This is a brief video biography about Buddha. The Buddha has inspired so many around the world to find peace and happiness through meditation and his teachings, but who is the Buddha and what happened in his life that made him become the Buddha, the ‘Awakened One’?

Buddha was born around 2,600 years ago. He was born into a royal family and was given the name Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He lived a protected and carefree life of luxury, until one day he came face to face with the harsh realities of life: old age, sickness and death. These three sights were to change the course of Siddhartha’s life.

Embarking on a spiritual quest to find liberation from the sufferings in the world, Siddhartha finally discovered the truth of suffering and how to end it. He achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India, and from that moment on was known as the Buddha, the ‘Awakened One’.
 
 
My favorite illustrated book of the Buddha’s life would be this one: Prince Siddhartha The Story of Buddha, by Jonathan Landaw and Janet Brooke. It’s suitable for children and adults.

Introducing children to the Buddha while they are young can help plant powerful imprints in their mind to later practice peace, compassion and meditation, as well as to have an affinity to the Buddha and his teachings. Here is a coloring book from Buddhanet. There are some lovely drawings of the Buddha’s enlightenment that you can print off for your children to color in. (Pages 33-38)

You can read about the Buddha’s realizations during the three watches of the night here (towards the end of the page).

To better understand the Buddha’s ‘Song of Victory’ when he achieved enlightenment, please refer to footnote No.13, listed on the Access to Insight website.
 
 
Sutta used in this video:

“Jaravagga: Old Age” (Dhp XI), translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita. Access to Insight, 23 April 2012, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.11.budd.html.