Transcript Early Life of Buddha - University of Mount Union

Early Life of Buddha
• Buddha was born to a royal family in about
563 BCE to King Suddhodanna and Queen
Maya in the northern section of India.
Seeking Answers
• After the four passing sights he wanted to
uncover the mysteries of life.
• He could not find answers in the palace so
he renounced his throne and sought the
life of an ascetic.
• He looked for some gurus but did not give
him the answers which he sought.
Severity
• He fasted, he prayed,
he contorted his body
to various postures,
he lost weight, he
became filthy.
• In fact some say he
lost consciousness
and was revived by a
village maid.
Enlightenment
Under the Bo Tree
Bodhgaya
• After he regained
some strength he
figured that
asceticism was not
the way.
• He meditated under
the Bo tree in a
position that was not
as painful as the
previous positions.
He became enlightened
The Reincarnations
• After his mind was
cleansed he
remembered all of his
past lives and his
entrance into the
world surrounded by
others.
The Path
• He also realized in this
whole process what
causes suffering and
developed the Four
Noble Truths
• He was tempted to
return to the duties of
his caste. He resisted
this and other
temptations.
The Change
The Way of the Middle Path
The First Sermon
• The five ascetics who
left him returned to
him after seeing his
changed appearance.
• In Deer Park of
Sarnath he delivered
his first sermon. He
convinced of his
teaching and these
ascetics and they
became his first
disciples.