The Second Sutta Of The Digha Nikaya

Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse is a thought provoking narrative that tells the story of Siddhartha’s life as he journeys in search of answers. His pursuit leads him many places and introduces him to many people until after many long years he has a revelation by a river. In the early days of his quest he and Govinda, his childhood friend, go to the woods in which they become samanas who practice self deprivation. These samanas are men who deprive themselves from every possible delight as well as necessities. They live in utmost poverty and by subjecting themselves to these things they strive to strip themselves of their egos. Over the course of five days, I practice a mild form of self deprivation

We don’t know details about the life of Siddhartha “Buddha” as nothing was written down by him or his disciples until hundreds of years after his death. However, the legends that were passed down paint a very humble and intriguing picture of the man known as Buddha. The story states that Buddha was born into a very lavish lifestyle; he was given anything and everything he could ever want and kept very sheltered in order to protect him from the realities of the world around him. Eventually becoming curious of the surrounding world he escaped the royal walls and seen what the world

According to ancient tales the Siddhartha Gautama also known as the Buddha, was born in southern Nepal one of the world’s holiest places (Gene). The Buddha, born son of the warrior caste parents was predicted by wise men that “the child would be a successful as either a universal monarch or a great ascetic” (RoAT 172). As son of wealthy parents he was not aware about the world around him, he spent most of his life inside the palace walls. He was married at sixteen, to Yosodhara, she conceived a child named Rahula (Prebish 52). Siddhartha’s mother died when he was an infant and his father pleased him with royal pleasures. Including royalties such as power to rule, and arrange marriage. One day Siddhartha traveled outside his palace with his chariot driver. He saw a different perspective of life, after witnessing a sick man and old man, a dead man, and a shramana. Legends account that within days left the palace, leaving his wife and new

The Buddhist monk sat cross-legged on a mountain top, inhaling and  exhaling while focusing his mind. He was trying to reach the state of enlightenment discovered by the religion's founder Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha's early life greatly affected and influenced the beliefs and values found in the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold path, and the Dhammapada. Precisely his early life in the palace affected the second noble truth,  his four journeys impacted the first noble truth, and his experiences influenced the Dhammapada.

After his departing from captivity, he decided to give up everything and become a wandering monk. During this time, Gautama practiced many forms of extreme austerity or painful rituals, such as sleeping on brambles to mortify the desires of his body and denying his body of sitting by instead crouching on his heels to develop his concentration. He did these things for six or seven years to attain truth. One day while on his pilgrimage of enlightenmerhaps the most important point in his spiritual journey, where he became the Buddha or "the Enlightened One".

Nagarjuna claims that Samsara and Nirvana are the same. Samsara= the world of birth and death, the world of suffering and nirvana= the realization of the ultimate truth, but without freedom from the bondage then suffering is not possible.

The man, Nidhi, had knowledge of the Buddha and revered him and his teachings. Embarrassed by his low status and not wishing to besmirch Buddha’s character by allowing interaction, Nidhi moved in another direction so as to avoid crossing paths. Buddha sensed Nidhi’s feelings and instructed Ananda to continue on their initial path, while he would divert his steps, to enable him to meet and address Nidhi. Seeing that Buddha intended to join him, Nidhi panicked; in a hasty attempt to conceal himself, he spilled the waste bucket, causing a great commotion. When Buddha came upon him, Nidhi was in such a state of dishevelment that he could only kneel and beg for forgiveness from the man he sought to avoid. Buddha instructed Nidhi to stand and inquired as to whether he would join Buddha I discipleship as a monk. Nidhi immediately protested, citing his lowly stature, to which Buddha

Refreshing himself by bathed in the river and accepted a bowl of food from the hand of Sujata (a maid from nearby village). After eaten, the prince sat under a Bodhi tree alone and vow that he will never leave the place unless attain enlightenment. Right here the prince began meditate for forty-nine days, attained enlightenment, and became The Buddha. From then, the Buddha went on, teaches for forty-five years, and passed into Nirvana at the age of eighty.

