THE LIFE OF

THE BUDDHA
(beyondthenet.net & chandawimala.blogspot.com)

Table of Contens

Plate 1. The Birth of the Bodhisatta ..................................... 1

Plate 2. Life as a Prince ............................................................ 2
Plate 3. The realities of life ...................................................... 3
Plate 4. The Great going forth ................................................ 4
Plate 5. Experiment with Asceticism..................................... 5
Plate 6. Enlightenment ............................................................. 8
Plate 7. The First Discourse .................................................... 9
Plate 8. Go now and wander
for the welfare of the many .................................................. 12
Plate 9. The law of Causation
or Dependent Arising ............................................................. 14
Plate 10. The Philosophy of change ................................... 15

Plate 11. Unsatisfactoriness of Life .................................... 17

Plate 12. Buddha teaches that
all Phenomena is soulless ..................................................... 18
Plate 13. Freedom of thought .............................................. 19
Plate 14. Towards human dignity ........................................ 21
Plate 15. Equality of women ................................................ 22
Plate 16. Human freedom ..................................................... 23
Plate 17. Ministering to the sick ......................................... 25
Plate 18. Psychic Therapy ..................................................... 28
Plate 19. Compassion to Animals ....................................... 29
Plate 20. Buddhist Economic System ................................ 31
Plate 21. Buddhist Education ............................................... 33
Plate 22. Administration of Justice ..................................... 35
Plate 23. World Peace ........................................................... 37
Plate 24. The Maha Parinibbana ......................................... 39

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Picture 1: The Great Birth of the World-Honoured One, Prince Shiddhartha

Plate 1. The Birth of the Bodhisatta.

On a full-moon day in the month of May (Visakha) 2600
years ago was born a Prince named Siddhattha. His birth
took place at Lumbini (modern Rumindei in Nepal), where
his mother Mahamaya, the chief queen consort of King
Suddhodana of Kapilavatthu, rested with her royal retinue,
on her way to her parental home in Devadaha. In the
picture Queen Mahamaya stands under a flowering sala
tree holding on to one of its branches. [TOC]

Figure 2: Palatial life of Prince Shiddhartha

Plate 2. Life as a Prince.

Manifold was the variety of all the sensuous delights
within the palace, the music and song that filled the
palace halls by night and day; the beauty and grace of its
dancing girls; the fragrance of subtle perfumes; the finest
silks and priceless gems for jewelry and adornment; and
rare delicacies and foods for the royal table. And yet, day
after day, seated amidst all this luxury the Prince remains
unmoved. Ever in thoughtful mood, with a far-away look
in his beautiful eyes he muses on the fleeting nature of
life's so called pleasures and its doubtful delights. [TOC]

Picture 3: The Four Great Signs: old-age, disease, death and reclusion

Plate 3. The realities of life.

All King Suddhodana's efforts to protect his son from the
four sights of old-age, disease, death and a recluse are of
no avail. On a certain occasion, on his way to the royal
pleasure gardens the Prince is confronted by each one of
these very sights, and is filled with doubts and deep
misgiving. Soon after this he meets a wandering ascetic,
impressed by the sombre garb and quiet demeanor of the
homeless recluse the Prince looks long and hard at him,
and then, makes up his mind to leave the palace for a life
of homelessness. [TOC]

Picture 4: The Great Renunciation

(mahabhinishkramana) of Prince Siddhartha

Plate 4. The Great going forth.

On the day of the Esala full-moon (July) the Crown Prince
receives the news brought from the palace, of the birth of
a son to his wife, the beautiful Princess Yasodhara.
Alarmed at this fresh development, this new fetter to bind
him closer to the world, the Prince decides to leave the
palace that very night. For the sake of his father, his
queen, his son, for the sake of all mankind, he would leave
the world to seek a way to save the world from all
suffering. This is the Great Renunciation. [TOC]

Picture 5.1*: The Ascetic Gotama with the meditation teacher

Alara Kalama.

Plate 5. Experiment with Asceticism.

