Reading Notes: Life of the Buddha, Part B

Siddhartha Gautama by Sacca

Kanthaka was a horse. I think Siddhartha rode away into the distance on Kanthaka without notifying anyone. Siddhartha felt close to nature and all its surroundings/animals. His closest friend might be his horse. He left home. He doesn’t want his father to worry or go after him.

There are so many different characters with unique names and it’s difficult to remember who is who. Someone is talking Siddhartha out of this journey. He has made his decision. He took a sword and chopped off all of his. He was not about the lavish life his parents had planned for him as a pricne. He wanted a plain robe to wear.

He is married to a lady named Gopa. Gopa woke up in the middle of the night searching for Siddhartha. She knew something was off. She ran around the halls and knew he escaped. There is a quote from her and it’s a bunch of questions in despair.

People are going up to Siddhartha mistaking him for a god. He meditated outdoors rain or shine. He sat through it all. He barely ate. He’s bone protruded out. He noticed he couldn’t think straight so he took food offerings from people eventually.

His clothes tore up, and he was basically left naked. He took clothes and went into a pool to wash off. A tree branch helped Siddhartha get out of the pool. Night came and he had five dreams. He radiates.

The last story has repetitive speech, not exactly what sure this type of writing is. “To suppress… to suppress.” “…existence. What is the cause of existence? Existence…” Siddhartha is light; he is now Buddha.

Bibliography: Life of the Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold