Raphael Mizrahi 4C
1
Topic 1: The Life of the Buddha
1.1 Conception
● Buddha means enlightened one
● Buddha’s mother was Queen Maha Maya
● wife of King Suddhodana
● leader of the clan of the Shakyas
● before the Buddha was born as a human being, he resided in in the Tushita heaven (heaven
of the Contented) (One of the many Buddhist heavens)
● he was conceived by miraculous events
● the queen dreamed that:
○ she was carried away by 4 deres (spirits)
○ bathed in the himalayas lake and the deves clothed her in heavenly cloths
○ anointed her with perfumes
○ and bedecked her with divine flowers
○ there was tremendous light and earthquakes appeared in the world
○ a splendid white elephant came down from the sky and entered her body
■ white represents purity
■ the elephant represents supreme power and majesty
● wise men said the baby would either be a great king or great religious teacher
● no indication it was a virgin birth
● the queen was virtuous and felt no physical pain during pregnancy
● she was pregnant 10 lunar months (norm for enlightened beings)
1.2 Physical Birth
● women returned to their parents home when they were to give birth
● Mahamaya was traveling to the neighbouring kingdom of Koliya (her father was king)
● she past by a garden called Lumbini (this is where the Buddha was
● the queen stopped
● she lay in the shade of a tree and gave birth to her son
Raphael Mizrahi 4C
1
1
Topic 1: The Life of the Buddha
1.1 Conception
● Buddha means enlightened one
● Buddha’s mother was Queen Maha Maya
● wife of King Suddhodana
● leader of the clan of the Shakyas
● before the Buddha was born as a human being, he resided in in the Tushita heaven (heaven
of the Contented) (One of the many Buddhist heavens)
● he was conceived by miraculous events
● the queen dreamed that:
○ she was carried away by 4 deres (spirits)
○ bathed in the himalayas lake and the deves clothed her in heavenly cloths
○ anointed her with perfumes
○ and bedecked her with divine flowers
○ there was tremendous light and earthquakes appeared in the world
○ a splendid white elephant came down from the sky and entered her body
■ white represents purity
■ the elephant represents supreme power and majesty
● wise men said the baby would either be a great king or great religious teacher
● no indication it was a virgin birth
● the queen was virtuous and felt no physical pain during pregnancy
● she was pregnant 10 lunar months (norm for enlightened beings)
1.2 Physical Birth
● women returned to their parents home when they were to give birth
● Mahamaya was traveling to the neighbouring kingdom of Koliya (her father was king)
● she past by a garden called Lumbini (this is where the Buddha was
● the queen stopped
● she lay in the shade of a tree and gave birth to her son
Raphael Mizrahi 4C
1
