About 2500 years ago at the city of Kapilawastu, in the province of Madyadesa, North of India (now the Kingdom of Nepal), reigned a king from Sakya clan, named Suddhodana with his Queen Mahamaya. They lived very amicable and happy, except that they were not as yet blessed with any son. One night the Queen Mahamaya dreamt of seeing a white, four-fanged Elephant and a very bright six-angle star dropping down from the sky entering into her womb. This dream actually gave a token to the birth of a great man of great wisdom. Not long since the Queen became pregnant.

        As soon as the day was reached for delivery, as was the custom of India, Queen Mahamaya went to the home of her parents at Dewadaha. As she passed the beautiful Lumbini Garden (or Rumindei), about 100 miles North of Benares at the foot of great Himalaya, she got a pain in her stomach. With calm demeanor she stood under the Sal tree with one hand holding a branch of the tree. At that moment, the Full Moon of Waisak, purnamasidhi, a son was born with a name Siddharta, meaning all wishes fulfilled. Very strange indeed, as soon the baby left the womb he could walk for seven steps stepping on Lotus flower. The period was 623 B.C.

        After seven days giving birth to her son, Queen Mahamaya passed away. Siddharta the baby onwards was brought up with full lovingkindness by Princess Prajapati Gotami, younger sister of Queen Mahamaya, who became his stepmother. Since small Prince Siddharta was fond of practicing Samadhi. At the age of seven he already experienced entering the first Jhana through Anapanasati Bhavana under the Jambu tree. Noticing this incident the father of Siddharta felt very upset, and soon he called the 8 Ascetics/Brahmana to prophecy the life of his son. All Brahmana predicted that Prince Siddharta will be a great King or a Buddha.

      Siddharta grew up. He possessed the feeling of lovingkindness towards all living being and showed more distinctly his greatness. He was very efficient and polite, knowing discipline, diligent in his study and he possessed a very bright brain. His teachers praised him for his intelligence. At times he liked also to go hunting but so far he had never killed the animals he haunted, he just asked them to play with or run after another instead.

        When he happened to know that his horse already looked tired, he dismounted from his horse and started to pad the horse with a feeling full of lovingkindness and he let the horse take rest. Due to such an action he was very much liked by animals.

        One day when he was walking in the garden, he saw a crane flapping on the ground, shot by an arrow of Prince Dewadatta. Prince Siddharta protected the right of living of the bird, which was claimed bt Prince Dewadatta. A quarrel arose among the two cousins, but in the end Siddharta was pronounced right and all people at last appreaciated and praised his action of lovingkindness.

        The King wished that his soon will become a King of the world. On order to switch his attention, the Prince should be given worldly enjoyments and recreations, and in a very young age he would be given to married. On his 16^th birthday party all beautiful and charming princesses and all the princes from all neighbouring kingdoms were invited on the purpose of finding a suitable partner for Prince Siddharta. Princess Yashodhara, the only princess of King Suprabuddha and Queen Pamita from Koliya had honour to receive a necklace of pearls from Prince Siddharta personally as pa present for her fascinating beauty.

        In order to beget Yashodhara as wife, there was made a contest. Prince Siddharta joined the contest. It was evident after going through several matches, like shooting with arrows, playing with weapons, taming wild horses and to conquer a very wild elephant, Siddharta came out as the victor.

      Princess Yashodhara was very much pleased upon the victory of Prince Siddharta, and henceforth she garlanded her husband to-be. The victory of Prince Siddharta was merrily and warmly applauded by the people of Koliya. The same thing was true with King Suprabuddha, father of Yashodhara, who was extremely happy. The wedding ceremony was soon fixed and celebrated with unprecedented enjoyment.

      Prince Siddharta and Princess Yashodhara lived happily in their three castles as presents from King Suddhodana. One day the Prince felt lonely and wished to see the town. Upon the order of the King, all roads where the Prince were to pass were made clean, shops were to be decorated and flags as banners were to be flown to make the town look grand and thus made the Prince happy. In spite of all the decoration and cleanliness of the town, came limping along with difficulty an old man in the midst of the road where the Prince was about to pass. At the sight of this incident the Prince was much grieved at heart. He felt disappointed to think that he too one day would come to that age and whither just the same.

        For the second time Prince Siddharta with his coachman Channa went around the town and at this time he was more surprised to experience that there existed in this world a suffering sick man with full of wounds all over his body groaning for a draught of water. Prince Siddharta helped him and asked about his livehood.

