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Devaputra, who appeared as Shakyamuni Buddha, is the third Buddha of this fortunate Kalpa. Before him, Krakuchhanda, Kanakamuni, dwelled in the Tushita Heaven, seated on a lion throne. On Devaputra's descending to this world, the lion throne of the Tushita Heaven was empowered to Maitreya.
Siddhattha Gotama's father, Suddhodana, was a Sakya king and descendant of the Okkakas who called themselves Gotama, who dwelled on the edge of the Himalayas. His mother Mahamaya was beautiful as the water-lily, and pure in mind as the lotus. On the fifteenth day of the second month at the time of the full moon, Mahamaya conceived Devaputra by his entering her womb through her right side.
When it was time for Mahamaya to give birth to her child, she went home to her parents, as was the custom. On the way, the party, stopped at Lumbini, at a beautiful grove, a few miles north of the present-day Indian border, in Nepal. The queen left her palanquin to stroll in the garden. In the midst of the garden she felt that her time had come to give birth . A sava tree in the garden bent it's branches to her, so that she could take hold of a branch. Her attendants hung a curtain about her and retired. Then four pure-minded angels of the great Brahma held out a golden net to receive the baby. The child emerged from her right side. The mother suffered little pain. The angel, bathed the baby and wrapped him in a silk cloth. The babe took seven steps, in the four directions, and lotus grew in his foot steps. The angels, then laying the baby before the mother, saying: "Rejoice, O queen, a mighty son has been born unto you". Many good omens occurred indicating the birth of the Buddha.
There was a rishi, living in a grove near Lumbini Asita, living the life of a hermit. Famed for his wisdom, scholarship and also skilled in the interpretation of signs. The King invited Asita, to see the royal babe. When Asita held the baby he wept and sighed deeply. The King seeing this became alarmed and asked" Why has the sight of my son caused thee grief and pain"?
Asita replied "The King, like the moon when full, should feel great joy, for he has begotten a wondrously noble son. I do not worship Brahma, but I worship this child; and the gods in the temples will descend from their places of honor to adore him. Banish all anxiety and doubt. The spiritual omens manifested indicate that the child now born will bring deliverance to the whole world.
"Recollecting that I myself am old, on that account I could not hold my tears; for now my end is coming on and I shall not see the glory of this babe. For this son of thine will rule the world. The Wheel of Empire will come to him. He will either be a king of kings to govern all the lands of the earth, or verily will become a Buddha. He is borne for the sake of everything that lives. (Asita's cousin Kathayana became a monk of the Buddha.)
When the parents heard this they rejoiced in their hearts, and named the babe Siddhattha, he who had accomplished his purpose. The king wishes were that his son would take over the throne and not follow a religious life. The queen knew that having given birth to a Buddha she shall soon leave this world, and asked her sister Pajapati to be a mother to her child. Mahamaya departed seven days after the birth..
Siddhattha proved himself above all men in both body and mind. Becoming a expert in both astrology, and literature. His meditative skills were great, meditating in the samadhi state.
Siddhattha was married to Yasodhara, the daughter of the king of Koli. And had a son who they named Rahula, which means fetter or tie. This made his father, the king, very happy for it tied his heart, to interests of the world, and the Kingdom of the Sakas.
The Palace, that the king had given to the prince, was very splendid, with all the luxuries. Full of youth and happiness. For the king, did not want, the prince to see sorrow and misery, or know of the evils in the world, all knowledge of misery was kept from the prince.
Even with all this splendor the prince wanted to see the world for himself. Asking his father for permission to do so. The king had made ready the road that a chariot pulled by four horses, carrying the prince, would take. All the houses in the city were decorated with banners and curtains. Spectators lined the path eager to see the prince their next leader. In this way Siddhattha rode through the city and into the country side, with Channa as his charioteer.
By the wayside the prince saw an old man bent with age, wrinkled face and sorrowful brow, and the prince asked who is this? His hair is white, his eyes are bleared, and his body is withered. He can barely support himself, on his staff.
The charioteer, worried of the question, wanting to speak the truth. He said "These are the symptoms of old age. This same man was once a suckling child, and as a youth full of sportive life; but now, as years have passed away, his beauty is gone and the strength of his life is wasted."
Siddhattha was greatly affected by the words of the charioteer, and he sighed because of the pain of old age. "What joy or pleasure can men take, "he thought to himself, "when they know they must soon wither and pine away!"
As they traveled further, they came upon a sick man, gasping for breath, his body disfigured, convulsed and groaning with pain. The prince asked his charioteer: 'What kind of man is this, The four elements of his body are confused and out of order. We are all subject to such conditions: the poor and the rich, the ignorant and the wise, all creatures that have bodies are libel to the same calamity." The prince became moved even more. All pleasure appeared stale to him, and he loathed the joys of life.
Traveling further they came upon a funeral procession, four men carrying a corpse. The prince was stunned, by this sight, and asked Channa: "What is this they carry? There are streamers and flowered garlands; but the men that follow are overwhelmed with grief!'
