Chapter 11: The Attainment of Enlightenment (1) The Great Being, even before the sun had set, had thus vanquished the forces of Māra through his perfections. The leaves of the Bodhi tree, with a color like that of sapphire and ruby, fell down in offering. When the first watch of the night […]

Chapter 10: The Victory over Māra (1) At that time, the deity Māra, the evil one, thought to himself, “This Prince Siddhattha desires to transcend my domain. I will not allow him to escape now.” Māra then sounded the call to arms and led forth his demonic army. The army of Māra […]

Chapter 9: Offerings to the Buddha-to-be (1) At that time, in the land of Uruvelā, there was a village named Senānigama. A young woman named Sujātā, the daughter of the village headman lived in that land. When she came of age, she made a vow at a certain banyan tree, saying, “If […]

Chapter 8: The Practice of Austerities (1) Seeing that the horse Kanthaka was dead, the minister Channa was overcome with grief and lamented. After calming his sorrow, he removed the adornments from Kanthaka, wrapped them in a bundle, and began his journey. Upon reaching the city of Kapilavastu, he presented all the […]

Chapter 7: The Great Renunciation (1) One day, in the time that followed, the Bodhisatta felt a desire to go to the park to enjoy the park. He ordered the royal charioteer to ready the royal chariot, hitching two pairs of auspicious Sindh horses. The Great Being ascended and sat […]

Chapter 6: The Royal Consecration (1) At that time, the Brahmins gave the Bodhisatta the name “Siddhattha” (He Whose Goal is Accomplished), because he was one who would accomplish the welfare of all beings in the world. In later times, he received the clan name “Gotama.” The king asked the […]

Chapter 5: The Examination of the Marks (1) On the day the great being was born, the devas in the Tāvatiṃsa heaven, led by their king Sakka, were overjoyed. They spoke amongst themselves, saying, “The royal son of the great king Suddhodana who has been born today will surely attain […]

Chapter 4: The Departure from the Maternal Womb (1) It is said that seven days before the full moon of the month of Āsāḷha the people of the city of Kapilavatthu celebrated a great festival. For seven days, Queen Sirimahāmāyā adorned herself with fragrant perfumes and enjoyed the festivities. On […]

The Recent Epoch Chapter 3: The Tusita Heaven (1) It is said that in a former time, our Sammāsambuddha, the Bull among Men, while seeking supreme enlightenment, received prophecies from twenty-four Buddhas, beginning with the Buddha Dīpaṅkara. He diligently perfected the thirty pāramīs and the five great sacrifices during the […]

Chapter 2: The Marriage (1) At that time, King Sīhahanu, wishing to arrange the consecration (marriage) of Prince Suddhodana, summoned eight Brahmins. He commanded them to go and find a royal princess endowed with the five kinds of beauty and the sixty-four auspicious marks. He then bestowed upon the Brahmins […]

Chapter 1: The Lineage of Mahāsammata In the beginning of this Bhaddakappa, our Bodhisatta was born as a king named Mahāsammata, the first monarch, who reigned over the entire continent of Jambudīpa. He had a royal son named Rojā, and King Rojā had a royal son named Vararojā. And King […]

The Life of the Buddha (Buddhappavattikathā) Pandit Chhim-Sumn Professor at the Higher School of Pāli First History of Buddhism Dedicated to Buddhists throughout the Nation of Cambodia   Homage Verses (Paṇāmagāthā) Having honored the Tathāgata, the steadfast Buddha, The pure, the supreme among men, Who has crossed to the farther […]