        For the third time Prince wished to enjoy a ride through the town but unfortunately he came to see a corpse carried by four men. At the sight of this, he came to think that death is one factor that could never be avoided. Prince Siddharta returned home with a sad heart.

        For the fourth time Siddharta made his stroll in the town garden. He came across a sight that astonished him, that was a Bhikkhu wearing everything yellow as a robe with a bright and calm facial expression. All be it, it should be this the way to overcome the sufferings of life. Therefore he decided with a firm heart to follow the steps and way of life as an ascetic. So one night, at the full moon of Waisak when he reached exactly the age of 29 years, Prince Siddharta went away leaving all that he loved, his wife Yashodhara, his son Rahula, castles and his parents and everything behind to go in search of the real True Living for the happiness of all living beings in the whole universe.

        The white horse Kanthaka with his extraordinary running speed took Prince Siddharta and his faithful coachman Channa. While crossing the river the coachman held the tail of the horse and safely reached the other shore. Within one night the boundary of the country Sakya was passed and therefore it would be impossible to chase them.

        After crossing the Anoma river, Prince Siddharta cut off his hair with his sword which he carried with him, changed his luxurious clothes with the dull garment of an ascetic. Later he ordered Channa to return home to report to his father and his wife at the palace, in order not to search for him anymore. He was practicing the Aryan Renunciation.

      Prince Siddharta went to take his studies with several well-known ascetics, among others the Resi Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputra. He was offered the post of the leader, but he refused, realising that he himself had not reached the right Enlightenment. He departed from his teachers and went along the river Naranjara. At last he reached the quiet and shady forest Uruwela.

        Since six years after leaving his castle, Prince Siddharta continuously made the effort to attain right enlightenment near and around the Uruwela forest. So strictly did Prince Siddharta practice the teaching of self-mortification and extreme diet, that he became so skinny and extremely weak. He at last collapsed, only his consciousness was still strong and sound.

        While he was in a state of uncertainty and puzzled, there passed a group of dancers, singing a melodious song, like "If my guitar were strung too loose, the sound is not pleasant. On the contrary if it is strung too tight, the string may burst". This saying made Siddharta conscious to the importance of taking care of the physical body so that it will guaranty the healthy mind. With a weak physical body all struggle will be useless. The Middle Path will lead us to the goal.

        There came one day to Prince Siddharta a young lady, Sujata by name, offering food from pure rice milk to Prince Siddharta, as a token of gratitude for having a son upon her prayer. Sujata was of the opinion that Prince Siddharta was the God appearing as an ascetic, thin but very dignified. Wholeheartedly she presented the food most delicious for her God.

        Later a Brahmana passed by bringing dry grass to be used as cushion to Prince Siddharta for the purpose of his samadhi (meditation). Therefore Prince Siddharta made a promise unto himself that he would not arise from this and abandon his samadhi (meditation) until he reached his goal to obtain the right Enlightenment for the happiness of all mankind.

        With his unshaken will Prince Siddharta concentrated back his samadhi (meditation) on Anapanasati Bhavana for a duration of 7 weeks, as he once did during his age of 7 years. The wiched Mara interfered him and tried to make him fail in his fixed ambition, by sending a group of petas and ghosts in order to frighten him and beautiful dancers to drag down his holiness. All the efforts of Mara did not make any affail. In the posture of Padmasana the Prince was like a rock pillar in the midst of the ocean.

        At last, on the night of the full-moon in the mont of Waisak under the sacred Bodhi tree at Bodh-Gaya, Prince Siddharta, succeeded in achieving what he had wished to obtain at the age of 35 years, that was the Perfect Enlightenment or Samyak Sambodhi and accordingly he was called a Samma Sambuddha, the most Perfect Buddha. This day was made sacred as The Day of Triple Holy Waisak, that is to commemorate the 3 important events:

        Exactly two months later at the Deer Park Isipatana, near Benares, The Buddha for the first time proclaimed his Dharma to the five ascetics, who used to be his friends/teachers, with his famous sermon about Catur Arya Sattyani and Hasta Arya Marga, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, that leads towards Nirwana. The Four Noble Truths, as assured by The Buddha, expresses that:

        This event is admitted as the Holy Day of Asadha, that was the day when the Dharma started to be made known (Dharma Cakra Pravartana Sutra) or briefly called the Day of the First Sermon of Buddha at Benares.

