05/24/2026
Twenty-five hundred years ago a child was born who became an Awakened One, a Buddha, teaching how we can awaken to experience, resonate, emanating this very mind is Buddha-Nature.
Gratitude for the birth of Buddha.
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"This is the story of a monk. It tells of why he became a monk, of the great sufferings he endured, and of his great enlightenment and his relevance to those who are caught up by the most vital of questions."
Twenty-five hundred years ago Siddhartha Gautama 563 or 480 BCE, per tradition dates, a child was born, the son of King Suddodana king of the the Shakya clan in India.
"At his birth the seers foretold he would grow up to be either a king or a monk. His father, not wanting his son to have to face the hardship of an ascetic's life, and wanting to ensure the continuance of his line, shielded the child from the troubles of life and gave him all the pleasures that money could buy. The child, called Gautama Siddhartha, grew up to be an accomplished man, capable in the arts and sciences of his time. In due course he married and had a child. But he grew restless and felt bound by the pleasures his father lavished upon him and wanted to see more of life than that enclosed by the walls of the villas in which he lived. He summoned his charioteer and rode into the rough and tumble world of the common man and in that world encountered a sick man, an old man and a dead man. He was rocked by the encounters and asked his charioteer to explain their meaning. He was told that this was the lot of all and that none could escape these three. His mind was in a turmoil, confused and lost, he had yet a further encounter-this time with a monk. Seeing the deep serenity and peace of mind of this man, Gautama vowed he would become a monk.
One night he bade farewell to his wife and child while they slept and stole away into the forest to become a wandering ascetic, cutting off his hair, symbolizing the severance of all worldly ties. He studied with the forest sages, but after learning all they had to offer, still felt dissatisfied and without rest. He travelled on and met some ascetics and joining them, practiced all the ascetic practices. He starved himself and inflicted all kinds of torments on his person. In the end and near to death he remembered a time when he watched his father and the workers plough. At that time he had become one with all the strain and suffering of the world. Remembering this experience and how it had opened the door to a deeper awareness of oneness and wholeness, he resolved to give up his ascetic practice which could only lead to death and seek to revive this oneness. A girl, Nadabala the cowherd, was going by and seeing Gautama weak through lack of food gave him some goat's milk to drink. Revived, Siddhartha then went off, seeking a suitable place to meditate . He came upon the Bo tree. Sotthiya, a grass cutter, passing by gave him some grass on which to sit. Gautama took the grass and spread it under the tree. Then, taking his seat, vowed:
"Though my flesh wither and drop from my bones, though my bones be crushed, never will I stir from this seat until I reach full enlightenment."
Then throughout the long night he was tempted by Mara. At dawn he looked up at the morning star; suddenly he became fully awakened and cried: "Wonder of wonders, all beings are endowed with Buddha-nature.""
- becoming Shakymuni Buddha - Sage of the Shakya clan, Awakened one.
Even after twenty-five hundred years his great teachings, Dharma, are the foundation of Buddha's Way to awareness of our own enlightenment, Buddha Nature. ππΌππΌππΌ
*inspired/excerpts from article by "The Life of Buddha, The Life of Everyman"-Albert Low
Rochester Zen Center
Zen Bow, Autumn 1978
Vol.11, Number 1
Photos:Rochester Zen Center, celebrates Buddha's birthday annually.ππΌβ€οΈππΌ
