Tranh Minh H?a Cu?c D?i D?c Ph?t Thich Ca Life Of the Buddha 1. T? cung tr?i ?au-su?t, B?-tat du?c Ph?m thien va T? Thien vuong th?nh m?i tai sinh xu?ng th?. The Bodhisatta (Buddha-to-be) was invited by Brahma and Four Celestial Kings to be born in the world from Tusita Heaven. 2. Khi Hoang h?u Maha Ma-da, m? c?a ??c Ph?t, th? thai, ba n?m m?ng th?y m?t voi tr?ng t? m?t ng?n nui vang b?c mang m?t doa hoa sen d?n dang cho ba. In the day Sirimahamaya, the Buddha's mother, conceived a child, she had dreamt that there was a white elephant descended from the silver and golden mountains and brought her a lotus. 3. ??n Sanh: Vao dem trang tron thang tu, nam 625 tru?c Tay l?ch, ??c Ph?t ra d?i t?i vu?n Lam-ti-ni. Sau khi sinh ra, Ngai bu?c b?y bu?c, m?i bu?c co hi?n ra m?t hoa sen nang d? chan Ngai. Ngai tuyen b? la Ngai la ngu?i dang ton th? nh?t. Birth: On the Full Moon Day of Vesak month, 625 B.C.E., the Buddha was born in Lumbini Park. Immediately after being born, he walked for seven steps, and there was a lotus holding him up at every step. He said he was the most exalted one in the world. 4. Khi ?n si Kaladevila d?n tham hoang nhi, v? hoang t? tr? l?p t?c hi?n ra tren d?u v? ?n si. Vua T?nh-ph?n, cha c?a Ngai, va dong h? Thich-ca, danh l? v?i Ngai. When a hermit named Kaladevila visited the child, the prince mystically appeared on the head of the hermit. King Suddhodanama, his father, and all the Sakyans bowed before the prince. 5. Trong bu?i l? H? di?n, Hoang t? Si-d?t-ta ng?i du?i m?t c?m cay to bong mat va hanh thi?n. M?c du cac bong cay khac d?n d?n nga dai ra theo th?i gian trong ngay, bong cay noi Ngai ng?i thi?n v?n gi? yen nhu cu. Vua cha r?t vui m?ng, va m?t l?n n?a cui d?u l? Ngai. During ploughing ceremony, Prince Siddhattha sat down in the shade of a tree and was soon lost in meditation. Though the shadows of all the trees had lengthened, the shadow of the tree under which the prince was seated had not moved. His father was overjoyed and bowed before him again. 6. Thai t? Hoang t? Si-d?t-ta co tai thi?n x?o b?n cung, va da nang canh cung r?t n?ng ma t? tru?c d?n nay co r?t it ngu?i nang va dung no. Vi?c hi?n th? s?c m?nh phi thu?ng n?y ch?ng t? Ngai s? la ?? Vuong Vu tr?. Prince Siddhatha showed his skill in archery by lifting a bow which no one within memory of man had ever been able to draw or lift it. It was known from his marvellous strength that he would become Universal Monarch. 7. L? Thanh hon: Cac v? tr?i d?n r?i nu?c chuc phuc t? v? so khi Thai t? Si-d?t-da k?t hon v?i Cong chuc Da-du-da-la. Thai t? s?ng h?nh phuc trong ba cung di?n trong m?i ngay va dem. Wedding Ceremony: The gods gave the holy water from the conch when Prince Siddhatha married Princess Yasodhara. The prince was very happy in his three palaces all days and nights. 8. Ngay n?, Thai t? Si-d?t-ta d?o choi trong thanh va th?y b?n d?u hi?u c?a m?t ong gia, m?t ngu?i b?nh ho?n, m?t t? thi, va m?t ?n si. Ngai tran quy d?u hi?u sau cung. One day Prince Siddhattha went into the city and saw the four signs of and old man, a man afflicted with a loathsome, a corpse, and an ascetic. He appreciated the last one. 9. ??i Xu?t Gia: Khi hoang nam La-h?u-la chao d?i, Thai t? Si-d?t-ta quy?t d?nh lia b? d?i s?ng th? t?c. Ngai d?n tham Da-du-da-la l?n cu?i. Va Ngai th?y cac cung phi n?m ng? me m?t, nhu nh?ng xac ch?t x?u xi trong nghia d?a. Great Renunciation: In the day Rahula, his son, was born, Prince Siddhattha decided to renounce the world. He saw a last sight to Yasodhara. And he happened to see his ladies in waiting who were sleeping, showing him their various kinds of ugly manners like cemetery. 10. Thai t? T?t-d?t-ta xu?t gia, r?i b? gia dinh. Ngai cung ngu?i th? gi?, Xa-n?c, c?i ng?a d?n b? song Anoma. Prince Siddhattha renounced the world. He accompanied by his confidant, Channa, rode to the bank of Anoma River. 11. Thai t? Si-d?t-ta c?t toc v?i m?t nhat guom. Prince Siddhattha took a sword and cut off his hair with one blow. 12. T? hanh h? th? xac: Thai t? Si-d?t-ta, v? Ph?t s?p thanh, hanh phap ep xac trong 6 nam d?n khi Ngai tr? nen r?t g?y y?u. Xuong trong than l? ra ngoai. Nhung s? hanh h? xac than khong dua d?n gi?i thoat. Khi Ngai nghe m?t bai hat do Ph?m thien Indra danh dan, Ngai lien tu?ng d?n lo?i dan v?i day khong cang khong chung, va t? do Ngai kham pha con du?ng trung dung, Trung ??o. Self-mortification: Prince Siddhattha, the Buddha-to-be, practised self-mortification for six years until he became very thin. His bones showed prominently. But his austerities did not lead him to deliverance. When he listened to a song played by Indra, he thought of a stringed instrument and discovered the Middle Way. 13. Nang Sujata cung du?ng v? B?-tat m?t bat chao s?a v?i m?t ong. Sujata tu?ng Ngai la m?t v? tr?i. Sau khi th? th?c, Ngai nem cai bat ?y vao dong nu?c (va bat ?y t? t? troi ngu?c dong). Sujata offered the Buddha-to-be a gold bowl full of milk mixed with rice flour and honey. Sujata thought he was a god. After taking

The bride and groom - whose names I have never learned - circulate among the guests after the marriage ceremony. She is collecting gifts in small envelopes, handing them to her husband to be placed in the silver bowl, and receiving wishes of luck and good fortune from her friends and relatives. The bride's mom runs a little grocery store on the highway, a few doors from where Bee grew up, and has always been friendly towards me, hence the invitation to the wedding.