Cover Photo: A stone carved Buddha image from Mathura of ancient times, refined, elegant and diginified, Mathura, 5th Century A.D., National Museum, New Delhi.
【原編繪者】：求那波瑜多(泰國)
Original Illustration and Narration in Thai by Gunapayuta
【中文譯者】：淨海法師
Translation into Chinese by Bhiksu Jan Hai
【英文譯者】：馬德五、陳鳳佳
Translation into English by Tom Ma & Caroline Chen
【著色繪者】：李宴芳
Coloring by Yann-Fang Lee
【電腦顧問】：陳保川、陳鳳佳
Technical Support by Pao-Chuan Chen & Caroline Chen
【編著版權】：歡迎翻印流通，禁止營利販售
Copyright: This ebook is strictly for free distribution, it is not for sale
In 1964, I translated the original Thai text of A Pictorial Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha into Chinese. Since publication by Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan, the easy-to-read text with vivid illustrations has appealed
widely to kids, ordinary families, and the general public, and has been hugely popular in Taiwan and abroad. After 1970, Mr. Yann-Fang Lee, devout Buddhist watercolor artist in Taiwan, volunteered his time to render
all 218 illustrations into color, which were made into color slides and widely put on exhibition, garnering high praise. Later on, Professor Z. A. Lu from San Francisco graciously translated the text from Chinese
into English, which has benefited English-speaking children.
Around 1997, Mr. Pao-Mao Chen, a member of the Texas Buddhist Association, suggested that the task of publishing the book be turned over to the Corporate
Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation in Taiwan in order to maximize distribution and expand the reach of Buddhism. As of now, in addition to the
Chinese (Traditional and Simplified)-English edition, there is a Hindi edition, a Chinese-Khmer edition, an English-Khmer edition, and more.
In today's fast-paced world, few have the time and patience to read longer sections of text. Thus, I streamlined the Chinese portion of the text to produce a concise
edition, just two fifths the length of previous editions. Mr. Tom Ma very kindly translated this text into English. This concise edition was also published by
the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation. In 2008, I made plans to produce a DVD in both Chinese and English from this concise edition,
improving upon the original idea by combining the colorful illustrations with Chinese and English captions with simultaneous audio narration, and making this
content accessible via computer and internet. Ms. Caroline Chen assisted with the English portion, while sisters Jenny, Mary, and Celia Yang donated the funds
needed for the Texas Buddhist Association to publish the DVD, further expanding the reach of Buddhism.
In recent years, Mr. Pao-Mao Chen's website, Sutrapearls.org, has become well established. Through technical support from Mr. Pao-Chuan Chen and Ms. Caroline
Chen, they have taken the time to convert the DVD of A Pictorial Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha into formats suitable for online audio and video streaming,
website access, and as an ebook, with Sutrapearls.org serving as a platform for easy access by readers. These are certainly great deeds, with boundless merit!
Bhiksu Jan Hai, Jade Buddha Temple, Houston, Texas, USA
December, 2019
Queen Maya was pregnant for ten months. According to ancient Indian custom, she must return to her parents' home to give birth to the baby. On her way, she passed through the beautiful Lumbini Park.
The old sage observed that the baby possessed great virtue in his countenance and foretold that the boy would leave home to cultivate and attain ultimate enlightenment.
During the naming ceremony, a young scholar named Kaundinya stated with deep conviction:
"The prince will abandon the throne in pursuit of supreme wisdom and will
attain ultimate enlightenment to become the supreme teacher of the world."
Devadatta was angry and tried to grab the bird from the prince's hands, but Prince Siddhartha stopped him and said,
"While the swan is still alive, it belongs to the person who rescued it."
Then one young scholar stood up and said, "When the swan is alive, it
should belong to the person who rescued it, not the person who tried to kill
it."
The Royal Tilling Festival was held once a year. To encourage participation, the king and his ministers all attended the ceremony. King Suddhodana took Prince Siddhartha to the ceremony.
The three palaces were built for the prince to live in for the three different seasons: the winter, the summer, and the rainy season. There was a beautiful garden in the back of each palace.
As all the presents were already given out, the prince had to take off his own precious necklace to give to the girl. This girl was Princess Yasodhara.
