San Lo Mvu 36Gotama’s Youth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Gotama’s Youth
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Explanation of the Sutta “Gotama’s Youth”
Background
The discourse “Gotama’s Youth” is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Sangīti Sutta Vinaya section, an important part of the Theravāda tradition of Buddha-Dharma. This discourse belongs to the most ancient narrative texts and tells of the period of the Buddha’s life from birth until he went forth in search of liberation.
According to the Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka, the events of the youth of Prince Siddhattha (Gotama) are recorded to clarify the nature of suffering and the causes that led to his spiritual quest. This information is not only personal history, but also evidence for the teaching that anyone, however fortunate outwardly, will face the fundamental sufferings of human existence if they do not recognize them.
Main Content
Gotama’s youth is described as a life of material abundance. Prince Siddhattha was born in the palace at Kapilavatthu, the son of King Suddhodana. His royal father did everything possible to protect his son from every unpleasant feeling and from knowledge of suffering.
The discourse states clearly that the prince was raised in three palaces for the different seasons, with more than five hundred women attending him, music, beauty, and sense pleasures continually present. The king believed that if the prince did not know suffering, there would be no cause for thoughts of leaving the world to arise in his mind.
Yet these very records show that no amount of material happiness can prevent awakening to the nature of suffering. As Gotama grew older, although he was entirely protected, the four fateful encounters, meeting an old person, a sick person, a corpse, and a religious mendicant, awakened his conscience to the true aspects of human existence.
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