For six long years the ascetic Gotama, as Prince
Siddhattha was now known, wanders along the highways
and byways of India. He goes to Alara Kalama and Uddaka
Ramaputta two of its greatest religious teachers, who
teach him everything from their store of knowledge and
wisdom. But the ascetic Gotama is not satisfied, for their
teachings do not lead to the cessation of suffering.
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Picture 5.2*: The Ascetic Gotama with the meditation teacher

Udakka Ramaputta.

With unrelenting energy he undergoes rigorous ascetic

discipline, both bodily and mental, seeking a way to the
cessation of suffering through further suffering. In the end
he becomes lean and emaciated and a mere skeleton.
[TOC]

Pictures 5.3* & 5.4: Austere practice or Self-mortification

(attakhilamathanuyoga) of Ascetic Siddhartha

Picture 6: The Great Enlightenment (abhisambodhi)

Plate 6. Enlightenment.
Discarding both extremes of luxurious living and self
mortification, the Bodhisatta Prince chooses the Middle
Path of moderation based on the practice of virtue (sila),
concentration of the mind (samadhi), and the intensive
analysis of all psycho-physical phenomena that finally
leads to full understanding of things as they really are
(panna). Seated under the Bodhi-tree at Buddhagaya he
attai ns Samma Sambodhi and becomes the Supreme
Buddha. [TOC]

Picture 7.1: The First Teaching of the Buddha to the five ascetics, the
Sutta of Turning the Wheel of the Dhamma (dhammacakkapavattana
Sutta).

Plate 7. The First Discourse.

Having realized the Four Noble Truths - the Noble Truth of
Suffering; the Cause of Suffering; the Cessation of
Suffering; and the Path leading to the Cessation of
Suffering - by himself, the Buddha now decides to teach
them to the five ascetics who had earlier served him at
Uruvela, in Buddhagaya. At the end of this First Discourse,
which is known as the "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta"
and given to the five ascetics who were now living at
Isipatana in Benares, the oldest of them, Kondanna
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realises the first path and fruition of the Stream-winner

(Sotapanna), or one who goes against the stream of
Samsara (the recurring cycle of life and death).

Picture 7.2: The Wheel of Dhamma (dhammacakka) with the hub of

37 factors, twelve spokes and fourfold rim.
(Source: http://m.dmc.tv/dhamma/index.php?action=page&id=11585)
The word cakka means a wheel in just the same way as a cartwheel
or a car wheel. Any wheel has three important components: hub,
spokes and rim. As long as the components are separated, they
cannot be called a wheel.

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Just as a skilled wheelwright can assemble the components to

make a strong wheel ready to be put to work, the Buddha, through his
preaching to the group of five ascetics (pancavaggiya) of the three
gro u pin gs of Dhamma, and relating them, gave rise to a
Dhammacakka which would bear the practitioner to wards benefit
and ultimately liberation:
- The hub to the Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment
- The spokes to the Links of Dependent Origination
- The rim to the Four Noble Truths
The close relationship between these three sets of Dhamma teachings
is manifested by their relationship in the Dhammacakka. The sets of
Dhammas rely on each other for their strength in just the same way as
the different components of a wheel lend each other mutual support.
The sermon wouldnt have been called Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta
if only the Four Noble Truths or Dependent Origination or the Factors
of Enlightenment were important. Thus, by the name of the sermon,
we know that the important thing about the sermon is the way it
shows the interconnection between these three Dhamma groups as if
the Buddha himself were the wheelwright who had assembled the
fragments into a coherent and usable whole. Thus even if only some
parts of the wheel are specifically mentioned in the sermon, as
students we should look beyond to the implications for the ThirtySeven factors of Enlightenment and the Links of Dependent
Origination too. [TOC]

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Picture 8.1: The Commencement of the First Buddhist Missionary

Service with 60 Arahants.

Plate 8. Go now and wander for the welfare of

the many.
The Buddha stays on at Isipatana for the rainy season.
However, before that, within the first week of His giving
of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, all five ascetics
reach the highest fruition of Sainthood and thus become
the first five Arahant disciples of the Buddha. Before the
rainy season is over fifty five others have followed suit.
The Buddha now exports His sixty disciples: - 'Go forth ye
bhikkhus, for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of
the many, out of compassion for the world, for the good,
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welfare and happiness of gods and men'. Accordingly the

disciples set forth to spread the new teaching. [TOC]

Picture 8.2: How Buddhism spread through Asia. (Source:

http://www.ancient.eu/buddhism/, August 23, 2016).

