Siddhārtha Gautama lived in the sixth to fifth century BCE. He was born in the Republic of the Śākya (capital: Kapilavasthu, near modern Lumbini, Nepal). His father was one of the rulers (from Kṣatriya class) in a republic state. Gautama grew up as a family man and was happily married. His wife later gave birth to a son named Rahula. Gautama’s father offered him a luxurious life. However, Gautama was destined to leave his life behind, known as the Great Departure in Buddhist narrative. This departure turned him from a nobleman to a Samaṇa, an ascetic who pursued spiritual practice in the forest. After a six-year practice, he achieved enlightenment under a Bodhi tree and became the “Awakened One,” or the “Buddha.” He preached his first sermon at Deer Park, in modern Sarnath, India. The Buddha perhaps spoke a dialect of the Magadhi Prakrit language. His birthday is widely celebrated by all Buddhist communities around the world. In the Theravada tradition, it is well-known as the Vesak festival in South and Southeast Asia. In East Asia, his birthday is commonly recognized as the eighth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar.

After the Buddha’s passing, his followers wrote and rewrote his biographies and attempted to portray him as a sage. Many legends have been created to make the great image of the Buddha. According to the Buddhist text Lalitavistara, the pregnancy of the Buddha’s mother is a legend in which she dreamed that her stomach was touched by the trunk of a baby elephant, so she got pregnant.

When Siddhārtha was born, he could immediately walk and talk. He walked seven steps in the four cardinal directions, and at each step appeared a pure and beautiful lotus blossom. Two Naga brothers appeared in the air for bathing Siddhārtha. Later, bathing the baby figure of the Buddha became an important ritual for purification in Buddhism, and then a part of the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday.


The sculpture of bathing the baby Buddha in Lingshan, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China

Buddha's Birthday Festival - Celebrating 25 years in Sydney (English narration; about 13 minutes)

Celebrating Vesak Festival in Singapore (Chinese narration, but good for observing activities and material culture; about 13 minutes)

BBC History Documentary Story Of The Buddha's Life

Readings:

Donald S. Lopez Jr., From Stone to Flesh: A Short History of the Buddha. The University of Chicago Press, 2013.

John Strong, The Buddha: A Short Biography. Oneworld, 2001.