In the Tusita heaven the Bodhisattva Megha examined the world to chose the place and time for his final birth.  He chose the city of Kapilavastu, capital of the Sakya clan, in northeastern India near Nepal.  The king, Suddhodana and his wife Maya were chosen as fitting parents.  He then descended from the Tusita heaven, fully conscious and aware and entered Maya's womb.  Certain accounts tell that he adopted the form of a white elephant that appeared to Queen Maya in a dream and entered her womb through her side.  The pregnancy continued in the normal course except that the baby was fully formed throughout. 

When the time of birth approached, Queen Maya was traveling.  She rested with her retinue a short way from the capital in a pleasure park called Lumbini.  There standing under a tree, holding a branch for support, she gave birth.  He emerged from her right side without giving her any pain.  Four gods from the Brahma heavens received him into a net and two streams of water poured from heaven as a token purification.  It is calculated this birth took place in 563 B.C.E.  Shortly after giving birth Queen Maya died and was reborn into the Trayastrimsa heaven.  Her sister Mahaprajapati took over care of the child and brought him up as her own.  He was given the personal name of Siddhartha and the family name of Gautama.

An ascetic called Asita, dwelling in the Himalya mountains, perceived a celestial excitement and went to see the child at Kapilavastu.  Asita saw that the baby was endowed with the thirty-two special marks of a great man ans well as eighty minor marks. He held that child and began to shed tears.  The king asked why he was sad.  Asita said the child has only two possible destinies: a world emperor (if he remains a householder) or a fully enlightened Buddha (if he takes up the homeless life).  Asita said he was sad because he would die before he would be able to follow the doctrine the new Buddha would teach.  Suitable gifts were given to Asita who then returned to the mountains. 

The second incident occurred when his aunt took him to a temple.  She told him they would go and pay respects to the gods.  He smiled and told his aunt that he had already been acknowledged by the gods.  He was willing to go so they went.  The moment his feet crossed the threshold, all the images of the gods including, Siva, Brahma and Sakra, assumed bodily forms, came down from the shrines and offered praise to him.

To make sure that his son's destiny should be that of royal power, Kind Suddhodana took care that the boy should have no wish to leave home.  He provided him with three separate palaces in which he spent the varying seasons of the year.  He had the finest food and clothes and many precious things.  He was pampered and entertained by a host of female musicians and concubines.  All the pleasures of the arts and senses were available and there is nothing in the accounts of his life to suggest that he did not enjoy all of them.

Only one thing was forbidden to him.  He was not allowed to leave his palaces and go at will among the people and the city.  There was no evidence that he showed any interest in doing so.  He spent these early years totally preoccupied with his own pleasure and the company of his personal retainers and servants.

When it was time for him to marry, Suddhodana invited all the nearby princes and aristocratic families to propose their daughters for matrimonial alliance.  But few were interested in a prince who displayed no interest in the manly arts and who devoted his time to idle pleasure.  He was seen as unfit to lead a kingdom and defend it form enemies.  Siddharta demonstrated his ability with the great bow.  After this fears of his incompetence were allayed and numerous ladies of rank were suggested as candidates for marriage. Yasoda was chosen.  He passed the time in sensual pleasure until he was about 28 or 29.  It is said that the gods decided to intervene.

It came about that the prince began to feel restless confined to his palaces.  He proposed a pleasure excursion to a royal park on the outskirts of the city.  The city agreed but ensure before hand that all cripples, beggars and other afflicted persons were removed from the streets and that the route was swept clean and lined with happy people demonstrating affection for his son.

Siddhartha rode in the state chariot along the streets.  One of the gods arranged to assume the guise of an old and decrepit man.  As the chariot progressed, this apparition came into full view of the prince. Siddhartha saw the bent and trembling figure, gray haired and hobbling along, grasping a stick for support.  He was astonished because he had never seen anyone of advanced age and infirm with years.  He abandoned his drive to the park and quickly returned to the palace.  He became aware that old age awaited everyone.

