UN Vesak Day - Biggest Misconceptions | Australia | International | Peace

Siddartha Gautama (624-544 BC) was born as a prince in a small state in northern India in what is now Nepal. According to legend, several soothsayers predicted that if he stayed home he would become a universal king, but if he left he would become a Buddha.

There was a small country in what is now southern Nepal that was ruled by a clan called the Shakyas. The head of this clan, and the king of this country, was named Shuddodana Gautama, and his wife was the beautiful Mahamaya. Mahamaya was expecting her first born. She had had a strange dream in which a baby elephant had blessed her with his trunk, which was understood to be a very auspicious sign to say the least.

Ananda, there are four places for faithful disciples to see, which may be their inspiration: here a Perfect One was born discovered the full supreme Enligntenment set rolling the matchless wheel of the Law here a Perfect One finally attained Nibbana.

Gautama the Buddha was born in northern India about 2,500 years ago. The exact place of his birth is understood to be the Lumbini Garden, which nowadays lies just inside the border of the little Himalayan kingdom of Nepal.

The Wise Are Not Easily Moved Just as a mighty boulder Stirs not with the wind, So the wise are never moved Either by praise or blame

This sutta [Ud. iv i, AN ix i 3], which appears twice in the Pali canon, tells of a young monk, the Venerable Meghiya, who was the Buddha's attendant. This bhikkhu, returning from alms round one morning, spotted a beautiful and delightful mango grove.

Lay Follower "Venerable Sir, to what extent is one a lay follower?" "Jivaka, when one has gone to the Buddha for refuge, has gone to the Dhamma for refuge, and has gone to the Sangha for refuge, then to that extent is one a lay follower."

New Delhi, India -- The year 2006 marks the 2550 anniversary of the Buddha-Jayanti or Birth of Gotama the Buddha. In the history of the religions of the world, Gotama the Buddha, a religious teacher, did not make any claim to the fact that he is an incarnate, or a messenger or a descendant of any Divine Being.