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Picture 9: Scheme of the twelve link chain of causation.

Plate 9. The law of Causation or Dependent

Arising.
After His Enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree at
Buddhagaya, the Buddha reflects on the law of
Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada). He ponders
as to how things come into being due to past and present
conditions to cause suffering. Next He muses on the
cessation of these very things when their cause has been
removed. Then he reflects on both the arising and the
cessation of all things conditioned and inter dependent, in
the present, the past and the future. [TOC]

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Picture 10: Conversion of beautiful queen Khema.

Plate 10. The Philosophy of change.

The Buddha teaches that all conditioned things are in a
state of flux or change, and thus impermanent. The ever
changing nature of both mind and matter proves the
insubstantiality of life, and the instability of existence.
Knowing this, Khema the consort of King Bimbisara
avoided going to see the Buddha: for being very beautiful,
she was afraid the Buddha would disparage her selfconscious awareness of her loveliness. As she went into
his presence one day, the Buddha creates the illusion of a
beautiful young woman before her, who gradually grows
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old before her very eyes and collapses at the feet of the
Master. Alarmed and ashamed she realizes the
impermanence of the human body. [TOC]

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Picture 11: Consoling Patachara, the lady who was stricken by great grief
due to loss of her two kids, husband and parents on the same day.

Plate 11. Unsatisfactoriness of Life.

According to the Buddha, whatever is impermanent is
subject to suffering, and the world rests on this basic
factor of suffering (Dukkha). However, having accepted
this fact, He goes on to teach man how to gain his release
from all suffering. The tragic story of Patacara who loss
her whole family within a matter of a single day and night,
points out only too well how suffering besets the
unsuspecting worlding. After listening to the Buddha she
gains peace and sanctity. [TOC]

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Picture 12: Preaching the Sutta on the Characteristics of No-Self

(Anantalakkhana or Anattalakkhana Sutta). Having heard this distinctive
teaching, all the five Bhikkhus attained the arahanthood, which is the final
stage of the Buddhist sainthoot. Beside the Buddha, they were the first
arahantas in the Buddhist dispensation.

Plate 12. Buddha teaches that all Phenomena is

soulless.
When a thing is impermanent, as all conditioned things
are, and thus susceptible to change, there can be no
overlord or Self. Helpless in arranging things according to
its wishes there can be no soul as master over mind and
body. The Buddha explains the soullessness of beings to
the five bhikkhus at Isipatana in Benares, in the discourse
on soullessness (Anattalakkana Sutta). [TOC]
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Picture 13: The Buddha teaching to the Kalamas to learn from their
own experience what is beneficial and detrimental.

Plate 13. Freedom of thought.

At times referred to as the Buddha's Charter of Free
inquiry this discourse was given by the Buddha to the
Brahmin Kalamas at Kesaputta. 2500 years ago, preaching
against blind belief in Buddha gave prominence to and
encouraged the spirit of free inquiry and independence of
thought and action, subject to sound judgment. He
trained his disciples in the art of questioning as well as in
the finer points of debate and discussion. Pointing out the
dangers of haphazard thinking the Buddha teaches the
Kalamas the art of reasoning for the sole purpose of
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arriving at true understanding of the Buddha's teaching of

the Four Noble Truths. [TOC]

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Picture 14: Helping Sunita who was a scavenger from untouchable

caste (chandala). The Blessed One gave Sunita ordination with a great
compassion towards him. After entering the Order of Bhikkhus, Sunita
attained arahantship.

Plate 14. Towards human dignity.

Sunita was a scavenger born into a so called outcaste
community. On meeting the Buddha on his almsround one
day, the humble youth prostrated himself before the
Master in adoration. Asking for ordination he is taken to
the temple where he soon becomes worthy of the highest
obeisance of both deva and brahma gods. Thus the
Buddha teaches that a man becomes neither a Brahmin
nor a low-caste by birth, but by deeds alone. [TOC]
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Picture 15: The Establishment of the Bhikkhuni Order. Mahaprajapati

Gotami, the Buddha's step mother requested the Buddha the
ordination for ladies. The Buddha accepted her request with a great
compassion towards womenfolk.

