The Life of the Buddha

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Before Siddartha Gotama's birth, his mother dreamt of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower.	At a palace festival, the young prince sat down under a tree and was soon lost in meditation. It is said that though the shadows of all the trees had lengthened, the shadow of the tree under which he sat had not moved. a	During an excursion outside the palace gates, Prince Siddartha encountered four images: old age, sickness, death, and an ascetic spiritual seeker.

The future Buddha bid farewell to his wife, Princess Yasodhara and new son, Rahula, before renouncing the householder's life to seek an end to suffering.	Far from the palace, Prince Siddartha exchanged his fine clothes for rags and cut his long hair.	The young ascetic practiced extreme self-mortification for six years in the hopes of discovering Truth. It is said he ate little more than a single sesame seed or grain of rice each day. After these six years he determined to continue his quest in a new manner. He would practice a Middle Way between self-mortification and self- indulgence. a
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Soon thereafter, a young woman offered the future Buddha a bowl of rice and milk. He accepted it, restored his strength, and began his practice anew.	He sat under the shade of a pippala tree (now called a Bodhi tree) determined not to rise until fully enlightened. He realized the 4 Noble Truths and the secret to true peace and happiness. a	As a Buddha, an awakened one, he returned to teach his five fellow practitioners the Noble Truth of Unsatisfactoriness, the Noble truth of the Cause (Craving), the Noble Truth of Cessation, and the Noble 8-fold Path leading to the cessation of all suffering. The wheel of Dharma had been set in motion. a

The Buddha gained many followers. On one occasion 1250 monks gathered spontaneously to hear his teaching. (This day is commemorated as a holiday in Buddhist countries.)	In one noteworthy story, the Buddha distracted murderer Angulimala from killing his own mother and 100th murder victim. Inspired by the Buddha's fearlessness and wisdom, Angulimala became a disciple and later attained enlightenment himself. a	After 45 years of teaching the Dharma, the Buddha passed into Parinirvana. In his last sermon, he encouraged his disciples to diligently seek the truth and not to hold on to that which is impermanent.