Essay: The Life of Buddha

                                                              Siddhartha's Exposure

This essay if over the life of Buddha: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-life-of-buddha.html

This unit was actually quite interesting for me. I did not know a great deal about the life of the man who would become Buddha, so this was all new information. Initially, I expected that the unit would be centered around Buddha and Buddhism; however, much to my surprise, it was largely about the boy’s experiences and what led him to become the man he was.

I did not necessarily have a favorite or least favorite story with this unit. As I mentioned, I found all of them to be quite informative as well as entertaining.

The background information did do a thorough job of describing what to expect. I can’t say that anything should be changed there.

I don’t believe that there were notes for any of the stories in the unit. However, I enjoyed this because I was allowed to explore the stories and make connections on my own. The one section I thought could have been improved was the section over the Fair Maidens and Gopa’s dream: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-gopas-dream.html  I wasn’t aware of the events surrounding Gopa’s marriage to Siddhartha or the events surrounding the birth of their child. Although this information was included as an additional link, I felt as if this was pertinent information about Prince Siddhartha.

This reading unit served its purpose for me in that it provided a detailed account of the life of prince Siddhartha. I took this class hoping to be able to take something away about other cultures, and this certainly fit the bill.

I saw several connections between this unit and much of the two other epics that we read about. Primarily, some of the same characters present in this unit were in the Ramayana. I did not expect to have these stories overlap like they did – but it was a pleasant surprise.

Week 11 Storytelling: Gopa's Thoughts

                                                                            Journal

 

 

 

5/2/450

Dear diary,

Today the king’s priest came into my home and, upon seeing me, began to jump up and down and rejoice. I thought that he was quite an odd man; however, he informed me that I was going to be prince Siddhartha’s wife. I mean, who ever said that I wanted to be married? I don’t even know the guy. I’m more interested in enjoying my twenties as a free spirit.

-G

5/5/450

Dear diary,

People in the city are making such a big deal about prince Siddhartha! Just today I was informed that all young girls were to travel to the palace on Saturday in order to receive gifts from the guy. Me? Yeah, I’m going to show up late and act like I totally don’t care.

-G

5/7/450

Dear diary,

So, I did just as I said I’d do; I was the last one to show up at the palace. Siddhartha tried giving me a ring. All I could think was that, “He must like it if he wants to put a ring on it.” I didn’t want to take it – after all, I’m not in to pretention. A ring that nice would surely draw all sorts of attention to me.

-G

5/8/450

Dear diary,

The stinking king of Kapilavastu showed up at our doorstep today asking my dad to permit Siddhartha to marry me. Why am I not able to have any say in this? Luckily, my dad said the prince had been nothing but a sloth thus far in his life and he didn’t know if he could permit my marriage to such a man.

-G

5/15/450

Dear diary,

Great – just because my dad called out the prince for his lethargic nature, there is going to be a city-wide competition to prove that Siddhartha isn’t lazy after all. I think it’s actually somewhat amusing that these boys are all going to compete for my hand in marriage. This afternoon is going to be interesting.

-G

5/16/450

Dear diary,

Well, the first challenger to Siddhartha was an artsy-type. He wanted to compete with the prince in a ‘write-off,’ but Visvamitra stepped in and declared Siddhartha the victor before anyone had even done as much as pick up a pen. Next up was a mathematical match-up. Siddhartha won that one, too. I was actually pretty glad at that because the other competitor was a pocket-protected prim.

-G

5/20/450

Dear diary,

It has been arranged. I’m marrying Siddhartha. I hope that I like this guy. I haven’t even had the chance to sit down and converse.

 I’ll surely be back in the next few days to write about what I think about the prince once I formally meet him.

-G

 

Author’s note: I wrote this story in first person to describe how Gopa may have felt during the process of Siddhartha winning her hand in marriage. The unit itself didn’t include much about Gopa other than her dream. I found that a bit odd, so I wanted to expand upon her character here. This section of the unit focused on what Siddhartha and his father had to do in order for Siddhartha to marry Gopa. I should also mention that Siddhartha is the name of the man who would go on to become ‘Buddha.’ I didn’t change anything as far as plot, but I did include much more of Gopa’s thoughts. Link to the story: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/lob/lob09.htm

Bibliography: The Life of Buddha, by Ferdinand Herold. 1922.

 

Week 11 Reading Diary B: Siddhartha's Conversion

Siddhartha Leaves: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-siddhartha-leaves.html

“…but companions and friends desert us when it is the path of holiness we would take.” This seems to describe some people who I know to the tee.

Siddhartha the Hermit: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-siddhartha-hermit.html

It is only fitting that Siddhartha takes the warrior horse to go and perform the noblest act.

 Does this have some connection to the power that humans have over animals or what? It seems like, for the most part, animals are gentle beings that are molded by the actions of their owners.

Gopa and Suddhodana Grieve: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-gopa-and-suddhodana.html

It is understandable that all wallowed at the news of Siddhartha’s departure.

Why is it that Kanthaka died? Could this be foreshadowing of more deaths to come?

The Tree of Knowledge: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-tree-of-knowledge.html

Hmm… five dreams? This must represent something significant.

Those were some STRANGE dreams.

Ahh – this describes the image that must associate with “Buddha.” He is seated with legs crossed and is facing towards the east.

Tree of Knowledge

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Life of Buddha

The Life of Buddha: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-life-of-buddha.html

Maya’s Dream: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-mayas-dream.html

I wonder what the significance, if any, is of the six tusks.

