The Life of Buddha - Story In Pictures

I love my country. I enjoy travel. I dream of visiting all the places I read about. There's something about visiting new places and seeing its people that opens up a new perspective in our minds. The differences, the sameness, the variety - all fascinate me. India is so rich and multi-cultural - and will never cease to enchant me.
As promised, today, I am sharing some beautiful photos of sandstone sculptures that depict the story of the life of the Buddha.  These sculptures span the surface of the Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling and are exquisitely done in fine detail. Enjoy! (Click the photos to see the original size)
In the 6th Century B.C., in the city of Kapilavastu, capital city of the Sakya clan who ruled over the Himalayan region in present day Nepal, there lived a king named Suddhodana and a queen named Mahamaya. One day, the queen was resting in her palace. She had a dream about a white elephant carrying a white lotus entering her womb.

Buddha's Mother Maya dreams about the White Elephant entering her womb

Soon, a baby was born to the queen. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. A group of astrologers predicted that the young prince would grow up to be either a great emperor, or that he would turn his back on privilege and power to become a great spiritual leader.
The prince led a sheltered life within the palace walls and had no contact with the outside world. His was a luxurious life and he did what princes do - enjoyed life.  Eventually, the prince married a beautiful princess named Yashodhara. They had a son and  named him Rahula. They all lived happily together in a world of wealth and power.
Life went on, until one day, Prince Siddhartha coaxed his father to allow him to go see the city, outside the palace walls. His father, remembering what the astrologers had said, cleverly made sure that the city streets were free from old and sick people. So, when the prince set out on his tour, there were lots of young and happy people around.

Prince Siddharta touring the city with his entourage

But. All good things must come to an end and the prince saw a weak old man on the roadside.  Naturally, he was curious, as he had never seen anything like it before. He wanted to know what was wrong with the man. Imagine his surprise and shock when he learned that becoming old and aging was part of life!! He was moved by the suffering he saw. He made three more trips through the city and saw a sick man, a dead man and a sage - and these led him to realizing  the fundamental truths of life. His life changed forever. These truths are: 

• all men who are born eventually have to die 
• sickness comes to all men, old age comes to all men, and 
• renouncing worldly possessions is the way to attaining peace and salvation.

And that's exactly what he did. Siddhartha left his wife and son at the palace and set out to learn the way of finding salvation and understanding. At the edge of the city, he took off his princely robes, cut his hair and sent his groom back to the palace with his horse.

He wandered through the forests seeking understanding from wise men and ascetics. However, this did not bring him satisfaction or greater understanding. He decided meditation was the way and settled under a tree. And sure enough, there were demons to bug him. He resisted and continued to meditate. 

Buddha meditating under the Bodhi Tree as demons of Mara disturb him

Finally, he achieved enlightenment and came to be known as the Buddha (the awakened one). Serene. Calm. The Mahabodhi Temple at the site of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a pilgrimage site.

Enlightened Buddha

Gods paying tribute to Buddha

Gods - I tried the sepia effect on this

The Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath where he shared the knowledge he had gained through meditation and set the Wheel of the Law in motion. This wheel represents some of the most important teachings of the Buddha and is also known as the dharmachakra. Rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centres around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the Dharma.

Buddha with disciples, teaching

For the rest of his life, the Buddha travelled around sharing his teachings with many people.  The teachings of the Buddha exist today as the Buddhist Faith.

Buddha, teaching 

Buddha's vision of a pure land

The Buddha died in 483 B.C. at the age of 80. Upon his death he attained Nirvana, the ultimate state of spiritual enlightenment. In the Buddhist faith, attaining Nirvana means freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth on earth.
After his body was cremated, his ashes were divided up and taken to eight different sites. At each of these sites, a mound-like structure called a stupa was built to contain the ashes. Over time, many stupas were built and rebuilt, serving as centres of worship for the Buddha's followers.
Do not speak- unless it improves on silence - Buddhist Saying (Tweet this)

For a detailed story of Buddha, considered the ninth avatar among the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, please visit Vidur's blog post - he wrote this when he was about 10 years old.
And now, let's head over to Unknown Mami's blog, where she hosts this wonderful meme and delight in traveling the world from there, together.

Have a beautiful Sunday and a great week ahead, dear friends!Peace!