Don't Know Much About Mythology - Kenneth C. Davis [169]
Known to millions from those rotund little statues that show him sitting with his legs crossed, in the lotus position, his eyelids serenely closed, the palms of his hands turned up, Buddha is a universally recognizable character. He was born Siddhartha Gautama around 563 BCE on the Nepal-India border, about 145 miles (233 kilometers) southwest of Katmandu, according to archaeological excavations completed in 1995. Beyond those meager details, however, there is little concrete information about his life. Buddhist legend suggests that the Buddha’s mother, Maya, dreamed of her son coming into her womb in the form of a white elephant. According to folklore, earthquakes attended the Buddha’s birth. And Buddha himself claimed that he was an incarnation of the ancient Hindu god Indra.
And then there is the well-known “biography” that starts with Buddha’s decadent youth in the palace of his warrior-caste father, King Suddhodhana. When Suddhodhana receives a prophecy that his son will not become a great ruler if he sees the pain of the world, the father tries to shelter his son, even prohibiting the use of the words “death” and “grief” in Siddhartha’s presence. Each time his son leaves the palace, Suddhodhana orders the servants to go before him, sweeping the streets and decorating them with flowers. Another legend says that Siddhartha is given three palaces and between 10,000 and 40,000 dancing girls to keep him occupied.
But reality catches up with Siddhartha. After he marries the princess Yasodhara and has a newborn son, the twentysomethingish Siddhartha has a series of visions—or actual encounters. In the first vision, he sees an old man. In the second, he sees a sick man, and in the third, a corpse. In the fourth vision, he meets a wandering holy man. The first three visions convince Siddhartha that life involves aging, sickness, and death—that “everything must decay.” The vision of the holy man convinces him that he should leave his family and seek spiritual enlightenment.
Following these insights, Siddhartha renounces his family and wealth, and becomes a wandering monk practicing extreme forms of self-denial and self-torture for the next six years. Living in filth and eating only a single grain of rice some days, he pulls hairs from his beard, one by one, to inflict pain. But Siddhartha eventually realizes that extreme self-denial and self-torture can never lead to enlightenment, and abandons the practices.
One day, Siddhartha wanders into a village and sits under a shady fig tree, known as the bo, or bodhi, tree (“tree of wisdom”), determined to meditate until he gains enlightenment and completes his quest for the secret of release from suffering. As he sits in meditation, Siddhartha is tempted by the evil demon Mara, much as the biblical gospels tell of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. First, the demon sends his beautiful daughters to seduce Siddhartha. But Siddhartha resists. Then the demon threatens the young man with devils. But Siddhartha stands firm. In a final act, the devil throws a fiery discus at Siddhartha’s head, but it is transformed into a canopy of flowers.
After sitting for five weeks and enduring a world-shattering storm, Siddhartha finally achieves enlightenment. The roots of suffering are desires, he discovers, and one only has to reach a state without desire to overcome suffering. Released from all suffering and from the cycle of reincarnation, Siddhartha becomes Buddha and decides to show other people the way, preaching a doctrine of compassion and moderation.
In a religious coming-out ceremony near the holy city of Varansi, Buddha preaches his first sermon to five holy men. This sermon, which includes the “saving truth” of Buddha’s message, is one of the most sacred events in Buddhism.
As Buddha continues preaching throughout northern India, he attracts disciples and his fame increases. Soon stories begin to spread among his followers, describing his religious insight and compassion—along with tales of his magical powers. His followers