced
him that if he wanted to know the Truth he must search for it on his own. He
left the hermitage and repaired to a forest near Uruvela, on the banks of
river Nairanjana.
There he met five wandering monks. Like him they were also
looking for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths and they believed
that it could be achieved only through the strict observation of austerities
and self-denial. Upon meeting him and talking to him, they decided to stay
with him and pursue their path. And when the saw the sincerity behind his
resolution and the manner in which started practicing austerities, they
decided to accept him as their leader and master.
Austerities and self-mortification
For six years, Gautama practiced several austerities and
subjected himself to severe self-mortification. He led a life of hardship,
complete fasting and starvation, so much so that his well groomed body was
reduced to a heap of bones and skin without any flesh in between. He lost the
vigor of youth and the strength to perform even ordinary tasks. Because of
terrible weakness and complete exhaustion one day he fell unconscious.
When he came out of unconscious state, he felt that he was
pursuing a wrong path. He became convinced that he would not get
enlightenment and final liberation through a weak body that had lost its
strength. He decided to leave the austere life behind and go to near by
villages to beg food and strengthen his body again. A village girl by name
Sujata said to have served him with milk-rice during this period, thereby
ending the six-year period of his severe fasting.
The five monks who were with him till then were not happy
with the change they noticed in Gautama. They wondered how Gautama who was
unable to get enlightenment even after six years of severe austerities would
achieve liberation if he started begging and eating ordinary food. They left
him alone and went away to Isipitana, a place that was in the suburbs of
ancient Varanasi.
The Buddha, the Enlightened One
After they deserted him, Gautama spent some time alone in
the forest contemplating the further course of action he was to take. His
initial failure only strengthened his resolve to seek enlightenment. He
decided not leave the place till he got the knowledge he wanted. Thus
resolved, he sat under a bodhi tree and practiced deep meditation for several
days. Legend has it that during this period he was subjected to many
temptations by the deceitful Mara, but no amount of trickery could defeat his
purpose and resolve.
Finally, after several days, one day, "when the sun
was yet above the horizon", he received the answers he was searching for
and received enlightenment. He entered the stage of Nirvana and became the
Buddha or "the Knower".
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