Reading Notes B: Life of Buddha

The first reading of reading B is Siddhartha Leaves. In this Siddhartha gets his horse and leaves Kapila. In Siddharta the Hermit Siddhartha rides his horse to the woods. He tells Chandaka they must depart and Siddhartha must live as a hermit in the woods. In the reading Gopa and Suddhodana Grieve, the King and the others find out about the departure of Siddhartha. The King orders the gates to be closed and to search for his son. In Arata Kalama Siddhartha begins to think whether the other monks and the teachings of Arata are actually virtuous since they only come with suffering. In Siddhartha and King Vimbasara, King Vimbasara finds Siddhartha as a begger and tells him to come live in the castle because he is young and beautiful and should not live a life as a begger. Siddhartha tells him that he had riches in the past and he left them to live a life as a hermit and the King asks him to teach him once he gains enlightenment. In Siddhartha Deserted by His First Followers, the gods see Siddhartha meditating under a tree and think that he is dying. He takes nourishment and because of this his followers do not believe he will ever get true knowledge and leave him. The last two stories talk about the end of evil and Siddhartha becoming the buddha.

Buddha