The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha -8- The education of the prince in his youth
Chapter 8 The Prince’s Youth Education
King Suddhodana in the Kapilavastu Kingdom gave birth to a rare prince. The royal family and relatives presented countless elephants, horses and precious carriages. The kings of neighboring countries also presented many seven-jeweled utensils to express their sincere wishes to the royal family and the prince.
At this time, in the capital city of Kapilavastu, immeasurable treasures naturally emerged from the ground. The giant elephants from the Himalayas came calling, the untamable horses were now tame like lambs, and the variegated and delicate birds flew into the city from the wild. The white auspicious clouds in the sky are floating gently, and the brilliant flowers on the ground are smiling and blooming.
People who are accustomed to resentment suddenly turn to peace in their hearts; close friends have more deep emotions; true friends have more intimate contacts; the hearts of rebels are instantly eliminated; the evil thoughts of insidious people are immediately driven away; wind, It blows slightly; the rain falls in time; the thunder causes no harm, and the grain harvest is as abundant as the mountains; the food is easy to digest, and the pregnant body is safe; all this is because of the birth of the prince, and all the people in the world can see this auspicious sign.
The divine temples and gardens have become more solemn and beautiful; the wells, springs and ponds have become as clear as mirrors; all countries have been freed from famine, the world has stopped war, there are no evil diseases in the world, there are no lawsuits and unjust disputes, all countries are as close as neighbors, and everyone Like brothers, the auspicious phenomena in this world are all to celebrate the birth of the prince.
It was the fifth day after the birth of the prince, and the naming ceremony was held grandly. All authoritative Brahmin scholars in India were invited by the king to discuss the choice of the best name. As a result of the discussion, because the prince had all the auspicious signs when he was born, he was named Siddhartha. Siddhartha, that means “all righteousness comes true”, it is the best name.
In the Kingdom of Kapilavastu, such joy day after day continued until the seventh day, when an unfortunate incident occurred, that is, the death of the Holy Mother Maya.
Amidst the misfortune, the good thing was that the lady had a youngest sister named Mahapajapati. After her sister passed away, she volunteered to raise the young prince on her sister’s behalf. She had a beautiful appearance and a kind temperament. Later, although she gave birth to Nanda, she still lovingly raised the Prince of the East Palace who was born to her sister.
Although the prince was being raised by his aunt, Mrs. Mahapajapati, King Suddhodana was still very worried. He also selected thirty-two palace maids to help him, eight to hold him, eight to bathe, and eight to feed him. Breast, eight palace ladies accompanied the game. The prince’s infancy could not have been more peaceful.
Time flies, and the prince has grown into a smart, lively and lovely child.
At this time, there were many children’s toys piled up around the prince, but the prince had a superb temperament. Although he was a young child, his attitude was very solemn, especially his temperament, which was unusually quiet.
The prince’s heart was placed in another victorious situation. No matter how exquisite and clever the children’s toys were, they could not arouse his interest and joy at all.
From the age of seven, the prince was invited to study with famous teachers.
At that time, the highest scholarship in India was the Five Viṣṇas and the Four Vedas. Wu Ming is:
- Statement of Philology.
- Craftsmanship and craftsmanship.
- Medical prescriptions are clear.
- The reason for the theory of Neo-Confucianism.
- The inner understanding of religion.
The Four Vedas are:
- The Rigveda of health-preserving methods.
- The Sima Veda of sacrificial congratulations.
- Yajurveda for the study of the art of war.
- Atharveda, the mantra literature.
In the years from the age of seven to twelve, the prince mastered the five scientific knowledge and the four Vedas of philosophical knowledge in literary matters.
If there is anyone in the world who can understand everything after hearing something, it is Prince Siddhartha.
King Suddhodana was very happy when he saw the prince’s enlightenment. He invited famous and authoritative scholars in the country to teach. Within a few days, they were impressed by the prince’s wisdom and they all resigned voluntarily.
After the prince laid a solid foundation in civil affairs, he began to practice martial arts from the year he was twelve years old.
The prince was born with great physical strength. In a short period, the prince quickly became proficient in all military techniques and weapons.
King Suddhodana was dedicated to teaching the prince to be a wise monarch with both civil and military skills, because he knew very well the national conditions of India at that time. The countries in the five zodiacs were competing for hegemony.
However, in his south, two powerful states, Kosamira and Magadha, appeared. Kapilavastu was often threatened by them, so he was always looking forward to the ideal of unification of the entire Indian nation in the future. You are your own extremely wise prince.
One time, in order to promote martial arts, King Suddhodana ordered all the Buddhist monks to hold a martial arts competition. During the competition, the prince’s cousin Devadatta shot through three drums with one arrow, and the prince’s younger brother Nanda also shot through three drums with one arrow, winning countless applause from the audience.
When it was the prince’s turn, he thought the bow was too powerful. Weak, he ordered him to go to the arsenal and fetch the good bow used by his ancestors. He pulled it across his chest and shot an arrow through seven iron drums.
The audience around him cheered and applauded like thunder. They saw the prince’s martial arts and everyone was excited. The future king will definitely be able to unify India.
King Suddhodana looked at the prince, looked at the audience, and smiled proudly.