The ministers reported to the king what they saw, so the king sent a minister to the city of Devadarsita to visit the girl's father, King Suppabuddha, proposing that Princess Yasodhara be married to Prince Siddhartha.
According to the Sakya Clan's custom, when a prince is about to marry, he must invite all the brave young men in the country to participate in various contests. Prince Siddhartha followed this custom.
As some contestants refused to accept the outcome of the contest, all of them were ordered to ride a fierce black horse. One by one they were thrown to the ground by this horse.
Everyone concurred that Prince Siddhartha was the best among all the contestants, and King Suppabuddha agreed to marry his beautiful daughter to Prince Siddhartha.
The prince asked for permission from his father to go outside the palace grounds again. This time he went disguised as a young man from a noble family, followed by Chandaka.
Suddenly the prince heard a moan from the roadside. Turning his head, the prince saw a man with purple discoloration on his face and body. The man lay on the ground, trying but unable to get up.
Chandaka told the prince, "When a person dies, he will lose all consciousness, and his body will become stiff and then will be carried out for cremation."
After returning to his palace, the prince kept thinking to himself about the fearfulness of old age, illness, and death and wanted to find a way to be freed from these troubles.
The prince was captivated by the idea of becoming a sramana. Just at that time, someone came to report to the prince that his wife had given birth to a baby boy, who was later named Rahula.
But the prince was in no mood to enjoy the song and dance as his mind was preoccupied by thoughts of old age, illness, and death. Eventually, he became so tired he fell asleep.
The girls also stopped singing and dancing and lay down to rest. When the prince awoke, he noticed the girls no longer appeared beautiful while sleeping.
Upon arriving at the Anoma River, the prince dismounted his horse and slashed short his long hair with his sword. He ordered Chandaka to take his horse and clothes back to the palace and report to his father. At age 29, the prince had left home in search of the ultimate truth.
Siddhartha told the crowd that they would not be rewarded by killing animals; instead, the killing would bring harm to them in the future, and that people should show kindness to all animals.
Arada-kalama taught Siddhartha how to meditate to achieve extraordinary tranquility of the mind; however, this knowledge could not answer the fundamental question of life and death. Therefore, Siddhartha left Arada-kalama to look for other teachers.
Udraka-ramaputra taught Siddhartha how to silence his mind in order to become completely detached from all things, ideas, and feelings. Nevertheless, this knowledge still could not solve the problem of life and death.
Siddhartha decided to stop his search for more teachers. Instead, he headed to Kaya Mountain, where there lived many sramanas of various cults who had left their families to practice asceticism. They believed that through the practice of asceticism in this life, one would be able to attain happiness or be reborn in heavenly realms in the next life.
There were five sramanas who had followed Siddhartha and become his attendants. They joined Siddhartha in his practice of austere asceticism. Eventually, they would be known as
"The Five Bhiksus."
Siddhartha practiced austere asceticism diligently. He started fasting and became so thin that his bones were clearly visible. One day he fainted from exhaustion and weakness.
One evening, the prince heard a group of girls singing: "When the strings
are too loose, the lute will not make any sound, but when the strings are
too tight, they will break. Only when the strings are not too loose nor too
tight will the lute produce wonderful music."
It then dawned upon Siddhartha that practicing asceticism too strictly was just like tightening the lute's strings too much. He decided to adopt the middle way in his practice, stopped his practice of austere asceticism, went on alms rounds, and started eating again.
Siddhartha eventually acquired the ability to be aware of all his previous lives, see all things, and know their future rebirths. He thus came to realize that the unceasing cycle of death and rebirth of all beings was solely a manifestation of one's karma: that good causes led to good results, and bad causes led to bad results.
He also came to understand that the ultimate causes of the endless cycle of death and rebirth were greed, hate, and ignorance. Finally, he acquired Asravaksaya, the ability to eliminate all defilements, freeing himself from all problems caused by life and death. At the age of 35, Siddhartha had attained supreme enlightenment and become the Buddha.
Buddha replied: "In order to become a noble Brahmana, one has to abandon
all evil, set aside his pride, pursue extensive learning, and practice pure
living."
