Siddhartha Gautama was born sometime around 566 B.C.E. to a royal family in the Himalayan foothills, on the border of northern India and southern Nepal. Siddhartha's mother was Queen Maya, his father King Suddhod-hana, and he was a blessing to the childless couple, as they would now have a prince and heir to rule over their small but prosperous kingdom. They named their son Siddhartha, which means “every wish fulfilled.”

The Birth of the Buddha

There are many mythologies and stories surrounding the birth of the Buddha, but it is generally agreed (with some variation) that when Siddhar-tha was but days old, his father, King Suddhodhana, invited a large group of Brahmins to a feast at the palace so they could tell the future of the newborn baby. Eight of the Brahmins concurred on the prediction that Siddhar-tha would either become a great and powerful ruler of all the land, or a wise and sage religious figure and spiritual teacher.

They warned that if Siddhartha left the palace in search of a spiritual life, he would endure many hardships but eventually become a Buddha. If he remained within the cloistered palace walls, he would become a great ruler of the world. However, one of these Brahmins was convinced that the young boy would become a Buddha and warned of four signs that would influence the young Siddhartha and spur him to leave his home and commence a spiritual journey.

The Raising of a King

Suddhodhana had no wish for his son to become a spiritual man and teacher; he dreamed of a son who ruled over the land, the most powerful man as far as the eye could see. He decided to protect Siddhartha from the possibilities of a hard but spiritual path, and vowed to keep him cloistered in the palace, lavishing riches and luxuries beyond imagination on the young boy.