Plate 15. Equality of women.

It was the Buddha who first gave women her rightful place
in a society which had earlier ostracized her even to the
extent of treating the birth of a girl as an inauspicious
event. Knowing that being a woman was no bar to her
attaining the highest fruition of Sainthood, the Buddha
permitted the ordination of women as Bhikkhunis.
Further, the establishment of a Bhikkhuni Sasana (Order of
Nuns) by the Buddha was the first of its kind in the history
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of the world. In the picture, The Ven. Ananda, who has

interceded on behalf of the Sakyan ladies including the
step-mother Mahapajapati Gotami, stands by their side.
[TOC]

Figure 16: Saving Rajjumala, an innocent girl who was said to be a

lifelong servent. The cruel mistress of Rajjumala severely punished her
everyday. This poor girl decided to commit suicide but the Buddha
prevented her doing so and finally she was free from slavery and
became an adopted daughter of the employer.

Plate 16. Human freedom.

In the time of the Buddha it was common for both men
and women to enter into services in rich households due
to their extreme poverty. In fact this traffic in human
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slaves was very common at the time, even though it was

contra indicated for a follower of the Buddha. The state of
slavery that existed at the time is well illustrated by the
story of the slave girl Rajjumala who worked for a very
wicked mistress who treated her without any mercy even
for the slightest fault. Here the Buddha admonished both
servant and mistress and teaching them the Doctrine,
bestows permanent peace on both of them. [TOC]

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Figure 17: Treating and caring a sick monk. The Buddha was the most
compassionate teacher in the world. This is how He treated his
disciples. The Buddha said that one who attends sick attends Him.

Plate 17. Ministering to the sick.

In spite of the fact that the study and practice of medicine
and surgical science has advanced to a great extent by the
Buddha's time, hardly any attention was paid to nursing or
caring for the sick. Putigatta Tissa Thera was a monk who
was stricken by a skin disease which spread covering his
whole body with a mass of ulcerating matter. Lying
unattended by the fellow monks his condition worsens.
The Buddha going to the stricken monk who now lies
dangerously ill, bathes him in warm water with the help of
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Ananda Thera, and cleans his robes. Having made him

comfortable the Buddha expounds the Teaching to him,
explaining the true nature of the human body. Enlightened
by the discourse the Thera becomes an Arahant. The
Buddha then addresses the other monks on the ennobling
task of caring for the sick. Accepting the compassionate
exhortation of the Master and following His noble
example, the laity started to build wards for sick monks in
all large monasteries. Later king Dhammasoka was to build
hospitals not only for the public but also for sick animals.
Hence the honor for the establishment of the first
hospitals should be given to the Buddhists. [TOC]

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Figure 18: Consoling Kisagotami, the one who lost her one and only
son. Kisagotami never believed that her beloved son had departed
her. She looked for a doctor to cure her dead son and finally she came
to the Buddha. Kisagotami was completely exhausted with grief and
sorrow. The Buddha consoled her saying that He could cure her son
but she was asked to bring a lump of mustard seeds from a house
where there was no any dead occurred in the past. She was very
happy and ran to houses as many as she could. But all her effort was
in vain because she couldn't find any single family whose relatives had
never passed away. Finally she realized that everything is
impermanent. She bade farewell to her beloved son and departed
with a sobbing and bursting heart. Finally she was able to make up her
mind and then went back to the Buddha. She paid attention to His
great teaching. At the end of the teaching she entered the Order of
Bhikkhunis and attained arahantship.

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Plate 18. Psychic Therapy.

The Buddha speaking on the mind, has also spoken on
mental disorders and on the treatment of psychic
ailments. The Buddha has traced sorrow as one of the
chief causes leading to the arising of mental disturbances.
On the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami loses control of
her senses and in her madness goes in search of medicine
for her dead child. Failing all else she appeals to the
Buddha, who realizing that nothing would convince her
until her mental equilibrium has been restored, sends her
on an errand to get him a few mustard seeds from a house
where there has been no death. Unable to accomplish the
Master's request, she comes to the conclusion that death
is inevitable and that her only son too had succumbed to
it. [TOC]

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Picture 19: Preaching the Dhamma to Anatapindika, the Millionaire of

Savatthi, who was the main benefactor of the Buddha. Anathapindika
spent 54 crores of golden coins and built Jetavanarama Monastery
and offered it to the Buddha and His disciples.

