Gautam Buddha’s Journey - Aradhy Mohan Jalan

Gautama Buddha's journey from prince to spiritual teacher is a profound tale of enlightenment and compassion. Born as Siddhartha Gautama around 563 BCE in Lumbini (present-day Nepal), he was destined for greatness. Despite his privileged upbringing, Siddhartha became aware of human suffering and sought a path to alleviate it.

At the age of 29, he renounced his royal comforts, leaving behind his palace and family, including his wife and newborn son. He embarked on a quest for truth, guided by a deep inner calling to understand the nature of existence, suffering, and the way to liberation.

For six years, Siddhartha wandered through forests and engaged in rigorous ascetic practices with various teachers. Despite his severe discipline, he did not find the answers he sought. Realizing the futility of extreme austerity, he decided to meditate under a bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar.

On the full moon night of Vesakha, at the age of 35, Siddhartha attained enlightenment. Sitting in deep meditation, he achieved profound insights into the nature of suffering (dukkha), its causes (craving and ignorance), and the path to its cessation (the Eightfold Path). Thus, he became the Buddha, the "Awakened One."

For the next 45 years, Buddha travelled across northern India, teaching the Dharma (the path to liberation) to all who would listen—kings, nobles, merchants, and the marginalized. He founded the Sangha, a community of monks and nuns who dedicated themselves to the practice and dissemination of his teachings.

Buddha's teachings emphasized the Four Noble Truths—suffering exists, suffering arises from attachment to desires, suffering ceases when attachment to desires ceases, and the Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.

Gautama Buddha's journey from prince to enlightened teacher continues to inspire millions worldwide, transcending time and culture with its message of compassion, mindfulness, and the pursuit of inner peace.

Aradhya Mohan Jalan 

Sunbeam School, Lahartara 

Leader - Arfa Khan

The leader should be chosen by their intellect, not by their looks- The partridge was the smallest in size yet it was chosen as the leader.

Self-realization and Respect- The animals realized that considering themselves superior is not going to work out and decided that there should be an authoritarian figure whom they will be willing to respect. 

Mutual agreement is necessary- The animals made a collective decision to choose the leader based on who the oldest was. Mutual agreement promotes harmony, fairness, and cooperation in various aspects of life.

Importance of leadership- Leadership provides guidance, vision, and direction to individuals and maintains order. Without it, there is a possibility of mishap. A true leader will work with the people to inspire and motivate them to achieve their full potential.

Arfa Khan

Grade 9

Ahlcon Public School

Jataka Tales 📹 - Parth Tulsyan

What are Jataka Tales?

Sunday School Reflections From Jataka Tales- 

1. Why do we read about the Jataka Tales?

2. Did the story connect with you today, and why? 

3. What learnings can we take from the story "The Guilty Dogs"?

4. Thinking calmly and not hastily

5. Being Humble

 

What Are Jataka Tales? - Tejas Kumar

Jataka tales are ancient Buddhist stories recounting the previous lives of Gautama Buddha. These tales, numbering over 500, depict moral dilemmas and lessons through various characters, often animals or humans. 

Each story revolves around virtues like compassion, generosity, and wisdom, reflecting Buddhist teachings. Jataka tales serve as both entertainment and moral instruction, conveying ethical principles and spiritual wisdom to audiences across cultures.

Tejas Kumar

Grade- IX

Sunbeam School, Lahartara

The Guilty Dogs -Saksham Agrawal

The Guilty Dogs' story reflects that you should not follow four evil practices-  Partiality, Ignorance, Anger, and Disliking others. You should stand for injustice, not easily pass judgment, and think you are always right. You should listen to everyone.

Dogs were far better than humans in the story we can reflect that dogs were behaving very rationally and did not react very easily and fast. They did not bite the king even after the king behaved very bad.

-Saksham Agrawal IX 

Sunbeam Hostel, Lahartara

Jataka Tales - Pranjal Yadav

Jatakas were the tales that were probably composed by ordinary people, and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks. Jataka stories are mostly related to previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.

Jataka tales are extremely popular stories of the former lives of the Buddha, which are preserved in all branches of Buddhism. Some Jataka tales are scattered in various sections of the Pali canon of Buddhist writings

-Pranjal Yadav 

 -Vlll 'A'

Sunbeam Hostels Lahartara

Pain Is Compulsory But Suffering Is An Option - Rishona Chopra

Pain is compulsory, it is a part of life and can't be changed, but do we let that pain affect our mind and turn it into suffering? Pain is the truth of life. It is something we can't change. There is a term that is used in Buddhism that is - 

Dukkha: Life is painful and causes suffering. Many people might say that Buddhism is pessimistic or negative.

The challenge is dealing with the pain. We let the pain get to our minds and convert into suffering. Suppose a person regularly has negative life experiences from a series of body illnesses. In that case, that means she has negative energy inside her due to some adverse action of her immediate or far-off past. This negative energy is at the present moment coming back to her in the form of negative scenes in her life. 

                             "We are healed of suffering only by experiencing it fully."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School