Theme 1: A: Accounts of the birth of the historical Buddha and the Four Sights

Accounts of the birth of the historical Buddha and the Four Sights

The ways in which Buddhists read these narratives. Hagiographical and mythological interpretations of the conception dream of Maya, events surrounding the birth, the prophecy and early life. The biographical impact of the Four Sights and wider religious interpretations of their meaning in terms of dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence), anatta (insubstantiality/no-self).

At the time that Buddhism emerged there were major social changes taking place - mainly the opposition to the caste system in India at that time. The caste (or varna) system was a social classification system based on which group you were born into:

• Brahmin or priest
• Kshatriya or warrior
• Vaisya or merchant, professional or skilled worker
• Sudra or labourer, unskilled 

The Buddha himself is thought to have belonged to the Kshatriya.

During the time that Buddhism emerged, tension between the castes built. At this time there is evidence of the emergence of a Samana (Sanskrit Shramana) movement that rejected temple worship for a more ascetic lifestyle, challenging the Brahmins.

Hagiography - "Hagiography is unlike other forms of biography in that it does not necessarily attempt to give a full, historical account of the life of an individual saint. Rather, the purpose of hagiography is that the life of the saint is written so that it might have a salvific effect on those who encounter it."

The story of the historical Buddha is seen as more of a hagiography than a biography - there is less emphasis on what it literal truth and what is myth because the role of the story of the Buddha is to portray a message and a greater understanding of Buddhism, not to be factual. It is less about who the Buddha was and more about what the Buddha represents. Buddhism doesn't really have a concept of divinity, unlike other religions like Christianity, the Buddha isn't the answer himself but he does a very good job at pointing us towards the answer. 

There are two levels to read the story at: the hagiographical level is the literal text with all the…