In his observation, Buddha found that most people had strong desires by nature and few had little desire. The latter were more suited for practicing the Dharma, just as it was easier for lotus flowers that grew above water to receive sunshine.
The five sramanas were still doubtful, wondering how the Buddha could possibly claim to have attained enlightenment after abandoning his practice of austere asceticism.
Then Buddha went to the village of Uruvilva to teach and enlighten the people. There he converted three brothers, who were leaders of a knot-hair cult, as well as their one thousand followers.
After becoming Buddha's disciple, King Bimbisara built a dwelling amongst bamboo and offered it to Buddha. This dwelling later became known as The Bamboo Grove.
One morning, Buddha encountered a young man by the name of Sujata, who stood in the middle of the road, bowing to the east, the south, the west, the north, the heaven, and the Earth. He then spread grain in each of these directions.
Buddha explained to Sujata: "Bowing to the east means respecting one's parents, bowing to the south means respecting one's teachers, bowing to the west means taking care of one's wife and children, bowing to the north means respecting one's relatives and friends, bowing to the heavens means paying reverence to Sramanas, Brahmanas and the saints."
"Bowing to the Earth means treating servants and animals kindly." Buddha also taught Sujata the five precepts: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to utter false speech, and not to consume intoxicants.
In Rajagrha, there lived a leader of a well-known heretical group. The leader's name was Samjayan Vairatiputra. He had about 200 pupils, and among them Upatisya and Kolita were the most accomplished in their studies.
The sramana briefly explained the Buddha's teachings: "All things arise
from causes and conditions; all things vanish because of causes and
conditions. The Buddha always teaches so."
They both went to see Buddha and became his disciples. Soon they attained arhanthood. Because of their extraordinary wisdom and supernatural ability, they became Buddha's two chief disciples.
As usual, Buddha and his disciples carried their alms bowls to beg for food each morning. When King Suddhodana learned of this, he was disappointed and expressed disapproval of this practice. In the King's mind, begging for food was a disgrace to the royal throne.
Buddha explained to his father that carrying the alms bowl to beg for food was a tradition passed down from past Buddhas. Its purpose was to come into close contact with people in order to teach them the Dharma.
Upon hearing Buddha's explanation, King Suddhodana understood. The king himself took the alms bowl from Buddha, and made an offering of food to Buddha and his disciples in the palace.
Many years later, King Suddhodana became severely ill. Buddha returned with many disciples to visit his father. Soon afterwards, King Suddhodana passed away.
After King Suddhodana's death, Buddha's aunt Maha-Prajapati as well as many court ladies requested Buddha to let them join his sangha to practice the Dharma.
The ladies tried again and were saddened when their request was turned down again. They later shaved their heads on their own, put on kasayas, and traveled on foot to Vaisali to visit Mahavana Monastery, where Buddha resided.
Ananda reminded Buddha that he was brought up by Lady Maha-Prajapati. To show gratitude to Lady Maha-Prajapati, Ananda suggested that Buddha allow females to join the sangha.
Ananda returned to report to Buddha that Lady Maha-Prajapati was willing to observe the eight forms of showing respect. Finally, women could become nuns to practice the Dharma.
Devadatta asked Buddha to allow him to establish a new sangha and be the leader of the new sangha. The Buddha knew of Devadatta's intentions and turned down his request.
After Ajatasatru became king, Devadatta plotted against Buddha's life. He suggested the king hire skillful archers to shoot Buddha. But when the archers came upon Buddha's residence and saw the peace, kindness, solemnity, and reverence in Buddha's manner, they changed their minds and became Buddha's disciples instead.
One day, when Buddha was walking by the foot of a mountain, Devadatta pushed a boulder down from where he hid on the mountain, intending to kill the Buddha. But the boulder missed Buddha entirely, and Buddha was not harmed.
Devadatta set loose a wild elephant in an attempt to have the animal crush Buddha. But when the huge elephant approached, it was tamed by Buddha's enormous compassion and did not harm Buddha.
Having failed in many attempts to take Buddha's life, Devadatta continued trying to disrupt the sangha. He asked Buddha to enforce a more stringent code of conduct for bhiksus such as not allowing them to eat meat and requiring them to sleep under trees.
