Week 6 Story

Alex was the smartest kid at day care, and everyone knew it. Alex's dad was always telling him that he would be something great one day. He believed in his son so much that on his fourth birthday he told him,

"One day even the gods will be amazed by you."

To keep Alex on the path for greatness Alex's dad ensured that Alex would never encounter any of the bad things in life. He could never let his son feel pain. He had to protect him just as much as he had to nurture him.

Alex loved the outdoors, and his nanny loved to take him out into the garden. They would go into the garden and Alex would marvel at the beauty of nature. At such a young age he already had a great appreciation for our world and the life in it. Not many four year-olds can even sit still, and they especially couldn't meditate like Alex would. But he wasn't aware he was meditating. To him he was just having a good time.

Alex was a curious child who needed knowledge to be happy. One day his father had his nanny take him downtown to experience city life for the first time. But he made the nanny swear that she would protect Alex from anything that could cause him harm.

Young Alex was blown away by the city. He hadn't known life could be like this. His nanny had even gotten him an ice cream cone, and many good times were had.

The day turned sour when Alex saw a backpack in the street. He asked his nanny what it was and she told him it was for. Alex learned about school. He learned that Monday through Friday for 3 seasons of the year he would have to be in school. He learned that he would spend 13 years of his life in  school, and if he did well enough he would get in to university. And for the first time in his life, Alex felt sadness.

The nanny realized something was wrong with Alex so they started heading home. But on their way home they came across a math book. Alex learned about homework. He learned that school wasn't just school. It was going to invade his home life too. And Alex fell deeper into despair.

They were hurrying home when they drove past a school, and the sign out front read "REPORT CARDS MUST BE SIGNED BY MONDAY." His teacher told him about grades. She told him how his performance would be boiled down to just a letter, and that was what he would be judged on. And Alex became depressed.

Author's Note: I took an excerpt from The Life of Buddha and turned it into a sillier modern day version. Instead of finding out about aging, sickness, and death our young hero discovers the school system. 

The equivalent of death in our

young protagonist's eyes. Source

Bibliography

The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold. https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-life-of-buddha.html

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part B

Sid is preparing to leave. He instructs Chandaka to bring him his horse because he is on the road to deliverance.

His horse carries him a great distance when they arrive at a secluded wood. Sid gives Chan a necklace to give to the king. He tells Chan to tell his father to believe in him. Sid says "tell him that I seek a place among the gods." Chan pleads with Sid. He says if you must cause the kingdom this much grief can you not make me be the bearer of bad news? "Please don't forsake us Sid."

Sid stays silent then says that they must go their own ways. He tries to comfort Chan by telling him that even if he didn't leave death would separate them one day anyway. Then Sid takes Chan's swords and cuts off his hair in one swipe of the blade. A hunter appears and Sid asks to trade his fancy robes for the hunters reddish garments. The hunter agrees and Sid sets out on his path to hermitage.

Gopa awoke in the middle of the night, and she cannot find her prince. The more she looks the more frantic she becomes. She cries out to him, but never gets a response. She wakes the maidens and has them search for Sid, but they too cannot find him. His companions hopelessly try to console her. The king finds out what has happened and he has the gates to the city shut. He has the whole kingdom searched, but also comes up empty-handed.

Finally Chan returns with Sid's jewelry. He tells the horseman looking for Sid that no one could convince him to come back. Chan tells the king what has happened to his son. Mahaprajapti saw the jewels and took them. She threw them into a pool in the garden. Sid's horse returns to the stables and dies of sadness.

A secluded part of the woods. Source

Bibliography

The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold. https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-life-of-buddha.html

Reading Notes Part A: The Life of Buddha

There once was a queen named Maya. One night in a dream an elephant entered her womb. She does not know what this means, but she knows it means something great. The king comes and they find out their son will be born a buddha.

When it is time to give birth the queen goes to a flower meadow. The world sang when the prince was born. She named him Siddhartha.

There was a great hermit named Asita. He says the baby has the mark of omnipotence. Asita begins to weep, but he tells the king not to be distressed. He says Sid will have the perfect understanding of the world set free.

After the birth of the prince the kingdom was doing great. However, after seven days Maya ascends to heaven. The prince is then put into the care of Maya's sister. She takes Sid to the temple of the gods. The king led him to the statues of the gods. The statues came to life, and the gods fell at the feet of Sid.

A famous wise man, Visvamitra, becomes Sid's teacher. However Vis tells Sid there is nothing he can teach him. Sid goes to a tree and meditates. Some passerby see him and notice that he has the mark of omnipotent. They say he will certainly become brilliant. They see Sid meditating under a tree whose shadow does not move. He awakes and tells the king that they must stop working in the fields.

One day the king thinks to himself, "Sid must never suspect the evil there is in the world." He has Sid go into the town on a golden chariot. The gods get jealous of Sid and place and old man in the road. Sid sees this and learns that someday youth will leave him. Sid no longer has any joy in his heart.

Next the gods place a sick man in the road. Sid learns about illness, and he returns to the palace wrapped in painful thoughts. The king decides that he will let Sid go out once more. This time the gods put a corpse in the road and Sid learns about death.

Udayin assmebles beautiful maiden in an attempt to improve the state Sid is in, but at first the maidens are afraid of Sid. Udayin gets rid of their fears, and the maidens start doing extravagant, over-the-top things to win Sid's heart. Sid is still unhappy; death is still on his mind. Gopa waits naked for Sid. In a dream she sees the Earth shake. This is good because it means that the gods will bow before her one day.

Sid can no longer find peace. A monk approaches Sid, and Sid decides the life of a monk is for him. The king tells him to give up on this idea. Sid tells his father to promise him. "Promise me that my life will not end in death, that sickness will not impair my health, that age will not follow my youth, that misfortune will not destroy my prosperity." His father tells him he cannot.

A statue of a young Buddha. Source 

Bibliography

The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold. https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-life-of-buddha.html