by Jonathan Landaw & Janet Brooke
1- A Fortunate Birth
Many, many years ago, in a small kingdom in the north of India, something was happening that would change the whole world. Queen Maya, wife of the good King Shuddhodana, lay asleep and had a wondrous dream. She dreamt she saw a brilliant white light shining down to her from the sky, and in the rays of this light was a magnificent elephant. It was pure white and had six large tusks. This elephant of light flew closer and closer to the queen and finally melted into her body. Queen Maya awoke, filled with greater happiness than she had ever felt before.
Quickly she went to the King and together they asked the wise men at the court what this strange and wonderful dream might mean. The wise men answered, "O Your Majesties, this dream is a most excellent one! It means that the Queen will give birth to a son, and this prince will someday become a great man. Not only you, but the entire world is fortunate that the Queen will have such a special child." Hearing this good news, the King and Queen were overjoyed. The King was especially happy because he longed for a son who would someday rule the kingdom in his place. And now it seemed his wish was being granted.It was the custom in those days for a woman to return to her parent's home in order to give birth.
And so, when the time had almost come for the baby to be born, Queen Maya and many of her friends and attendants left the palace of the King and began the journey to her childhood home. They had not travelled far when the Queen asked that they stop and rest. She knew the baby would be born very soon. They had reached the beautiful gardens of Lumbini and the Queen went inot this garden looking for a comfortable place in which she could give birth. the stories say that even the animals and plants, somehow understanding what a special child was about to be born, wanted to help. A large tree bent down one of its branches and the Queen took hold of it with her right hand. Supporting herself in this way, she gave birth to a son. The attendants cradled the baby in their arms and were amazed at how beautiful he was and how peaceful he seemed.
At that moment, throughout the land, there was agreat feeling of peace and happiness. People forgot their troubles, ceased their quarrels and felt greatlove and friendship for one another. Some people saw rainbows suddenly appear in the sky, and many other beautiful and unusual sights were seen. Wise men from all over the kingdom noticed these signs of peace and joy and excitedly said to one another, "Something very fortunate has just happened. Look at all these wonderful signs! It must certainly be a special day!"
Queen Maya, unaware that her joy at having a son was being shared at that very moment throughout the kingdom took the new-born baby in her arms and returned to the palace of the King. It was the beginning of the fourth Indian month (May-June) and the moon was growing full.
2. A Holy Man's Visit
With great rejoicing, King Shuddhodana greeted his Queen and his new son. Splendid festivals were held and the whole kingdom was decked in beautifully colored banners. It was a time of great happiness and peace. there was so much gladness everywhere that his parents decided to name the Prince "Siddhartha", which means "the one who has brought about all good".Now the wise men made new predictions about the baby. "O King," they said, "the signs of the Prince's birth are most favorable. Your son will grow up to be even greater than you are now!" This news made the King very proud. "If these wise men are correct," he thought, "my son, Prince Siddhartha, may one day be the ruler not only of my small kingdom, but perhaps of the entire world! What a great honor for me and my family!"
In the first few days after the his birth, many people came to the palace to see the new baby. One of the visitors was an old man named Asita. Asita was a hermit who lived by himself in the distant forests, and he was known to be a very holy person. The King and Queen were surprised that Asita would leave his forest home and appear at their court, "We are very honored that you have come to visit us, O holy teacher," they said with great respect. "Please tell us the purpose of your journey and we shall serve you in any way we can." Asita answered them, "I thank you for your kind welcome. I have come a great distance to visit you because of the wonderful signs I have recently seen. They tell me that the son recently born to you will gain great spiritual knowledge for the benefit of all people. Since I have spent my entire life trying to gain such holy wisdom, I came here as quickly as possible to see him for myself."
The King was very excited and hurried to where the baby Prince lay sleeping. He carefully picked up his son and brought him back to Asita. For a long time the holy man gazed at the infant, saying nothing. Finally he stepped back, looked sadly up at the sky,sighed heavily and began to cry.
Seeing Asita week, the King and Queen became very frightened. They were afraid that the holy man had seen something wrong with their child. With tears in his eyes, the King fell to his knees and cried out, "O holy teacher, what have you seen that makes you week? Didn't you and all the other wise men say that my son was born to be a great man, to gain supreme knowledge? But now, when you look at my baby you cry. Does this mean that the Prince will die soon? Or will something else very terrible happen to him? He is my only child and I love him dearly. Please tell me quickly what you have seen, for my heart is shaking with sadness and fear."
Then with a very kind look, Asita calmed the new parents and told them not to worry. "Do not be upset," he told them. "I am not crying because of something bad I saw for the Prince. In fact, now that I have seen your son, I know for certain that he will grow up to more than just a great man. There are special signs that I have seen on this child - such as the light that shines from his fingers - that tell me he will have a glorious future. "If your son decides to stay with you and become a king, eh will be the greatest king in history. He will rule a vast realm and bring his people much peace and happiness. But if he decides not to become a king, his future will be even greater! He will become a great teacher, showing all people how to live with peace and love in their hearts. Seeing the sadness in the world he will leave your palace and discover a way to end all suffering. Then he will teach this way to whoever will listen. "No, dear King and Queen, I was not crying for the child. I was crying for myself. You see, I have spent my whole life looking for the truth, searching for a way to end all suffering. And today I have met the child who will someday teach everything I have wanted to learn. But by the time he is old enough to teach, I shall already have died. Thus, I shall not be able to learn from him in this life. That is why I am so sad. But you, O fortunate parents, should not be sad. Rejoice that you have such a wonderful child." Then Asita took one long, last look at the child, and slowly left the palace. The King watched him leave and then turned towards his son. He was very happy that there was not danger to the Prince's life. He thought, "Asita has said that Siddhartha will become either a great king or a great teacher. It would be much better if first he became a king. How proud I would be to have such a famous and powerful son! Then, when he is old like Asita, he can become a holy if he wants." So, thinking like this, King Shuddhodana stood happily with his baby in his arms, dreaming of the fame that his son would someday have.
