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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sachii" data-source="post: 3362657" data-attributes="member: 126652">Palace Life of the Buddha <img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/2mnhklk.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Young Siddhartha The young prince Siddhartha was born into the Kshatriya or warrior caste around 566 BC. After the young prince's birth, the sage Asita predicted that the child would grow up to be either a Buddha or the ruler of the world (chakravartin). Suddhodana wanted Sidhhartha to become a world ruler. So make sure the prince lived a sequestered life of ease and luxury in the royal palace, where his every wish would be instantly gratified. He hoped that if his son remained ignorant of the world outside he would not turn his mind to the calling of a holy man. When Siddhartha was sixteen, he was married the beautiful princess Yasodhara. They had a son, named Rahula – which means ‘fetter’.   The Four Encounters <img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/b7mkgw.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> In his twenty-ninth year, Siddhartha became increasingly unsatisfied with his sheltered palace life. He finally convinced his father to let him out of the palace for a short trip to visit a garden. For his first trip outside he left the palace through the eastern gate and troubled by the sight of an old, decrepit man. On the second day, he left through the southern gate and came upon a man suffering from a debilitating illness. On the third day, he left by the western gate and beheld a corpse surrounded by weeping mourners. Finally, on the fourth day he left trough the North gate and met a wandering monk. Siddhartha then resolved to leave the palace follow this holy man's example.   The Great Departure <img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/29vnm0z.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Siddhartha was now aware of the sorrow that pervaded the world outside the sheltered life of the palace. He vowed to abandon his opulent life as a prince vowing and to seek a way out of suffering through austere practices. Siddhartha left the palace in secret at night because he was afraid his father would try and stop him from leaving. In some accounts, Siddhartha’s son Rahula was born just before he left the palace. In other accounts Siddhartha is disgusted by the post-orgiastic scene in the palace Austere Practices <img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/10s4oi0.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Siddhartha studied for a while with two famous gurus. He quickly mastered their meditation techniques, but found their practices did not lead to a cessation of suffering. Siddhartha then began to practice severe austerities and self-mortification. He practiced with a group of five ascetics for six years. Do to his relentless fervor in various austere practices Siddhartha became the leader of the other 5 ascetics.   The Middle Way Siddhartha practiced austerities for 6 years, but was unable to find a way out of suffering. He redoubled his efforts, refusing food and water, until he was in a state of near death. One day, a peasant girl named Sujata saw this starving monk and took pity on him. She begged him to eat some of her milkrice.Siddhartha then realized that these extreme practices were not working and that it might be better to find some ‘middle way’ between the extremes of hedonism and austere self-mortification. Siddhartha then gave austerities and had something to eat and drink. He then took a bath. The five ascetics concluded that Siddhartha had weakened and given in to fleshly desires so they left him.   <img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/2rcrggo.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />         </blockquote>

Verification: Hathara warak wissa keeyada? (Hathara wadi karanna 20)

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