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Siddhartha Gautama, who is later known as Buddha, was born in a small kingdom in ancient India. He is the son of Queen Maya and King Suddhodan. Maya was returning to her parents home for the birth of her child, she stopped on part of the long journey for a rest and as she entered into the forest she fell into a trance. She remembered a dream she had the day she conceived her child about a baby elephant that blessed her with its trunk. As Maya continued her journey her birth pains grew stronger and a tree lowered down to offer its branches for her support. Siddhartha Gautama was born fully conscious with strength to walk and talk straight away, as he walked lotus blossoms grew in his footsteps. He said “I have been born to reach enlightenment and free all creatures from suffering”. Siddhartha’s father held a ceremony to celebrate his birth, when suddenly an unexpected guest arrived - Aseeta. Aseeta told King Suddhodan that Siddhartha will become the master of the world or become nothing by using his ability to read stars. Queen Maya fell ill and before her death she gave Siddhartha to her sister to care for him and take him as her own child.
Siddhartha grew up and married princess Yashorada. The king shielded from all pain or worry in life, and so he grew up to believe that everything in the world was this way. Siddhartha decides that he wants to see more of the world beyond his kingdom, although this upsets princess Yashodara as she knows there is suffering that Siddhartha has never seen before. King Suddhodan secretly prepared everything Siddhartha was going to see to make sure that nothing disturbs him, his father made sure everyone he saw was young and healthy. However, through the crowds he notices two elderly and ill people - which he had never seen before. He follows them which leads him to a small village of people who are unwell and suffering. Siddhartha becomes intrigued by these illnesses and wants to learn about death. He learns that when people die, their ashes are given to the river and becomes upset. After learning about everything his father hid from him, he discovered compassion as Siddhartha believed the people suffering deserved peace and he wanted to find an answer for them.
Siddhartha and Yashodara’s son was born and Siddhartha fears for when his family become ill and die. A mist grows over the court and everyone has fallen into a deep sleep. Siddhartha awakens his friend Channa and they set off together on a journey while everyone is sleeping. As they begin their journey, they come across Ascetics - people who have given up all comforts of life and have sworn to never leave the forest until they have reached enlightenment. Siddhartha cuts his hair to make it short, gives his jewels to Channa and then joins the Ascetics to find freedom. A tree bowed down to Siddhartha as it did for his mother Maya when she was in labour.
For 6 years, Siddhartha and his followers lived in silence and never left the forest. They drank rain and ate mud, rice or bird droppings. One day, Siddhartha heard an old musician speaking to his people. The man said “If you tighten the string too much it will snap and if you leave it too slack it will not play” and suddenly he realised he had been following the wrong path all these years. The ascetics felt betrayed when Siddhartha was seen bathing and eating proper food and they turned away from Siddhartha. Siddhartha said “If I can reach enlightenment, let this bowl float upstream” and in front of his eyes the bowl was floating upstream. Siddhartha sat under a tree outside a village named Bacaya. He found the middle way and restored his body to health. Then the 5 daughters or Marrah - the lord of darkness - appeared. They were the spirits of pride, greed, fear, ignorance and desire. Marrah sent them to tempt Siddhartha away from his search. Marrah tried to tempt Siddhartha by disguising the temptations of life in the simplest forms. However, Siddhartha was looking beyond the present, which made Marrah angry. Marrah tried to throw everything he could towards Siddhartha but his mind was too powerful and finally Marrah was defeated.
Meditating showed Siddhartha what the problem is - people always want more in life and no-one is ever fully satisfied and due to this there is always suffering. Siddhartha has reached enlightenment and is now known as Buddha. He wants to show more people this and he gains followers who become his disciples. Buddha believes that by being reborn you can't avoid suffering. He believes that you do not go to a place, you are in a condition where you don't want anything and all desires are gone as you have reached peace - this is called Nirvana. For the rest of his life, Buddha preaches about how to reach Nirvana and when he reaches death he has many disciples who carry on his teaching in his honour.
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