Life story of Gautama Buddha retold with finesse

Reviewed by R. S. Karunaratne

Writing a biography of a leading religious leader and a philosopher is a challenging task. Although there are many biographies on the life of the Buddha, the approach of different authors has been diverse. Some biographies regard the Buddha as a super human being who performed miracles and cured the sick. Others highlight the super human qualities of the Buddha who showed the only way out of suffering.

The author has clearly explained how Prince Siddhartha aspired to be a Bodhisattva many aeons ago. It was the time when there was no Buddha or Buddhism in any part of the world. Suddhavasa Brahma then saw a young man known as Matuposaka who looked after his mother in a dangerous situation.

Brahma then wished that Matuposaka should get the idea of becoming a Bodhisattva to achieve Buddhahood later in life. Matuposaka determined. "As I have helped my mother winning the great ocean, I will help the whole world attaining enlightenment, becoming a Buddha."

According to the author, the Bodhisattva met 125,000 Buddhas during his sojourn in Samsara. Beginning from the Buddha Purana Gotama's time, the Bodhisattva verbally expressed his aspiration to attain Buddhahood during nine asankheyyas and 100,000 aeons.

He continued to develop the paramis (Perfections) by being generous and practising meditation and learning the Dhamma.

Sumedha

The book describes in graphic detail how the Bodhisattva was born into a rich Brahmin family when the Buddha Dipankara appeared in the world. On the death of his rich parents, Sumedha distributed all his wealth among the poor and went to the Himalayas to practise meditation. Once he saw how people were decorating the city to welcome the Buddha. He too joined the people and started decorating the road. When he finally saw the Buddha, he was overcome with Saddha (devotion). Lying prostrate on a muddy portion of the road, Sumedha made himself a human bridge for the Buddha and his disciples to pass over.

The Buddha Dipankara with his supernatural insight into the future saw that Sumedha had predicted, "This great man will become a Samma Sambuddha known as Gotama in another four asankheyyas and 100,000 aeons from this day."

During the long period the Bodhisattva fulfilled the paramithas (perfections) giving away his limbs, wife and children and finally his own life in different births.

When the Buddha Kondanna appeared in the world, he too predicted that the Bodhisattva would become a future Buddha. All the 27 Buddhas who appeared after Buddha Dipankara predicted the same.

The Bodhisattva was born as Prince Vessantara in his final birth in the human world. In that life, he fulfilled all the ten perfections. Thereafter, the Bodhisattva was born as King Santusita in the Tusitha heaven. One thousand years before the birth of Prince Siddhartha Suddhavasa Brahma announced his appearance on the earth.

Santusita

When the deities and Brahma invited Santusita to be born as the Buddha, he remained silent and using his divine powers ascertained whether the right time, continent, area, caste, and mother were available in the human world.

Then he told the assembly of deities his chosen city was Kapilavastu, father King Suddhodana, mother Queen Maya, royal caste and Goutama by clan.

When Queen Maya gave birth to Prince Siddhartha on a Vesak Full Moon Day "the ten-thousand world systems together with the great ocean roared, quaked and trembled like the potter's wheel.

The deities and the Brahmas showered flowers from the sky. Queen Mahamaya delivered the baby holding on to a branch of a Sala tree in the garden of Lumbini".

Veronica Damayanthi Jayakody's 'The Marvellous Birth of the Buddha' is a treat to English readers. She has captured the essence of the Buddha's life and rendered it in simple English.

The numerous colour plates have enhanced the value of the book.