3. The Kind Prince
While the new baby was still very young, his mother Queen Maya, died. Shortly before she passed away, the Queen said to her sister, "Soon I shall not be able to take care of my baby anymore. Dear Sister, after I have gone, please look after Siddhartha for me." Her sister promised that she would. She loved the little Prince very much and brought him up as if he were her own child. The Prince grew into a bright, handsome and kindhearted boy. His father, the King, arranged for him to be educated by the best teachers in the kingdom,
and very quickly he showed his remarkable intelligence. After the first few days of classes the teachers reported to the King, "Your Majesty," they said, "the Prince does not need us anymore. After only a few lessons he has learned everything we have to teach him. In fact, he has taught us a few things that we ourselves never knew before!" Hearing this, the King's pride in his son grew even greater. "With his intelligence, my son will certainly grow up to be a wise and powerful king," he thought, and this made the King very happy. But there was something else about this boy that was even more remarkable than his intelligence. He had a very kind, gentle and loving nature. The rest of his young playmates enjoyed the rough and tumble games of small children, or pretended they were soldiers and fought with one another. But Prince Siddhartha quietly spent most of his time alone. He loved the small animals that lived in the palace gardens and became friendly with them all. The animals knew that the Prince would never hurt them, so they were not afraid of him. Even the wild animals, who would run away if anyone else came near, came to greet the Prince when he entered the garden. They approached him fearlessly and ate from his hand the food he always brought with him for them. One day as the Prince was sitting in the garden, a flock of white swans flew overhead. Suddenly an arrow shot up into the air, striking one of them. It fell out of the sky and landed at the Prince's feet, the arrow stuck into its wing. "Oh, you poor swan," Siddhartha whispered as he gently picked up the wounded bird, "do not be afraid. I shall take care of you. Here, let me remove this arrow." Then, with one hand he gently stroked the bird, calming its fear. With his other hand he slowly pulled out the painful arrow. The Prince was carrying a special lotion with him and softly rubbed it into the bird's wing, all the time speaking in a low, pleasant voice so that the swan would not become afraid. Finally he took off his own silk
shirt and wrapped it around the bird to keep it warm.
After a short time, another young boy came running into the garden. It was the Prince's cousin, Devadatta. He was carrying a bow and some arrows and he was very excited. "Siddhartha, Siddhartha," he shouted, "great news! I got a swan! You should have seen me; I hit it with my first shot! It fell down somewhere near here. Help me look for it."
Then Devadatta noticed one of his arrows, with blood still on its tip, lying on the ground near Siddhartha's feet. Looking closer he saw that the Prince was holding something in his arms, and realized it was the swan he was searching for. "Hey, you took my swan," he yelled. "Give it back to me. I shot it and it's mine!" Devadatta grabbed at the bird, but the Prince held onto it, keeping his angry cousin from even touching the injured creature.
"I found this bird lying here bleeding," the Prince said firmly, "and I don't plan to give it to anyone while it is still wounded." "But it's mine!" shouted Devadatta again. "I shot it fair and square, and you've stolen it from me. Give it back or I'll take it back." The two boys stood arguing like this for some time, Devadatta was getting angrier and angrier, but Siddhartha refused to give him the swan. Finally, the Prince said, "When two grown-ups have a quarrel like this, they settle it in court. In front of a group of wise people, each one explains the story of what happened. Then the wise people decide who is right. I think you and I should do the same." Devadatta did not like this idea very much, but because it was the only way he could ever get the swan back, he agreed. So the two of them went to the palace and appeared in front of the King and his
ministers. The people at court smiled at each other when they heard what these two children wanted. "To think," they said, "that they want to take up our time over a mere bird!" But the King said, "Both Siddhartha and Devadatta are royal princes, and I am glad they brought their quarrel to us. I think it is very important that, as future rulers, they become used to the ways of this court. Let the trail begin!" So in turn each of the boys described what happened. Then the ministers tried to decide which boy was right and should therefore have the swan. Some thought, "Devadatta shot the bird; therefore it should belong to him." Others thought, "Siddhartha found the swan; therefore it should belong to him." And for a long time the ministers talked and argued about the case.
Finally, into the court came a very old man who no one remembered ever seeing before. But because he looked so wise, they told him the story of the boys and their swan. After listening to what they had to say, he declared, "Everyone values his or her life more than anything else in the world. Therefore, I think the swan belongs to the person who tried to save its life, not to the person who tried to take its life away. Give the swan to Siddhartha." Everyone agreed that what the wise man said was true, so they decided to let the Prince keep the swan. Later, when the King tried to find the old man and reward him for his wisdom, he was
nowhere to be found. "This is very strange," the King thought. "I wonder where he came from and where he went." But no one knew. This was just one of the many unusual things that happened concerning the Prince, so many people thought he must be a very special child indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment