Friday, May 1, 2015

The Story of the Buddha

  Long ago,the small kingdom of Kapilavastu was ruled by a noble monarch,Suddhodhana.He was married to Princess Maha Maya.One night, Queen Maya had a strange dream.She dreamt that a six tusked white elephant, carrying a white lotus in its trunk entered her body.Puzzled, the queen told King Suddhodana about her dream the next morning.

    King Suddhodana was confused. So he consulted a few wise men.They said,"The dream is an indication that the queen will give birth to a wise and virtuous baby.After hearing this the king and the queen were filled with joy.When the baby was about to be born,Queen Maha Maya decided to visit her mother.

On her way Queen Maya grew tired. So,her bearers carried her to a beautiful garden.Here under a Sal tree the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.5 days after the prince's birth,a naming ceremony was held.The prince was named Siddhartha.King Suddhodhana invited 8 brahmin scholars to foretell the future of the child.

   The brahmin scholars said that Siddhartha would either be a monarch or a holy man.However,Kondanna,the youngest of all the brahmins predicted,"The child will abandon his kingdom and become monk."Hearing this, the king was worried.'I will not let Siddhartha become a monk,'thought King Suddhodhana.Unfortunately, 2 days after the ceremony, Queen Maha Maya died.Mahaprajapati Gotami,her sister,became Siddhartha's foster mother.




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