Plate 19. Compassion to Animals.

In the Buddha's time there were various animal sacrifices
taking place in India. Innocent animals were killed as
Offerings on sacrificial altars to appease the gods, for
man's happiness both here and hereafter. The Buddha,
however, showed man that it was impossible to obtain
happiness for oneself by causing suffering to others, and
that the followers of the Buddha if they were so, should
avoid making animal sacrifices. At that time the King of
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Kosala had seen sixteen terrifying dreams in a single night,

and was in great fear. To avert the evil influence of these
dreams a great animal sacrifice with the killing of
thousands of animals was arranged in accordance with the
advice given by the Brahmins. Hearing of this, the Buddha
advises the King against such a sacrifice, thus saving the
lives of all those doomed creatures. From that day to this,
no taking of life however small is involved in any
ceremony of the Buddha's followers. [TOC]

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Picture 20: Preaching to Vishakha, the main female benefactor of the

Buddha. Vishaka spent 27 crores of golden coins and built Purvarama
Monastery and offered to the Buddha and His disciples.

Plate 20. Buddhist Economic System.

Many who are not familiar with the Buddha's Teaching
classify it as a religion for the next world, or for a future
life. They are completely mistaken in this, because eighty
percent of the objectives included in the Buddha's
Teaching are for the world of today. According to the
Buddha all except one of the five blessings that accrue to
the virtuous are available in this life itself; ten of the
eleven benefits obtainable through the development of
Metta (loving-kindness) are immediate. One who leads a
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good life in this world is certain to be happy in the next.

The Buddha emphasizes this in His Teachings. Thus the
Buddha who taught the way to the cessation of suffering
also pointed out the path to a highly satisfactory way of
life on earth. One aspect of this mundane progress refers
to an economic system based on Buddhist principles with
the objective of economic development together with the
elimination of poverty. The Buddha defines righteous
employment as engagement in agriculture, trade, dairy
farming, defense services, government services and
professional services. He prohibited trade in weapons, in
slaves, in rearing animals for slaughter, in liquor, and in
poisons, drugs and narcotics. [TOC]

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Picture 21: The great literary service of Buddhist monks. In the later
period the Buddhist Monastery became the education institute for
both lay and monastic community. The first University in the wold is
the Nalanda Buddhist University in India established around 6th to
7th centuries C.E. In this manner the Buddhist Sangha did a great
service in spreading the Dhamma and teaching some secular subjects
as well.

Plate 21. Buddhist Education.

It is a method of teaching that is based on the mental
development of the individual: The primary object of
Buddhist Education is to produce a cultured disciplined
and educated society. With that object in view the first
university to be established in the world was at Nalanda in
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India. It is reported that over ten thousand well

disciplined, cultured and law abiding students had their
education there in addition to the numerous lecture halls
found there classes were also held in the open air under
the cooling shade of trees. [TOC]

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Picture 22: The Fourfold Buddhist Community, Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni,

Upasaka, Upasika (monks, nuns, male and female lay followers of the
Dhamma) forming the audience for the trial of Arahant Theri Kumara.

Plate 22. Administration of Justice.

Certain statutes regarding the administration of justice,
were set up by the Buddha for the benefit of bhikkhus, in
order to facilitate the dispensation of moral justice
according to sound judgment, whenever the occasion
arose. By this act the Buddha ensured that the spirit of
moral justice which enables us to interpret laws correctly,
unlike the imperfect expression of certain aspects of our
present day legal administration. At the time of the
Buddha and even later, there were kings who took
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advantage of, and made use of these laws to supplement

their own. The judicial procedure adopted by the Buddha
is clearly illustrated in the case of the Arahant Theri
Kumara-Kassapa's mother, who unaware of her pregnant
condition, with her husband's consent left her home and
entered the Bhikkuni order. Later, finding her in an
advanced state of pregnancy, the bhikkuni was charged
with a serious allegation of misconduct and summoned
before a religious court of appeal. The Buddha ordered
Upali Thera, foremost among His Arahant disciples in
knowledge of Vinaya matters, (and thus equal to that of
the Chief Justice of to-day), to preside, try the innocent
victim and to deliver judgment on her. The audience
consisted of bhikkhus, bhikkunis and laymen, including the
lay-woman Visakha. She screened the victim from the
presence of the Buddha and the rest, after careful
examination and intimate questioning declared that she
was quite innocent. The Arahant Upali on hearing the
evidence absolved the bhikkuni of any transgression.
[TOC]

