His father was King Suddhodana of the aristocratic
Sakya clan and his mother was Queen Maha Maya. The beloved queen died seven days
after his birth. Her younger sister, Maha Pajapati Gotami, who was also married
to the King, adopted the child while entrusting her own son, Nanda, to the care
of the nurses.
One night, Queen Mayadevi dreamed that a white elephant descended from heaven
and entered her womb. The white elephant entering her womb indicated that on
that very night she had conceived a child who was a pure and powerful being. The
elephant's descending from heaven indicated that her child came from Tushita
heaven, the Pure Land of Buddha Maitreya. Later, when she gave birth to the
child, instead of experiencing pain the queen experienced a special, pure vision
in which she stood holding the branch of a tree with her right hand while the
gods Brahma and Indra took the child painlessly from her side. They then
proceeded to honor the infant by offering him ritual ablutions.
On the fifth day after the prince's birth he was named Siddhattha which means
"wish fulfilled". His family name was Gotama. His Father invited a Brahmin seer
to make predictions about the prince's future.
As a Royal child, Prince Siddhattha must have
received a royal education, although no details are given about it. As a scion
of the warrior race he also received special training in the art of warfare. At
the early age of sixteen, he married his beautiful cousin of equal age, Princess
Yasodhara. For nearly thirteen years, after his happy marriage, he led a
luxurious life, blissfully ignorant of the vicissitudes of life outside the
palace gates. With the march of time, truth gradually dawned upon him. His
contemplative nature and boundless compassion did not permit him to spend his
time in the mere enjoyment of the fleeting pleasures of the Royal palace. He
knew no personal grief but he felt a deep pity for suffering humanity. Amidst
comfort and prosperity, he realized the universality of sorrow.
One glorious day as he went out of the palace
to the pleasure park to see the world outside.
Realizing the worthlessness of sensual pleasures and appreciating the value of
renunciation in which the wise seek delight, he decided to leave the world in
search of Truth and Eternal Peace. While he was about to leave the park, the
news of the birth of a son was conveyed to him. It was in his twenty-ninth year
that Prince Siddhattha made this historic journey.
Gautam went from one religious center to
another and from one hermitage to the next seeking in vain answers to his
questions. Finally in a forest at the edge of the river Niranjana near Gaya,
Gautam practiced meditation and penance for six years yet nothing happened. He
then realized that enlightenment could not come through mortifying the flesh. In the memorable forenoon, immediately
preceding the morn of His Enlightenment, as the Bodhisatta was seated under the
Ajapala banyan tree in close proximity to the Bodhi tree, a generous lady, named
Sujata, unexpectedly offered Him some rich milkrice, specially prepared by her
with great care. This substantial meal He ate, and after His Enlightenment the
Buddha fasted for seven weeks, and spent a quiet time, in deep contemplation,
under the Bodhi tree and in its neighborhood.
Buddha died of an illness brought on by some
error in diet. He became ill through eating Sukara-maddavam, prepared for him by
a lady adherent named Cundo.
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