The Buddha's Life

Early Life

Siddartha was born in the 6th century BC in Lumbini, which is now in Nepal. His dad was the Maharaja, which means “king” in India. Someone in the kingdom said to the king, “Your wife will die after she has the baby.” Siddartha’s mom died when he was a baby. 

Siddartha grew up in a beautiful place surrounded with guards, gardens, water, and the palace. Siddartha loved playing with his friends and cousins. Then, Siddartha started learning how to write. 

He said, “Can I try?”

The master said, “Go ahead!”

So, Siddartha started writing and after a while his master was shocked at how he was learning so fast. 

His master taught him everything, including counting to ten and on. First, they used their fingers. Then, Siddartha started to count higher and higher. He was a smart kid!

Young Adulthood

As a young adult, his dad protected him from life. Siddartha wanted to see the city, so his father said, “You can go!” but he ordered the old, blind, and sick people to stay inside while Siddartha was going around to see people in the city. His father wanted him to have a good life. 

While he was in the city, he was having fun! People were cheering. One baby got to have a ride on Siddartha’s carriage. Another person gave him a garland to put around his neck. Siddartha saw a sick, old man on the side of the street. He did not understand what sickness was. 

His father invited many young women to the palace so his son could get married. Siddartha met Yaśodharā. She was a beautiful girl and the daughter of a king. In order to marry her, he had to do three things. Those three things were: cutting down three trees with a sword, an archery contest, and taming a wild horse. He won the whole contest and got to marry Yaśodharā.

Suffering

Siddartha needed to understand suffering and death. So, he left the palace to find out the answer of why there is suffering and death. He dressed as a peasant and went out with his friend into the village. Siddartha heard, “Help me!” It was an old man. 

His friend told him, “Don’t touch him! He’s sick, ill. He probably has the plague!” 

Siddartha asked, “Will I grow old? Will I grow ill? Will I die?” 

His friend said, “Yes, you will die. We all die. Kids, old people, parents, they all get sick whether a stomach ache or the flu. There is nothing to help them to get better.” 

The old man was in agony and died. There were people burning bodies in a fire. Siddartha and his friend left the old man to be burned. They returned to the palace. 

Siddartha told his friend to get him his horse. Then Siddartha said to his horse, “This may be a long journey. Who knows where it will take us.” Finally, Siddartha found a place where he had to give up everything, so he left and his horse had to go back to the palace. The horse was sad. 

The Path to Enlightenment

Siddartha cut his hair and changed his clothes to rags. He sat down and told the guru and followers why he left the palace. The guru taught him meditation. Siddartha got his own followers.

Temptation

Mara, the god of temptation, said, “Why are you leaving, O Great One?”

Siddartha said, “I am going to find the answer of why there is suffering and death.”

Mara tempted Siddartha to  be a ruler, people will bow to him. He tempted Siddartha with reaching Nirvana before teaching others. 

Siddartha resisted and Mara let out his army of scary monsters. Siddartha fought back by putting his hand up with his pointer-finger and thumb making a circle and with the other three fingers standing up. He blasted energy at the monsters and to Mara. They left. The sign he made with his hand means "karana," which means “banishing and expelling negative energy.’’

Enlightenment

Siddartha meditated until he reached Enlightenment. When you reach enlightenment you no longer get reincarnated.

He meditated for months or years without eating. A giant snake protected him from the rain because it was thundering. His followers were scared! A woman came and gave him food and water. 

The woman said, “You have to care for your body to have a strong mind.” This was Siddartha’s ah-ha moment. He called it The Middle Path. The Middle Path means to reach Enlightenment by living a life in between extravagance and asceticism. Asceticism means severe self-discipline.

His followers came back and he became the Buddha, which means “The Awakened One.” He went back to the palace to see his family. His family followed his teachings. The Buddha's teachings are called Dharma.

Buddhism

The main teachings of the Buddha are: living a life of happiness and peace, following the Middle Path, practicing meditation, eating vegetarian, and teaching others. The goal for Buddhists is to reach Enlightenment.