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Picture 23: Stopping war. Because of the sharing of water of river

Rohini, two groups of Buddha's relatives called for a war. The Buddha
appeared in the middle of the river and questioned them which is
more important, the water or their lives. They all accepted that they
were wrong and stopped the war and became close to each other
keeping unity among them.

Plate 23. World Peace.

In the Buddha's Teaching the highest emphasis is laid on
the law of cause and effect, or the conditionality of all
mundane phenomena. Greed, hatred and delusion are the
chief causes that lead to unsatisfactoriness in the world. If
one seeks to escape from this state of dissatisfaction one
should try to get rid of the underlying craving and anger or
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hatred due to ignorance of the true nature of things. War

is diametrically opposed to peace. Conflict is due to the
various malignant motives stagnating in the minds of men.
The control of such thoughts as greed, jealousy, hate and
so on will certainly lead to peace. Permanent peace will
only come when one has completely eradicated these
mental defilements. Wars will cease and peaceful dialogue
between individuals will lead to a world of peaceful and
harmonious living. Petty squabbles arose between the
farmers on both sides of the river Rohini which served as
the boundary between the Sakyan and the Koliyan
Kingdoms, as each side tried to divert as much water as
possible to their fields. Finally these led to a major
confrontation of the two armies. The Buddha arriving on
the scene exhorts them on the calamitous results of war
and the advantage of arriving at a peaceful settlement.
Thus war is averted and peace restored. It should be
mentioned that the Buddha has been the only religious
teacher to have visited a battlefront in person and acted
as a true mediator in averting war. [TOC]

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Picture 24: Mahaparinirvana. The Great Passing Away of the Buddha.

Having done a great service of 45 years at the age of 80, the Buddha
attained parinirvana. The great light of the world was blown out in
that way. All the sravakas and many followers both male and female
came to see the Buddha and paid their last respect to their great
master who was with full of compassion and love. Arahantas observed
and recollected the impermanent nature of all phenomena and paid
their outmost respect to the Great Light of the Universe. The
puthujjana sravakas and lay followers couldn't bear the sorrow and
they burst into tears. They cried, wept and lamented over the death of
the Buddha. Venerable Ananda sobbed and fainted. Eminent sravakas
consoled him but he cried out thinking that to whom he would help in
future because the compassionate Lord is departing him now.
It is said that having heard the passing away of the Buddha,
king Ajatasattu (Ajasat) couldn't bear his sorrow and cried and

39

lamented putting his hands over his head. He became unconscious

and forgot almost everything.
The great funeral of the Buddha was taken place in the Sala
Grove of the Mallas. All the kings of Malla kingdom paid their respect
to the Buddha. Thousands of sravakas and millions of devotes
attended the ceremony. They arranged the most beautiful and
granderous funeral ever had taken place on this earth and burnt the
Sarira of the Great Human Being who ever lived in this world with
immeasurable qualities.
Pay Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One the
Fully Enlightened One! (Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma
Sambuddhassa).

Plate 24. The Maha Parinibbana.

The Buddha was born as a prince under a tree, gained
Supreme Enlightenment under a tree and wandered about
India for 45 years giving, His Teaching to the world, and
finally passed away at the age of eighty at Kusinara under
a tree as a human being. [TOC]
~~~ oOo ~~~
Sources: Both from August, 23, 2016. For the text,
http://www.beyondthenet.net/buddha/bpicmain.htm
For the better quality pictures and picture-footers,
http://chandawimala.blogspot.com.es/2010_09_01_archive.html (The
pictures are from one of the Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in Australia).
Some other pictures (*) from http://buddhasiddhartha.blogspot.com.

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