        Day by day the followers as well as the disciples of The Buddha increased. Days and nights he went on teaching the Dharma. He explained about Mahjima Pattipada or the Middle Path, was the pure teaching avoiding two extremes. Extravagant life, exaggerated and vulgar self satisfaction are dangerous. Neither is it wise and beneficial to live through self-mortification and extreme diet. The Middle Path will help achieve tranquility, peace, knowledge and enlightenment, and therefore it can lead to the extinction of ignorance, evil mind and greed, the source of all sufferings.

        In the other occasion The Buddha said: "Don’t commit crimes, do more virtues! Purify the heart and mind, this the Teaching of all Buddhas".

        The Buddha went on wandering to teach the sacred Path to mankind. One day he happened to find lodging at the house of Kasyapa, at Uruwela. When the Buddha was meditating in the room where Dewa Yadnya used to do his offerings which was very dark, came a cobra, a very dangerous snake trying to attack The Buddha. Very calmly The Buddha used his spiritual strength to tame the poisonous snake and led it back to its hole.

        On one occasion The Buddha was travelling with His Bhikkhus passing a volcanic mountain, which was active emitting lava of fire.

        He showed the sight to the Bhikkhus while saying: "Oh, Bhikkhus, the world is burning. Everywhere is on fire. Desire creates enmity, false love, hatred, ill action, all these are more dangerous than fire. Therefore, oh Bhikkhus, go forth unto the world, proclaim the Dharma, the Right way that can quench the fire of the scorching hatred.

        After moving from one country to another country The Buddha with His retinue of Bhikkhus were heading for Rajagaha. Here King Bimbisara, the Queen and the high officials welcomed them with all honor. The King attended the sermon on Dharma preached by The Buddha and later became one of His very faithful disciples. From Rajagaha the group of The Buddha made their way to Kapilawastu, the Kingdom of His father.

        At the Kingdom of Kapilawastu, King Suddhodana was very sad hearing that his son went begging food from house to house as had been the practice of all ascetics. But after given the explanation the King felt at peace and later on invited The Buddha to the palace with all the Bhikkhus.

        After that The Buddha made a visit to the palace of Yashodhara. It was more than 6 years that Yashodhara waited waited for the return of her husband, and on his coming she gave Him a respectful and pure welcome, who then had become a Buddha. The Buddha gave a sermon on Dharma to Yashodhara, who then became the first Bhikkhuni in the brotherhood of the Women Sangha.

      Yashodhara understood the most valuable treasure that had been gotten by her husband, therefore she told her son, Rahula, to come to approach his father and asked for his inheritance. At the age of 7 years Rahula received his heir in the form of Dharma from his father The Buddha. With a simple ceremony he also was permitted to enter the Brotherhood as a Samanera, the smallest in Sangha.

        The fame spread over Buddha made Dewadatta jealous and started to ill-influence the followers, saying that the Buddha was just an ordinary man and had no supernatural power at all. When a follower asked for an evidence, The Buddha asked for a mango, He ate it, later on He threw the seed to ground and there He washed his hands. All of a sudden the seed grew into a mango tree, became bigger and bear fruits in plentiful. This incident made the students very curious.

        At periodical times he withdrew to the forest alone away from all the crowdedness of the world and his followers to live alone in the forest. Here, the animals of the forest like elephants, monkeys, and other kinds of animals very faithfully provided food that was needed by The Buddha. The animals too became the followers of The Buddha.

        The Buddha was aware thet near the Saraswati forest lived a rogue by name of Anggulimala who wanted to make a necklace of 1000 fingers of men. At that time he had already obtained 999 pieces and The Buddha would be the 1000^th victim that he would make. Eventhough a full day he went running after The Buddha with a speed beyond that of a dog or horse, going round and along the lanes of the forest and the country, but he felt so astonished that he could not chase The Buddha who walked so calmly. At last he was out-breathed and lost his strength and begged for pardon. The Buddha who full of compassion pardoned him and inaugurated him to become a Bhikkhu. Within short time he attained detachment and became an Arahat.

        Later The Buddha went to Adawika. At the limit of the country there was a forest where stayed a man-eating giant. The Buddha went into that forest and sat under a big tree. Soon came the giant driving Him away and demanding a sacrifice from Him for he so daringly took the seat of his place. Anyhow his evil supernatural power did not succeed in driving The Buddha and at last he surrendered and became the follower of The Buddha.

        The Buddha loved all kinds of animals. Whenever he saw one that was suffering, always he was ready to help. One day The Buddha strolled around the country. He happened to see a herdsman driving a herd of cattle to the shed. A lamb was wounded at the leg and could not walk home, therefore it was left behind. The mother sheep looked back continuously to her young but could do nothing. At once The Buddha took the lamb and carried it on His waist to its shed.

