I am looking forward to catching the PBS special on April 7th - Prince Siddhartha of India. The documentary will look at the life of Prince Siddhartha, or more commonly known as the Buddha.
The bodhi tre and leaf is an important symbol in Buddhism. As Buddha achieved enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree. I took this photo many summers ago at a Buddhist temple in northern California.
The reclining statue of the Buddha in Uttar Pradesh. - Photo from PBS, The Story of India. There are also statues like this found in many Buddhist temples in Laos and Thailand.
Here is a little synopsis of Buddha’s life from the University of Minnesota, Mankato:
“The historical Buddha was born Prince Siddhatha Gotama in Kapilavatthu, near the present-day border of India and Nepal, on the May Full Moon day in 623 B.C. His parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, had waited for a child for a long time. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced at his birth.
At this time India already had a rich spiritual heritage. It had been prophesized there would soon be an ascetic who would realize the ultimate truth and become the greatest teacher. According the Hindu tradition, five days after his birth seven Brahmin priests came to the temple to name the baby using astrology and forecast his future by reading his body signs. Each of the Brahmins said this baby would become a universal monarch or leave his princely life to become a world spiritual leader. The youngest priest, Kondanna, was so confident that this was the future Buddha that he left the priesthood to wait in the forest for his future teacher.”
And here is the preview. Check your local listing here mark your calendar!
