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.