So was Maya always a queen? I didn’t see anything indicating that she was.

I find it to be a bit peculiar that king Suddhodana distributed food and drink upon hearing of the good news. Is this custom in their culture?

Well, it seems like the earth is certainly joyous at the impending birth of Buddha.

Asita’s Prediction: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-asitas-prediction.html

This collection of stories has been quite metaphorical – I suppose there is no better way to tell it.

Siddhartha at the temple: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-siddhartha-at-temple.html

It sounds like the land was quite merry in the land of Kapilavastu.

So prince Siddhartha was raised by his aunt? Interesting!

Siddhartha’s First Meditation: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-siddharthas-first.html

So there is a connection between Rama and prince Siddhartha – Visvamitra. This must have been quite a special teacher.

So, was it prophesied that someone would become “the Buddha?”       

The First Encounter: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/life-of-buddha-first-encounter.html

It was intended that Siddhartha would never see the infirmities of the world – this seems odd.

 

                                                                  A Young Prince

Storytelling for Week 10: Avian Assessment

Swoosh! Down went Bhimi as he flew straight for earth’s surface. His siblings – Korza and Khamki – had no choice but to do the same.

“Why in the world are we going to land in the middle of India?” asked Khamki. “I mean, after all we are heading southwest, aren’t we?”

“Oh hush,” barked Bhimi.

“I grew tired. We’ve flown over 300 miles today.”

“Yeah, that’s what you get to look forward to with aging,” joked Korza. “You will have to stop and take breaks.”

Khamki gestured as if her back was hurting to poke fun at Bhimi. Both She and Korza got a good laugh out of it, but Bhimi – not so much.

“Look, just because I’m the eldest and most mature of us three doesn’t mean you can disrespect me. Mom and Dad will be quite pleased to see, so let’s just rest a little and make it back to see them in a few days,” said the wise Bhimi.

“Now help me find a place for us to land before it gets too dark.”

“How about we aim for that clearing in the woods where all of those humans are gathered. Maybe there is some sort of a festival going on,” declared Khamki.

The three finches slowed their descent and nestled on a tree branch just a few feet from an eclectic bunch of fowls.

 

 

                                                                        Storytime

“Well hey there,” said an eagle perched right below them. “What brings you to the battle for Hastinapura?”

“The battle for what?” cried Korza.

“Hastinapura” shouted a vulture from a few feet down on the field.

“I’m sorry, but we are just stopping by on our migration west,” explained Bhimi. “We had no intent to participate in a battle.”

The fowls turned to look at the finches and burst out in laughter.

“Oh my! No, we’re not going into any type of battle here,” uttered a sparrow who sat just below them. “This is the battle for the kingdom of Hastinapura.”

The eagle cut in, “We’re nothing but spectators for this event. It promises to deliver plenty of action if you’d like to stay and watch.”

“Why in the world are these two groups going to fight for this – Hastinapura?” enquired Khamki.

So the three of the birds went on explaining the events of the Mahabharata to their new companions.

“What a shame!” cried Bhimi. “This family had everything the world had to offer at their fingertips: knowledge, prosperity, peace, and they elected to pour it down the drain because of their vices.”

“And I thought that we migratory birds had it bad. No – Duryodhana, Shakuni, and Dhritarashtra – these are men who disgust me with their every being.”

The next day, the birds all spectated at the battle that began to unfold.

“What a mess these humans are,” said Khamki.

All of the birds nodded in agreement.

“Well, I suppose that we could sit around and be entertained by the bloodshed all night if we pleased. We must surely make way our way west before we lose another day of migration.”

After the finches bade their farewells, they were gone just as swiftly as they landed.

Author's note: I again chose to write in third person with the hope of sharing the opinions of several characters in the story. My intent with this story was to illustrate that even the simplest of creatures realized that what was going on was wrong. I did not make any changes to the Mahabharata.

Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

 

Week 10 Reading Diary B: Yudhistira Talks

Yudhistira opened up chapter thirteen with a statement that resonated with me, it was this: “Is it worth all this conflict?” Do these two mighty empires need to go to battle? What will they gain as a result? I think much in the same way with current events – why must violence be the ultimate resolve? One group will do the unthinkable to another – and all for what? It seems a tragedy that, even with all of our analytical cognitive ability, we many times decide on a whim.

It seems a bit unorthodox that many of the characters are given ample opportunity to pledge their allegiance to one party or another before the fight. I suppose this is similar to the events surrounding many civil wars.

Wow! It would be quite a sight to be present when all of the bad omens occurred.

So I must admit that I felt like the battle was strung out for an excessive period of time.

Yudhistira

Week 10 Reading Diary A: Dhritarashtra's Vice

Dhritarashtra needs to establish a council wherein he can get some sound advice – or a therapist.

It sounds like Duryodhana plans to go to battle against his cousins. I guess that every good book needs some type of a conflict.

The pompous Duryodhana was taken as a prisoner? I very much enjoyed reading this.

A deer drawing an unsuspecting man out into isolation? This sounds familiar! I wonder who it could be this time.

That must be some ridiculous H20 to kill all who come into contact with it… or could it be H202? That would sure do the trick.

It was just a yaksha, that explains it.

All of the pandavas are going to simultaneously appear within a neighboring kingdom AND continue to perform some of their uncanny feats? This sounds like nothing less than a bad idea to me.

It is nice to read that they’ll be participating in their favorite hobbies for the first time in twelve years. I do have a soft spot for seeing joy in others.

 

Dhritarashtra