Buddha felt that such stringent rules were impractical and turned down Devadatta's request. Buddha also warned Devadatta to stop disrupting the sangha.
Devadatta ignored Buddha's warning and took a group of bhiksus away with him to form a separate sangha that practiced under his rules. Buddha sent Sariputra to talk to this group of bhiksus, who then returned to Buddha's side.
Some suggested that Buddha not receive Devadatta, but Buddha told them not to worry as Devadatta could do no harm to the Buddha. Unexpectedly, Devadatta died along the way.
Wherever he resided, Buddha would give Dharma talks to the people nearby, rich and poor, learned and ignorant. Some people would bring offerings to the Buddha.
Late in the evenings, kings or important officials would sometimes come to visit the Buddha. He would receive them and give Dharma talks to them. When they left, their hearts were always filled with joy.
When it was time for him to sleep, Buddha would sleep on his right side, with his legs slightly bent; his left leg rested on his right leg, his left hand on his left thigh, and his right hand bent back under his right cheek.
When Buddha was eighty years old, he had taught the Dharma for forty-five years. He continued to teach tirelessly to people from all walks of life, rich and poor, learned and ignorant.
Buddha welcomed all visitors and gladly answered their questions. Some people purposely raised difficult questions to challenge him, but they would eventually be overwhelmed by his wisdom.
As he was eighty years old, Buddha realized that his nomadic teaching life was about to come to an end. He decided to leave Rajagrha and travel north with Ananda and a small group of bhiksus.
He passed through Vaisali, where he had previously lived, and stopping over at Amravana Garden, he then returned to Bamboo Grove Village. He instructed the bhiksus to take up residence in different places.
Buddha told Ananda, "I am eighty years old. My time is coming to its end. Bhiksus
should rely on themselves for enlightenment and take refuge in themselves.
They should take refuge in and rely upon the Dharma, not in others, for
enlightenment."
Buddha sat under a tree and observed with his mind the cause and condition of his passing. He concluded that he would enter nirvana in three months. He told Ananda this.
At Mahavana Monastery, Buddha gave his bhiksus an important talk in which he encouraged them to be diligent in their study and practice of the Dharma so that they could free themselves from the suffering caused by the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
While in the city of Pava, Buddha accepted food offered by Cunda, the son of a goldsmith. The food contained a kind of fungus grown on sandalwood, which was difficult to digest. After Buddha ate this, his previous illness flared up even worse than before. Yet, he still continued upon his journey.
On his way, Buddha met a prince of the Malda Clan. Buddha gave Dharma talks to him, and the prince offered Buddha and Ananda two rolls of fine gold-colored fabric.
After crossing the Hiranyavati River, Buddha and his companions arrived at a forest, outside of Kusinagara. He felt tired and could not travel any further. He told Ananda to set up a bed between two trees so he could rest.
Ananda asked Buddha to consider choosing a larger city to enter nirvana as there would be many more powerful disciples to help with the arrangement of his holy remains. But Buddha assured Ananda this was not necessary.
Subhadra, a nomadic man of a heretical cult, happened to be in Kusinagara. When he learned that Buddha was about to enter nirvana, he came to consult Buddha regarding some difficult questions that had puzzled him for a long time.
After Buddha's Dharma-talk, Subhadra asked to be accepted as a bhiksu. Buddha asked Ananda to shave Subhadra's head, and Subhadra was the last bhiksu enlightened by Buddha.
Buddha gave the bhiksus one last chance to ask questions, but no one had any doubts about the Dharma. Buddha's last teaching to the bhiksus was:
"All things are impermanent. Do not be lazy and complacent."
Finally, the Buddha entered Mahaparinirvana in late night of the full moon day of May. A brilliant lamp of the world was extinguished, but the Buddha's great teachings will live on for a very long time.
These are the remains of the Holy Place of Lumbini Park. Lumbini Park is where the Buddha was born. Located in the southwest part of what is now Rummindei, Nepal, Lumbini Park is one of the four great places of Buddhism. It was the most beautiful public garden in the Sakya Clan of Kapilavastu 2,500 years ago. Later, many magnificent stupas were built here in memory of the Buddha.
