Lovely Stories on the Buddha, Snails, and a Spider

The Buddha, a lot of snails, and a spider

Lovely Buddha head image Elmar Hauck

The story of Prins Siddhartha Gautama

When I was a small girl living in Holland, my Mother told me about world religions.
I found the story about Buddha very fascinating, and my child’s imagination would travel in time and to that faraway country where Buddha lived. He was born as a prince in a place called Lumbini, which is in India close to the border of Nepal. Siddhartha Gautama was born about 2,600 years ago.

It was predicted that Siddharta could become a great ruler but also left open the possibility for him to become a spiritual leader. His royal parents wanted their son to follow them and become a powerful king. That is the reason why they shielded him from the outside world.

It then happened Siddharta did go outside the palace walls and encountered the real world. This left him profoundly touched as he was confronted with an extremely sick person,  the following day a very old man and then a dead person.

When venturing outside again on the next day he passed a man who was meditating. It seems their minds connected, and Siddharta realized that all he needed was within his own mind. He left his family and the royal palace behind him to be able to find his full enlightenment.

In the following 6 years, he visited many masters and teachers who showed him how to meditate. This did not satisfy him as he wanted to master his mind. That is why he decided to remain in meditation till finding enlightenment, a state he reached after 6 days and nights, just before his 35^th birthday. He traveled on foot during the following 45 years, teaching people of all social levels and castes.

Source: The Story of Buddha

Giant Buddha Statue image Welcome to all and thank you for your visit

Buddhism today

Worldwide one can see a growing interest in Buddhism, the Buddhist texts being translated into many languages. Up to 8% of the world population practice Buddhism. In China live approx 100 million Buddhists.

Real Buddhism is very tolerant of other religions and does not distinguish between Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. To come to the point of understanding and accepting our differences. There have been no wars in the name of Buddhism. Is that true? Not really, as even in this religion they have committed violent acts, but perhaps to a lesser extent than in other religions. We are all humans and sadly it seems to be part of us.

To lead a moral life. To be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions. To develop wisdom and understanding. The sad thing is that not everybody is as tolerant. Remember the destruction of the colossal Buddha statues by the Taliban in March 2001?

These big Statues were carved in the side of a cliff at a high of 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) and at about 230 kilometers from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Are you interested to know more about Buddhism?

This is not a hard book and is the best to introduce a beginner to the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. The writer, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, explains in clear and accessible language with a tic of his familiar sense of humor how to develop our innermost awareness. To gain a proper understanding of the nature of reality and heartfelt compassion for all beings.

A visit to the museum

When I was about 7 years old, my parents took me to an exhibition of Buddha statues which impressed me. I noticed that some statues showed a Buddha with snails on its head. My Mother noticed that and then she told me this story.

Pole covered with snails image Harry Stueber

Buddha used to meditate a lot and in doing so he would not be conscious of the time passing.
One day he had found a nice place under a tree. He was sitting in the shade. But as he meditated for many hours, he ended up sitting in the sun. He was not aware of the danger of suffering a sunstroke, but a snail passed by and recognizing him, did. The snail crept up and sat on top of his shaven head.

Soon more snails followed until Buddha’s head was completely covered. The snails getting the full sun, dried out but saved Buddha from getting a stroke.  That is the reason you often see a Buddha statue with snails on its head.

Here is a nice website where the snails are being called martyrs.
Another website gives a lengthy explanation of Buddha’s Coiffure, really nice.

Buddha and the spider

My Mother also told me another Buddha story.

Some bandits tried to capture Buddha, and he was running for his life through the forest. Suddenly he saw a cave with a big spider web at the entrance. Buddha had no choice, so he ran straight through the web and hid in the back of the cave. The spider had recognized him and understood Buddha was in danger. In a jiffy, she repaired her broken web.

The bandits reached the cave, and one of them said that Buddha must have gone into the cave. The other bandit said that that was not possible as the spiderweb was intact, so they left.

Crusader spider image Krzysztof Niewolny

The spider is a useful animal

This is one of the reasons one may not kill spiders. One can pick them up with a soft cloth and put them outside. They are useful animals as they catch annoying mosquitoes and the like. All animals have a place on our planet and are part of creation. We should respect that.

An Afterthought

We all come from the same source and we all go back there after our life here on earth. We should come to realize that we are all equal with the same rights and obligations. Doing that living in peace would become much easier.

Here is a nice video you might like to see.

Before you leave, you might like to have a look at Recommendations. It is a special page I have made for you with. A collection of things I like and find useful. I hope you will find something of your interest.

Source: My Life

Photo Source: Pixabay

Do you love animals? Perhaps you like to read Cindy’s story. The end is sad, but she had a good life and was loved.

The Good Years With Cindy, My Lovely Rottweiler Lady