Buddha
Stories Retold
Sep 12, 2020
Martin Goodson

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment | Martin Goodson

A symbolic exploration of the Buddha's life-story

These articles explore the symbolism of the mythic story of the founder of Buddhism to reveal mythic themes that reflect truths about the nature of the human condition.

How the Buddha's life-story is our life-story.

An examination of concepts and symbols embedded in the Buddha's life-story which act as a mirror for a deeper understanding of the meaning of one's own individual life.

Queen Maya's Dream

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
It starts with a dream. In the little Himalayan kingdom of the Shakya clan, King Suddhodana rules with his wife Queen Maya. We continue our series exploring the symbolism of the Buddha's life-story.

Life in the Palace - From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment

Childhood - the 'age of innocence' - is a protected period where our identity is formed. But sooner or later this bubble is ruptured, an event that can arise due to the inner prompting of the Heart's own nature.

Four Fateful Trips Beyond the Palace

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
The bubble of security bursts for Prince Gautama when he leaves the palace on four trips. Suffering is often the way into the spiritual life once we realise that we have been living in blind ignorance of the truth. This trauma can cast us into despair or set us upon a new path.

The Great Renunciation

From Miraculous Birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment
A husband and father leaves in the dead of night, abandoning his family and his responsibilities. The Great Renunciation is a problematic part of the Buddha's life-story, it is only the Great Vow of Compassion that he took to return to share his discovery of the cause of suffering that gives it meaning. 

Two Teachers, Two Lineages

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
The pre-training of the Great Bodhisattva is an important lesson for practitioners not to to just make up a personal practice. The Wisdom of tradition is the cumulative experience of those who go before us and helps make the training a more 'rounded' experience.

Retreat to the Forest & The Five Ascetics

From miraculous birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment
Having learned all he could from his spiritual teachers the Ascetic Gautama retreats to the forest. Here he realises the middle way which is not about relinquishing 'things' but the letting-go of attachment to things, a difference that the ascetic life can conflate.

Sitting Under the Bodhi Tree

From Miraculous Birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment.
Our story moves into its final act when the Great Bodhisattva, having now abandoned the ascetic life, makes his seat under the Tree of Awakening. It is a time of great challenges where the power of the Buddha-Heart can be realised.

The Great Awakening!

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
We take a look at the symbolic meaning of the three temptations of Mara which led to the Buddha's final awakening.

Topics

BUDDHA
CH'AN
DHARMA ASSORTMENTS
DHARMA TALKS
FUNDAMENTALS
MAHAYANA
SCRIPTURES
STORIES RETOLD
THE WAY OF DEVOTION
ZEN

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Further reading

Verses from the Dhammapada 132

As ‘I’ am gradually emptied out, the beauty of the world begins to fill the heart.

The Foundations of dissatisfaction and suffering.

The Four Noble Truths
The Buddha said that the cause of suffering is attachment but why does attachment arise in the first place?

The Cause of Dissatisfaction and Suffering

The Four Noble Truths
If we know the cause of our suffering it becomes far easier to let go of. Dr. Alan Sidi does a deep dive into the theory behind the Second Noble Truth.

Verses from the Dhammapada 154

Having become enlightened the Buddha said, “Now I have found you O Builder and never again shall you build this house. Your rafters are broken and the ridge pole is shattered. My mind has reached Nirvana and the end of craving.”