He went out on two further occasions during which he encountered a sick man, unable to walk and being carried while crying out in pain and a corpse being borne to a funeral pyre.  Each time he was astonished and returned to the palace in alarm.  His pursuit of pleasure was ended and he did not even show much interest in his wife who was pregnant with his first child.  He was aware that beauty and strength were doomed to the wasting of age, disease and death.

He began to think about abandoning all to search for a cure for this universal affliction.  For a fourth time, he went out in his chariot for some diversion and this time encountered a wandering mendicant who extolled the virtues of the homeless life, without possessions, intent only on gaining the supreme goal of final release.  He returned to the palace but this time he had seen an alternative life.  Returning to the palace, he was quite exhausted and fell asleep.  When he awoke he found his attendants also lying in sleep around him and saw that they were no longer attractive to him.  He then learned that his wife had given birth to his son and resolved to abandon his home life before his newborn son added to the bonds of affection and involvement.  This is known as the Great Renunciation.
 

After leaving the palace, Siddhartha traveled south.  He cut off his hair and gave his clothes and jewels to his charioteer to return to the palace.  He also sent a message to his father of his intent to pursue the life of an ascetic.  He went off in search of teachers who could help him in his quest.  He came upon a group of wandering monks led by Alara Kalama.  He was accepted and was taught Alara Kalama's method of meditation. Alara Kalama answered up to "the state of nothingness" (Arupyadhata - see the realms of the Indian world system provided in a link in the schedule) which is part of the topmost range of the three-tiered Indian world-system.

At this point in most narratives, Siddhartha is referred to as the Bodhisattva and not as the historical person Siddhartha.  He declined to become a joint leader of the group.  He saw this practice was still subject to the unavoidable decline into decrepitude and death.  So he left that group and continued to wander.  He again sought out a teacher of repute and attached himself to one called Uddaka Ramaputta.  He asked the limits of the practice and was told the state of "neither consciousness nor unconsciousness."  One step higher than the previous teacher.  Again he achieved the realization of that meditation and became the equal of the teacher.  He left again and went on alone without seeking any more techers.  His wanderings led his southward to the old kingdom of Magadha and eventually to the banks of the river Nairanjana.  Here he began to explore the limits of yoga-based experience.  Five other wandering ascetics who were impressed by his practice and hoped to learn from his insight joined him.

His father continued to receive news of his whereabouts and the state of his life.  The Bodhisattva now embarked on the most severe practices with the purpose of restraining the mind.  He reduced his food to a single seed or grain of rice per day.  He suppressed his breathing until during periods of meditation he stopped his breath completely and suffered violent pains in consequence.  He was reduced to just skin and bone.  The true knowledge of the deathless state eluded him.  Even the very limits of yoga practice failed to produce the wisdom and insight that he sought.

Then he remembered his youthful experience of sitting under the tree while his father performed a state ceremonial.  He recalled how, without austerities of any kind, he has attained a high degree of concentrated meditation without passion and distraction.  So he took food to build up his strength for a different approach.

Just prior to this the god Mara approached him again.  Mara suggested that by leading a life of good deeds and generosity he could achieve both human and divine happiness.  He threatened destruction if the Bodhisattva continued.  The Bodhisattva ignored the temptations of Mara and Mara withdrew.

The Bodhisattva then went down to the river to bathe. He passed a peasant's daughter on the way back to his seat.  She got his some rice-enriched milk to drink.  His companions inferred that by taking food and drink he had given up the struggle.  So after 6 years, they left him.  After regaining his strength, he moved to a bodhi tree and after seating himself under it he vowed  not to rise until he had gained the supreme wisdom.  Mara now appeared with every form of temptation and force to get him to give up h is resolve but none were able to reach him.  Asked to show proof of his past lineage of merit which enabled him to disregard the conditions and restraints of Mara's realm (of the senses), Bodhisattva touched the earth with his right hand.  The earth rumbled and quaked to such a degree that Mara fled.  Mara then went to his father and told him that he had died.  The kind collapsed and lamented that neither of Asita's predictions had come true.  But a god appeared and reported that this was not true.