Channa replied: "This is a dead man: his body is stark; his life is gone; his thoughts are still; his family and the friends who loved him now carry the corpse to the grave." And the prince was full of awe and terror: "Is this the only dead man," he asked," or does the world contain other instances?"
The charioteer replied;" All over the world it is the same. He who begins life must end it. There is no escape from death."
With this they headed back to the palace. The prince's wife welcomed him and asked him to tell her the cause of his grief. He said" I see everywhere the impression of change; therefore, my heart is heavy, men grow old, sicken, and die. That is enough to take away the zest of life". The king hearing that the prince had become estranged from pleasure, was greatly overcome with sorrow, like a sword, it pierced his heart.
That night, while thinking of the days events, sitting under a jambu-tree, the prince decided to leave the palace, his wife, and child and take up the robes and begging bowl of homeless religious life. With this the prince went to the bedroom, of his wife and child, to take a last farewell glance, at those he dearly loved.
The Bodhisattva mounted his steed Kanthaka, and then he left the palace. Renouncing all worldly power and pleasures. Accompanied by his faithful charioteer, Channa.
Siddhattha had cut his waving hair and had exchanged his royal robe for a mean dress of the color of the ground. Having sent home Channa, and his steed, to give the message to the king that the prince had left the world, and taken up robes and beggar's bowl. The Buddha was then 29 years old.
Receiving teachings from Alara and Uddaka, renowned teachers among the Brahmans, there was no one in those days who surpassed them in learning and philosophical knowledge.
After studying with Alara and Uddaka the Sakyamuni went to find a better system. From these teachers Sakyamuni was able to reach the 7th dhyana, the state of "nothing at all", and 8th dhyana the state of "neither perception nor nonperception"
Sakyamuni came across a group of five bhikkhus ascetics, living in the Uruvela jungle. They practiced austere self-discipline, keeping their senses in check, and subduing their passions. He joined them for six years, becoming their guru. Living on a few grains of rice a day, practicing self mortification, suppressing his wants.
One day while sitting under a jambu-tree, by the Neranjara River, the realization that self mortification, or its other extreme, worldly wants and needs, were not the way, of the supreme path. The middle way was the path. He went to bathe, and refresh himself. He was so weak that after bathing, he could not leave the river without the help of a branch of a tree. Nana the daughter of a chief herdsman happened by and offered him some rice-milk and he accepted the gift.
His disciples saw him bathing and eating, thinking he had, lost the way of the path, they shunned him. Thinking he had taken up the lesser road.
Having set out to find enlightenment, Sakyamuni went to
the bodhi-tree. with some kusha grass, as an offering.
Proclaiming that he would remain on that seat until he achieved
enlightenment.
Sitting on the pillow of grass, the earth and heavens rejoiced. Only Mara, lord of five desires, bringer of death and enemy of truth was grieved. Mara threatened Sakyamuni with fierce bow caring demons, blackened sky, fierce winds and storms. Mara's three daughters, Tanha, Raga and Arati, the tempters, tempted him but he paid them no attention. Mara, seeing that he could not kindle any desire or fear in the heart of the Bodhisattva, ordered his evil spirits to attack him, but the Blessed One was unmoved. All that was hurled at him turned into lotus blossoms. Mara seeing his defeat fled with his army.
As the night started Sakyamuni achieved the four stages
of samadhi and the state of super awareness, 8th
dhyana.
In the first watch of the night Buddha achieved the clairvoyance of
recollecting his previous lives;
In the second watch of the night Sakyamuni achieved the divine wisdom eye,
the clairvoyance to see all beings lives past, present, and future, and how
their karma has determined their lives.
In the third watch of the night Sakyamuni achieved the end
of afflicting emotions.
In a moment the nature of The Four Noble Truths
as well as Twelve Links Of
Interdependent origination (twelve
nidanas), both in their arising and cessation, was clear to Sakyamuni. Achieving perfect Buddhahood.
In the last watch of the night Sakyamuni achieved omniscience, as the sun
rose, he was no longer Sakyamuni , but a Buddha, The Enlighten One.
( Stages of awareness)
After the Buddha reached enlightenment. He decided that the world was not ready for his teachings and that he would remain in the forest in meditation. The gods, Indra and Brahma, requested that the Enlighten One give teachings . Persuading him to teach. Buddha went off to Varanasi to give teachings, to his five disciples. The disciples were set on insulting him, for his falling away from the path. After he spoke to the five, the disciples paid him homage. Buddha then turned the wheel of the Dharma three times in succession.
The Buddha taught for 53 years. Lord Buddha went to Kusinagara near the Hiranyavati River. There he gave teachings and told the assembly to ask what ever questions they had now. The Buddha went off to meditate under a tree laying on his right side, in the lion position, he passed into Parinirvana. His Body was cremated, and the relics divided into eight parts. The vase and the ashes it contained were placed in two stupas.
Novice Buddhist 