In 624 BC, a prince was born in Lumbini, which used to be in the northern part of India, but is now part of Nepal. The prince was named Buddha Shakyamuni. By the age of twenty-nine Buddha decided to live a life of meditation, where he found awareness under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India. After his meditation, Buddha decided to teach and in all Buddha has taught approximately eighty thousand teachings. In these teachings, Buddha taught the first Wheel of Dharma which included the Four Noble Truths.

Much like in the way that Buddhists pour water over the statue of the baby Buddha, Hinduists place a statue of an infant Krishna in a cradle and bathe it –this process is not open for the public (Bihariji). It is bathed with multiple favorable liquids, such as milk, curd, ghee, and water that takes place in a ceremony called Maha Abhishek (Initiative). Many important individuals partake in this, taking turns rocking it, all while conch shells are being blown and bells are ringing (Das). This ritual starts at midnight and goes on until 6am, showing the dedication of Lord Krishna’s devotees, and how important this holiday is to them and their religion. Much like Vesak, Krishna Janmashtami is practiced and celebrated differently all over the world. In particular, the main festivals of the holiday take place in Vrindavan, due to the fact that it is the birth place of Krishna (Handoo). It’s celebrated in such a unique way because it’s home to the much famous Bankey Bihari temple, where Mangla Aarti is performed on this one particular day (Bihariji). Mangla aarti, or early morning aarti is not to be

In India there is a Hindu celebration called Vishnu, they believe love and devotion to Vishnu will lead to salvation, he is one of three gods who is responsible for the creation of the world. Vishnu is a harvest festival symbolizing the beginning of the spring season, it’s celebrated between April and May of the Gregorian calendar. Pi was celebrating Vishnu with his family and community members,

The Buddha is staying at the Brick House in Nadika, where he also stayed in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. You will recall that the Buddha foretold the rebirths of many people in that community. This sutta elaborates that story, as the previous sutta elaborated Ananda’s objection to the Buddha dying near Kusinara. As Walshe points out in a footnote, the Magadhans were not mentioned initially. Ananda points this out as a defect, since many Maghadans were Buddhist, including King Bimbisara, recently killed by his son, Ajatasattu, as I have mentioned in a previous talk. Ananda also notes that the Buddha became enlightened in Magadha, at Bodh Gaya. The ability to discern the karmic fate of individuals is the ninth power of

Ever since seeing the fourth sight, Prince Siddhartha was determined to find such happiness and peace as the monk did. Without telling anyone, Siddhartha went quietly to see his son for the last time during the night before he left the castle to fulfill his wishes of becoming a monk. When seeing that his wife was sleeping with the baby beside her he said to himself, “…I must go, but when I have found what I am looking for, I shall come back and see him and his mother again.” (”Unit Two: Leaving the Palace”, buddhanet.com). Siddhartha left the palace at midnight on his horse with Channa to the bank of a river and dismounted the horse. He removed his expensive jewelry and clothes and gave them to Channa to return to his father. The prince

Scriptures have it that this festival is celebrated because Satyavati had saved his husband, Satyavan, king of Hastinapur from Yama- god of death by fasting and got her husband’s life restored. There are many stories associated with this puja therefore, this festival is celebrated with great belief and devotion

Ashoka would return to help his father, Bindusara, with an uprising in Ujjain. While Ashoka had succeeded he was injured in battle. Buddhists monks would tend to Ashoka while he was hurt. The monks took care of him in secret so his oldest brother Susima would not know about the injuries Ashoka had. While Ashoka was with the Buddhists, he would learn about their religion. He would later fall in love with one of his caretakers, Devi, a woman Vidisha. Their love was like a fairytale, which was king falls in love with a beautiful commoner. (Lahiri, 2015) Together they would have two children, a boy named Mahinda and a daughter named Samghamita.