The Bodhisattva, deep in meditation, entered successively each of the four absorptions (dhyana) and having reached and established the fourth and highest of these meditations saw a series of profound insights unfold.  These were later codified into the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve links of Arising due to Conditions (the chain of casuation).  This insight made him into a fully enlightened Buddha.  This is described as consisting of thirty-four moments of perfect vision that both stops forever the last traces of defilement and penetate to ultimate reality.  They also convey the knowledge that Buddhahood has been gained, rebirth or any kind extinguished, and the Way justified.

Then two traveling merchants approach the seated Buddha and offer him food.  They then said that they took refuge in him and his teachings but omitted the third part of the Refuge formula as there was yet no sangha.  These were the first converts.  He then rose and left and went to find the five followers who were now staying in the deer park of Isipana at Benares. 

Beginning to teach, he is faced with the dilemma of how to convey his experience to others.  In the early pages of the Lotus sutra this problem is pesented.  Therefore the choice of the first recipients and the substance of the first teaching are of special concern.  On his trip from Bodh Gaya to Benares, he is met by a man who inquires of him the name of his teacher and doctrine.  Buddha answers that he has conquered all worlds and needs no teacher.  Although seen to have a serene manner, there is no indication of the transformation that has occurred to the casual observer.  The trip is said to take 8 days and eventually he reaches Deer Park. He is seen as the ascetic who gave up and so is initially deemed not worthy of their respect.  However, as he approaches, they change their mind and prepare a place for him.  He tells them that addressing him by his name or as friend is inappropriate for he is now a fully enlightened Buddha. 

Buddha delivers his first lesson now known as the first turning of the Wheel of the Law.  He explains the doctrine of the Middle Way, a doctrine of avoiding extremes which was followed by the Four Noble Truths: 1) the universality of suffering, 2) its causes (attachment), 3) its termination and 4) the Eight Fold Path to achieve the termination of suffering.  All five were instructed and achieved arhatship.  Slowly others came by the park and listened to the teaching and became followers.  Then he left the park after sending out his disciples to teach his doctrine to others.  He went to Rajagrha, capital of Magadha (200 miles).  His early teaching clearly rejects acseticism, a popular belief at the time, and teaches that the body and mind had to be fit and healthy to sustain and support the enormous effort for Enlightenment.   A hallmark of Sakyamuni's teaching style is that the exposition had to be fitted to the listener's capacity.  A person walking notices that the footprints left a clearly discernible mark of a wheel with 1,000 spokes.  The image of the lotus indicates the enlightened being. Just as a lotus is born and grows in the mud but is unsoiled by it, so is a Buddha.  He collects a crowd of followers including the reknown Kasyapa brothers as he continues his journey so that he is met by King Bimbisara on his arrival.  He hears the teachings and is converted and gives the nearby Bamboo Grove to the order.  It is here that he gained his two foremost disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana.
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His wife and his son Rahula also become members of the community.  Suddhodhana's principle widow, Mahaprajarpati also seeks entry into the order and an order of nuns is created. Buddha is said to have visited his mother Maya in heaven and converted her.  His descent is marked with great ceremony.  He is neither human being or god.  He spent 45 years wandering and teaching his doctrine.  He is said to have chieved enlightenment at 35 and died at 80.  Ananda, Buddha's personal attendant, is said to have heard and memorized it all.  After Buddha's death, Ananda recites it before the council gathered to preserve the teaching and this is accepted as the complete teachings (although there is some question as to whether it is complete).  The community or sangha has been created and the teaching is then carried out by this group of followers who establish other communities with their own autonmy.  The Buddha is challenged at one point by his cousin Devadatta ( a young man who entered the order under decress) for leadership but is rejected and later there is some conflict over the leadership of the sangha