In the third century B.C., King Asoka of India came to the Buddha's birthplace to pay homage and erected a stone pillar as commemoration. The pillar later became known as "The Column of King Asoka." The text inscribed on the pillar states that Lumbini Park was the place where the Buddha was born.
At Lumbini Park, one can see the Column of King Asoka, the Bodhi Tree, and the Pond. Originally, there was also a Queen Maya Commemoration Hall in the Park. However, the Commemoration Hall has since been torn down.
On top of the new Queen Maya Commemoration Hall is an imitation of a Four-Eyed Deva statue from the top of a pagoda in Kathmandu, Nepal. One explanation of its significance is that it represents Buddha looking with compassion in all four directions.
The Bodhi Tree at Buddhagaya is another of the four great places of Buddhism as Buddha attained full enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The tree was later replanted.
The Grand Stupa of Buddhagaya was built of bricks and stones and has undergone repairs many times. The four smaller stupas at its four corners were built by the Burmese in the 14th century.
On the northern side of the Grand Stupa there is a row of lotus-flowers carved in stone to commemorate the place where the Buddha had paced back and forth in deep thought. There are many smaller stupas surrounding the Grand Stupa.
Deer Park is in the north of Benares. It is where the Buddha gave his First Discourse of the Dharma to the five bhiksus. It is another one of the four great places of Buddhism. There are many traces of holy stupas and temples in Deer Park, and the Khamekh Stupa is relatively well preserved among them.
The Image of the Buddha Turning the Wheel of the Dharma for the First Time is a famous sculpture from the fifth century. This statue is now on display at the Archeological Museum of Sarnath..
At the Archeological Museum of Sarnath, there is a statue of a four-headed lion that was made in the third century B.C. This statue originally adorned The Column of King Asoka. The column itself has since been torn down.
The Stupa of the Five Bhiksus, located near Deer Park, commemorates the place where the five bhiksus greeted Buddha. The stupa was rebuilt in 1588 at the exact site where the old one was destroyed.
Vulture Peak Mountain is in the north of Rajagrha, where the remains of many Buddhist structures are found. The Buddha lived on this mountain while propagating the Dharma.
The Jetavana Vihara is in ancient Sravasti. It was built by respected elder Anathapindika for the Buddha to stay. The Buddha often gave teachings at the Jetavana Vihara. Left behind are the Bodhi tree, the foundations of the monastery, and some remains stupas.
Kusinagara is another of the four great places of Buddhism, where Buddha entered into Parinirvana, or the final nirvana. Kusinagara is located in the east of Gorakhpur, India.
The Statue of the Buddha Entering into Parinirvana was molded in the Gupta period in the fifth century. Now the statue resides inside Nirvana Hall in Kusinagara.
The remains of this sixth-century temple are of the most well-known monastic university at Nalanda, the most celebrated center of Mahayana scholarship in India between the fifth and thirteenth centuries.
There is an arch at each of the four sides of the Sanchi Stupa. Each arch is artfully carved with various stories of the Buddha's life. Shown here is the north side of the Sanchi Stupa, the only section of the stupa that is well-preserved.
The Illustration of the Four Representations shows The Birth of the Buddha, The Subduing of Mara and The Attaining of The Full Enlightenment, The First Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, and The Great Parinirvana. This is a work of art from the fifth century and is now on display at the Museum of Calcutta.
Ajanta caves were carved into the Dega Plateau. There are twenty-nine caves in various sizes, including four pagodas and twenty-three monk dormitories.
Ellora Cave is located some 400 kilometers northeast of Bombay, India, in the city of Aurangabad. The cave was built between the fifth and seventh centuries. Among the thirty-two caves, twelve belong to Buddhism, and the others belong to Brahmanism and Jainism. Shown here are the statues of The Past Seven Buddhas, which are on the third level of Cave No. 12.
Refined, elegant, and dignified, this stone-carved Buddha statue from Mathura from the fifth century A.D. is now on display at the National Museum in New Delhi.
This is a statue called The Great Miracle of Sravasti carved by Schist and Gandhara between the second to fourth centuries A.D. It is now on display at the Central Museum in Lahore. This artwork shows the Buddha performing miracles before a gathering of heretical masters.
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