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
Our look at the mythic and symbolic meanings of the life of the Buddha ends with the three temptations from Mara and the Buddha's final awakening. A fitting tribute to Rohatsu Week. 

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 68

Pursuing goals at all costs can often leave a trail of destruction and suffering.

Verses from The Dhammapada 133

While it may feel like anger works in the short term, when left unchecked it can quickly lead to a race towards the bottom.

Verses from The Dhammapada 168

The Buddha once said, “Let a man rouse himself and follow the path of righteousness”. Without discipline and effort, the practice will never fully develop but being too rigid will break our resolve.

The Buddhas of the Ten Directions

The Way of Devotion
The interconnected nature of consciousness means that we can have a more fluid relationship with reality, even calling on it for help if we need it.