3. Buddha’s Birth Buddha was a prince. He lived in India with his mother and father, the king and queen. The King and Queen were admired, loved and respected by all of their people as they ruled well and didn’t only think of themselves. After many years the Queen Maha Maya became pregnant, on the 1 st May she had a young baby boy. She asked five wise men to come up with a name for him. They chose Siddhartha which means ‘the ones whose wishes will be fulfilled’.

4. A few days after the Prince was born, the queen died. Everyone was very shocked and distraught. However, of course the King himself was the worst off. He started to worry as some Wise advisers had told him some scary information abiout his son. If the prince Siddhartha was to see: Someone Sick Someone dead Someone old A monk Then the prince would no longer want to be a Prince and would leave the palace and become a monk himself. Death of the Queen

5. After Death The Queens sister brought the Prince up as though he were her own. When Siddhartha went to school he was the cleverest in his class, he picked things up quick and was popular and liked. He was a very caring young boy and looked after everything including animals. As he was a prince he had a very easy life however sympathised for the suffering and pain of others. He knew that they preferred to be happy the same as anyone. Siddhartha cared strongly for the welfare of animals, for example one day he saw a boy beating a snake with a stick and told the boy to stop and not to hurt the snake further.

6. Childhood Siddhartha was playing outside with his evil, vicious cousin who did not care at all for creatures and anything other than himself. His cousin shot down a swan with a bow and arrow. It was badly wounded. Siddhartha looked after it and made sure that it was properly healed before he let it go off. One afternoon his father took him to the ‘Annual Ploughing Festival’. He watched as everyone had a good time and was happy and joyful. However, he watched as the bullocks had to work very hard and did not look at all happy. He soon saw that not all creatures were happy. He saw

7. Childhood Siddharta became very distressed by what he saw. He left the crowd of people. When the King and the Maids noticed they searched everywhere to try and find him. They were shocked when they finally found him. He was sitting underneath a tree in deep meditation. He had a concentrating look on his face. The king was getting a bit worried, he didn’t want his son to think about things in life too much. He remembered what the wise men had told him. In order to distract Siddharta he demanded for a palace to be built for him with a gorgeous garden. Siddharta still couldn’t get over the suffering.

8. Growing up Siddharta grew up as a very handsome young man. It soon came of the Age where he was to get married. His father chose his beautiful cousin, Princess Yasodhara. Due to tradition he had to prove his strength and courage to Princess Yasodhara. He had to tame a horse. However, he did not do it the usual way of beating it instead he talked to it and stroked it. Yasodhara instantly fell in love. She wanted to get married straight away. They had a great ceremony although both were only sixteen years of age.

9. Later life The king can tell that is still noticing all of the suffering an pain others. The king does not want his son to know about all the suffering, pain, death of everyone. However, Siddharta wants to know about it all. The king finally allowed the Prince to be taken out of the palace. He does and on one visit he see s an old man. He keeps on going out of the palace and seeing the things that he wasn’t supposed to see.

10. Becoming a monk Siddharta decides that he wants to leave the palace and become a monk. He doesn’t have the such pleasures of the palace as he did before as he does not feel he requires them. He wants to become a homeless monk that can understand all of the suffering pain of the world. The last night he went to see his wife and their young child sleeping. He vowed to come back and see them all after he had found out the reasons behind suffering and how they could escape it.