        The ill-will of Dewadatta became worse, so he planned to kill The Buddha. He requested King Ajatasatru to send Nalagiri, a fierce elephant which was still intoxicated to carry on with his intention. But after the elephant Nalagiri was near The Buddha he was changed to be tame and spontaneously wiped the dust which was at the feet of the Buddha, and later laid himself down in front of the Buddha with his head downward.

        A follower of Buddha, Vishakadewi by name, daughter of treasurer of King Prasenajita with full devotion gave big charities to the Sangha in the form of clothing, food, fruits and medicaments and also to the poor without any feeling of self-importance. Charities given with a spirit of free detachment was highly appreciated and blessed by The Buddha.

      Krisha Gautami, a woman from the village Krisha who was disappointed because of the death of her only son begged to The Buddha to revive her dead son. The Buddha agreed with pleasure as long the woman could obtain a handful of pepper from the hand of s person who never experienced any death of that person’s family. Her effort was in vain. At last she realized that all living beings would die. Later with a clean feeling Krisha Gautami cremated the corpse of her child.

        A dancer by name of Ambapali, although she was a wealthy person yet owning to her job she was considered bad by the community at that time had a high sympathy on the teachings of Buddha. She came to approach the Buddha and straightway received the teaching on Dharma, later on she also became member of the Sangha. All her wealth and the great mango garden were presented for the importance of the Sangha brotherhood.

        One day The Buddha noticed a young merchant, Sigala by name, in the vicinity of Rajagraha in the city of Weluwana while praying at the bank of a river bowing to the 4 direction and to the zenith and nadir without knowing himself the meaning of all those prayers. The Buddha advised him that the prayer to the six directions meant the six virtues for householder and the community of the teacher, husband and wife, servant and master, between friends, and subject towards their Country (Formerly towards the Brahmanas as the ruling Class).

        The Buddha is not in favour of the Caste system. He wanted equal rights to all human. One day a Brahmana, who was pride about his caste met with The Buddha.

        The Buddha said: "Man becomes holy not due to generation, neither due to caste that makes him holy. But one in whom dwells righteousness and virtue, in reality is blessed.

        In the Eastern part of India, King Prasenajita, a very orthodox king came to The Buddha with a request that all Bhikkhus should not accept food from the lower caste as well as associate with them. The Buddha suggested that a Bhikkhu should not serve to any caste or group, but to those of high virtue, faithful in practising the teachings of Buddha, the dharma. Hearing this the King felt much ashamed and returned to his palace.

        Continuously for 45 years The Buddha went round to teach the Dharma. His last sermon took place at the Capala cetiya. Present among others was His beloved disciple, Ananda. At this place The Buddha informed His followers that the time had come that He would enter Parinirwana.

        Meanwhile King Mara reminded The Buddha that His duty on earth had been fulfilled and that he should soon be back to Mayapada heaven.

        Hearing the utterance of The Buddha, Ananda felt so sad and for three times he tried to beg The Buddha not to leave this world so immediately. But in vain. A Buddha would never absorb back what he had uttered. Because the time had come, Ananda had to understand about this.

        From the Capala Cetiya, The Buddha went towards Kusinegara. Due to His very thirst, He asked Ananda for a draught of water. For quite a while Ananda went to search for clean water, but again in vain. Due to the circumstance, Ananda was forced to serve the water which was not very clean to his Master. Wonderful. Within seconds, the dirty water upon the touch of Buddha’s hand changed to clearness, and at once drunk by The Buddha.

        Later on The Buddha asked Ananda to make for him a place for rest for the last time. Ananda immediately prepared the resting place under two trees and thre, in the Sala garden belonging to Prince Mala, in the city Kusinegara, by the full moon of Waisak, in the year 543 BC at the age of 80 years, The Tathagata, the Glorious Teacher of men and gods very calmly entered Parinirwana. The gods and Brahmana descended from the Mayapada heaven strewing flowers and holy water to welcome The Most Holy Buddha leaving this mortal world.

        The remains of the Most Holy Buddha was cremated, but the teaching of the Dharma continue to live and prosper all the time through all directions of the universe.

        Sabbe satta avero hontu! May all mankind live in peace and calm.

        Sabbe satta bhavantu sukhitatha. May all live in happiness.

        Addhu! Saddhu! Saddhu!***