| Founder of Buddhism, Pāli: Gotama Buddha or | | | | Instead, the queen encountered or was a part of a |
| Gautama Buddha was a spiritual instructor in ancient | | | | vision, said to be pure and special. In this vision, she |
| India, between an estimated 563 BCE and 483 BCE | | | | was standing with a branch of a tree held in her right |
| (possibly even a century later). | | | | hand. While this was going on, gods Indra and Brahma |
| An excellent book on Buddha's life is, "Introduction to | | | | lifted the baby effortlessly and without pain from |
| Buddhism," by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. He discusses | | | | her, and ceremoniously honored him, AKA Buddha |
| how Buddha being the founder of the Buddhist | | | | Skakyamuni, offering ritual ablutions to him. |
| religion called Buddha Shakyamuni, after Buddha's real | | | | Royal prince Buddha Skakyamuni was born. Or more |
| last name "Shakya" combined with "Muni" for Able | | | | to point, when the King Shuddhodana saw his son |
| One. A lesson in history tells the story of his life: | | | | and felt as though he had fulfillment of his own |
| History Lesson | | | | wishes, he named his young prince "Siddhartha." |
| Long ago around 624 BC, King Shuddhodana and | | | | The king asked for predictions about his son's future |
| Queen Mayadevi Lumbini reigned in an area now | | | | from a Brahmin seer. And the seer conducted a |
| belonging to Nepal, then referred to as northern India. | | | | careful investigation. |
| The queen has a dream one evening that a white | | | | He found that the prince could become either a world |
| elephant came down from the heavens or more | | | | ruler or chakravatin king, or a Buddha, fully |
| specifically Tushita heaven, the Pure Land of Buddha | | | | enlightened. But the reign of chakravatin kings is |
| Maitreya, and penetrated her womb. This elephant | | | | over, so he would surely become a Buddha. And the |
| told the queen that she was had just conceived a | | | | prince would influence and help many, many people |
| baby, a powerful and pure being, from the same | | | | worldwide just like the sun's rays. |
| place the elephant was from, Tushita heaven, the | | | | And so it has come to pass and Buddha has indeed |
| Pure Land of Buddha Maitreya. | | | | influenced many, many people around the globe. His |
| When Queen Mayadevi went into labor, she did not | | | | reach seems to be similar to that of the sun's rays |
| suffer painfully as most women do with birthing pains. | | | | after all. |