London Peace Pagoda
Prince Siddhartha, whose name means 'every wish fulfilled' and who was the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, was born in Lumbini Park at the foot of the Himalayas more than 2,500 years ago. Immediately he took seven steps in each of the cardinal directions. With his right hand, he pointed to the heavens and, with his left, he pointed to the earth thus announcing the purpose of his birth: "Above and below heaven, I am revered. The triple world is filled with suffering. I shall relieve it all".
Buddha decided to preach the dharma. At the Deer Park at Sarnath, where there is still a deer sanctuary in which deer can wander freely, Buddha gave his first semon on The Four Noble Truths to his five former fellow ascetics. This marked the beginning of the teaching of Buddha and of the community of disciples, establishing the Triple Gem of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Prince Siddhartha sat cross-legged on a bed of kusa grass under a Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. He severed himself from all ignorance illusions and delusions about the true nature of existence and reposed in an ultimate, unshakeable contemplation devoted to consummating the ultimate, incomparable Enlightenment. Without resorting to any measures of self-preservation or defence, Buddha cultivated great
compassion against Mara's army (the personification of all evil). The wondrous great transcendental power that subdue entire Mara's army was in fact Prince Siddhartha's great compassion which also renders all weapons of murder and destruction useless.
After 50 years of teaching, walking from town to town and village to village on foot, Buddha arrived at Kushinara. Buddha wished to depart from this life beneath two flowering sala trees by the Hirannavati river. Surrounded by his disciples, Buddha lay down on a couch and lifted his head on his right hand. The birds stopped singing, the wind ceased and the blossom fell from the trees above him. Buddha asked his disciples if they had any further questions. No-one replied. Finally, he encouraged his disciples to follow his example. As he passed away flames ceased to burn. Buddha remains forever in this world.
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