religious figures and sacred texts

• Not god Related 
• Created by man (humans)
• Buddha has long ear lobes as a sign of great wisdom.
• Hagiography-> not a biography (includes myths)
• Buddhists don't take things literally but try to find the meaning behind the story rather than whether or not the story is true.

• Siddatta gave up his life to have a life of wisdom.
• Siddatta's father wanted him to be a political leader so prevented him from seeing the world and becoming religious.
• SID learnt that all actions have consequences-> Karma
• 1st sign: Aging (impermenance of life-ANATTA)
• 2n sign: Illness and disease (suffering people face- DUKKHA)
• 3rd sign: Death and to be reborn (Dukkha, Anatta, no soul-Anicca)
• 4th sign: Begging man (Anatta)
• Meditation is a place of high conscoiusness.
• Siddatta would starve himself to help over come the temptatoions of the body (this being the extreme asthetics path for 2 years)
• IF A STRING LAY TOO SLACK IT WOULDNT WORK, IF TOO TIGHT IT CAN SNAP OR BREAK, SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MIDDLE PATH AS A WAY OF NOT FOLLOWING THE EXTREMES IN SITUATIONS. (harmony and enlightenment)
• Vow to stay under the Bodhi tree until full enlgihtenment is reached through meditation. 

• Paul williams sees the Buddha as more of a principle rather than a person:
  • Buddhist thoughts
  • Supreme compation 
  • Liberation
  • Strove through their own thoughts

• Richard Gombrich 
  • Theravada Buddhism
  • Religion is purely a matter of understanding and practicing the Dhamma
    • Salvation

The Buddha isnt a divne or supreme being to worship but about our own inner potential and our own 'greatness'

• There was a need for a new Buddha to be reborn.
• Buddha re-enters the realm.
• Queen maya is chosen due to her purity to be the mother to the new born Buddha
• the dream about angels, white elephant bearing a loturs flower.
• Maya was pregnant for 10 months.
• When siddhatta was born he took 7 steps and spoke.
• Earthquake shook to tribute to the new Buddha.
• 2 waterfalls formed one hot, one cold, and then mixed to get the perfect temp formed behing Queen Maya.
• The first sign to show the importance of the middle way.

• 7 Holy Men predict that he woukd be a strong ruler, 32 signs of a Buddha predicting Enlightenment. (Asita)

Ascetism is a state of mind and a calm way of life

• Anatta: No-Soul
  • personal effect on the Buddha when he nearly dies due to him pushing himself too far with his fasting.
  • There are no changes in sould as only the persons attitude changes over a period of time.
• Dukkha & Anicca: Old Age
  • showing the impermanence of youth, rinkling of the skin and the breaking down of the immune system/
  • people suffer more with age as you struggle to do more tasks, loss of independence, people go extreme lengths, suffer to want to look youthful.
• Dukkha & Anicca: Sickness
  • the body is subjected to ill health.
  • sickness is inevitable and cannot be avoided
  • both physical and emotional pain can be experienced
  • health is not permanent, dont become attached to health andf then be shocked by illness.
• Dukkha: Death
  • Powerless as we cannot control our lives to prevent the innevitable.
  • suffering for those who are left behind when a person dies.