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The Birth of the Buddha 1. The Conception of the Buddha
2. The Birth of
the Buddha
Having carried the Boddhisattva in her womb for precisely ten lunar months, Maya
gave a birth to him. On the full moon in May, passing by the Lumbini grove on
her way to her home town, she was captivated by the beauty of the flowering sala
trees and stepped down from her palanquin to walk amongst the trees in the
grove. As she reached for a branch of a sala tree, which bent itself down to
meet her hand, the pangs of birth came upon her. Thus, while other women are
depicted as giving birth sitting or lying down, the Bodhisattva's mother is
shown delivering her child while standing and holding on to the branch of a sala
tree in the garden of Lumbini.
(See this moment illustrated on the murals of Baiya Monastery, Tibet.)
(Still under construction: Figure 3 illustrates the Bodhisattva issuing forth
from his mother's right flank, where he entered at the time of conception; his
head is encircled by a halo.) The baby is caught by the god Brahma, identifiable
by his brahmin attire and turban. The woman who is to the right side of Maya is
Mahaprajapati, Maya's sister who raises the boy after her imminent death.
Figure 4 depicts
the Bodhisattva almost diving from his mother into the swaddle held by a
maidservant. It is said that this kind of birth didn't hurt his mother at all.
As soon as the Bodhisattva was born he took seven steps to the north and
proclaimed: "I am chief in the world, I am best in the world, I am first in the
world. This is my last birth. There will be no further rebirth." Because no
child can immediately walk or talk, let alone make proclamations at birth, it is
by these acts that the Buddha's prodigious nature, even as an infant, is
revealed. We are told that he was already the size of a six-month-old child and
had the "thirty-two marks of a great man." The Bodhisattva was thus born among
the Shakya people into a khsatriya family whose name was Gautama. Seven days
after his birth his mother died and was born in the Tushita heaven. The child
was named Siddhartha-"he whose purpose is accomplished."
Soon after his birth the infant Bodhisattva was examined by brahmin specialists
in "the thirty-two marks of the great man." According to Buddhist tradition two
destinies are open to one who possesses these marks in full: either he will
become a great "wheel-turning" king ruling the four quarters of the earth in
perfect justice, or he will become a buddha. On hearing that the brahmins had
pronounced his son was one who possessed the marks, Shuddhodana determined that
his son should become a wheel-turning king. To this end he arranged matters that
Siddhartha should have no occasion to become unhappy and disillusioned with his
life at home. In this way Shuddhodana hoped that he might prevent Siddhartha
from renouncing his home-life for the life of a wandering ascetic.
After the strange and marvelous circumstances of his birth Siddhartha grew up as
a son of a royal family, confined within his palace, leading a life of luxury
enjoyed by the very wealthy and privileged. This lifestyle made him more and
more delicate and sensitive. Following is the Buddha's recollection of his
youth:
I was delicate, most delicate, supremely delicate. Lotus pools were made for me
at my father's house solely for my use; in one blue lotuses flowered, in another
white, and in another red. I used no sandal wood that was not from Benares. My
turban, tunic, lower garments and cloak were all of Benares cloth. A white
sunshade was held over me day and night so that I would not be troubled by cold
or heat, dust or grit or dew.Yet even while I possessed such fortune and luxury,
I thought, "When an unthinking, ordinary person who is himself subject to aging,
sickness, and death, who is not beyond aging, sickness, and death, sees another
who is old, sick or dead, he is shocked, disturbed, and disgusted, forgetting
his own condition. I too am subject to aging, sickness, and death, not beyond
aging, sickness, and death, and that I should see another who is old, sick or
dead and be shocked, disturbed, and disgusted---this is not fitting." As I
reflected thus, the conceit of youth, health, and life entirely left me. (Gethin,
p. 20-21)
The Birth of the Buddha 3. The Four Encounters
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