Asvaghosa’s Buddharcarita, The Life of the Buddha, is a valuable read which captures the events in the last life of the Buddha which illustrate basic Buddhist concepts, values, and attitudes. From the beginning of his birth, the world became exceedingly peaceful as “birds and deer muffled their cries” and “rivers flowed with calm waters.” It was over time that a young prince would define himself as a Buddha and discover his inner peace. As remembered in Buddhist texts, the life of the Buddha is not a record of historical events, but a way of demonstrating the Buddhist teachings.
Suffering, one of the Four Noble Truths, are stages that one must experience during their lifetime. Queen Maya expresses suffering shortly after giving birth to her prince, as she was “overcome with fear and joy, like a stream of hot and cold water mixed; both because her son was other than human, and because of a mothers natural weakness” (Canto 1, 29). Although the queen was filled with......
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Approximate Word Count: 736
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |