Story: The Life of Joseph

The Governor of Oklahoma and his wife had a son named Joseph. They always knew that Joseph would do great things in his life and help the people of Oklahoma in so many ways. Growing up, Joseph was very sheltered. His parents tried to keep him in the governors mansion for most of his life. They did not want him to see the streets of downtown with many homeless people, for they were scared it would ruin his innocence.

One day, Joseph decided he wanted to go on a bike ride outside the mansion. His father told his body guards to go with him and to keep him away from the homeless. They tried the best they could, but when Joseph was crossing the bridge on his way back to the mansion he saw a man, cold and sleeping under the bridge. He asked the body guard, "Is that man sick? Why do his clothes look like that and why is he sleeping down there?" The body guard, knowing he should not say anything, told Joseph, "No, that man is not sick. He is homeless. He has not had the good fortune that you have had throughout your life." Joseph, sad for the man under the bridge, went back home.

His father saw him sulking around the mansion and asked what was wrong. He told his father that he saw the homeless man outside of the mansion and is sad for his misfortune. He told his father that he felt bad that he had so much and others had so little. This was the first time Joseph thought about leaving his family and wealth to help other people. He told his father that he was thinking about becoming a priest and living a life of service. His father was sad and tried everything he could to make him stay.

Authors note: My story is based on the story First Encounter from The Life of Buddha. In this story Siddhartha sees a beggar for the first time after his father, the King, has been sheltering him in the palace. Siddhartha becomes very sad and his father is upset that this happened to him.

Oklahoma Capital

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