Queen Māyā's white elephant dream, and the conception of the Buddha. Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE.

Queen Māyā was the birth mother of the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha of the Gautama gotra, and sister of Mahapajapati Gotami the first woman ordained by the Buddha. "Māyā" means "illusion" or "enchantment" in Sanskrit and Pāli. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā ("great Māyā") or Māyādevī ("Queen, literally 'goddess,' Māyā"). In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma. Queen Mayadevi was boen in Devadaha kingdom of ancient Nepal. Download high resolution version (1120x840, 156 KB)The dream of Maya, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ... Download high resolution version (1120x840, 156 KB)The dream of Maya, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ... Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गन्धार, Persian; Gandara, Waihind) (Urdu: گندھارا) is the name of an ancient Indian Mahajanapada, currently in northern Pakistan (the North-West Frontier Province and parts of northern Punjab and Kashmir) and eastern Afghanistan. ... Media:Example. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... A gotra (lit. ... Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ... Sanskrit ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ...

Marriage and Childbirth

Māyā married king Śuddhodana (Pāli: Suddhodana), the ruler of the Śākya clan of Kapilvastu. She was the daughter of King Śuddhodhana's uncle and therefore his cousin; her father was king of Devadaha. Suddhodana was the father of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. ... Śākya (Sanskrit) or Sakya (Pāli) is the name (derived from Sanskrit Å›akya, capable, able) of an Indo-Aryan-speaking nation or janapada of the (the so-called warrior caste). The Śākyas formed independent tribes or kingdoms near the foothills of the Himālayas. ... Kapilvastu, formerly Taulihawa (or, Kapilbastu Kapilvastu District), aprox. ...

The birth of the Buddha-to-be

The birth of Siddhārtha, Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE.

Queen Māyā and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Māyā dreamt of a white elephant entering her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva, in the Tuṣita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. Māyā gave birth to Siddharta c. 563 BCE. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park, Lumbini Zone. She was delighted by the park and she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time Prince Siddhārtha emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. She gave him his first bath in the Puskarini pond in Lumbini Zone. Siddhārtha means "He who has accomplished his goals" or "The accomplished goal". Download high resolution version (895x653, 368 KB)The birth of Siddharta, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ... Download high resolution version (895x653, 368 KB)The birth of Siddharta, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ... In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva (Pali: bodhisatta; Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: púsà; Japanese: 菩薩 bosatsu; Korean: ë³´ì‚´ bosal ; Tibetan changchub sempa (byang-chub sems-dpa); Vietnamese: Bồ Tát; Thai: พระโพธิสัตว์) is a being who is dedicated to assisting all sentient beings in achieving complete Buddhahood. ... Tuá¹£ita (Sanskrit) or Tusita (Pāli) is one of the six deva-worlds of the Kāmadhātu, located between the Yāma heaven and the Nirmāṇarati heaven. ... Japanese Palanquin Indian Palanquin A palanquin aka palkhi is a covered sedan chair (or litter) carried on four poles. ... Lumbini (Sanskrit for the lovely) is a Buddhist pilgrimage site located in Rupandehi District, Lumbini Zone of Nepal near the Indian border. ... Lumbini Zone is one of the 14 zones of Nepal and is home to Lumbini site, the birth place of Gautama Buddha. ... Lumbini Zone is one of the 14 zones of Nepal and is home to Lumbini site, the birth place of Gautama Buddha. ...

Queen Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Her sister Prajāpatī (Pāli: Pajāpatī or Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) became the child's foster mother. The Trāyastriṃśa (Sanskrit; Pāli Tāvatiṃsa) heaven is an important world of the devas in Buddhist cosmology. ... Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ...

After Prince Siddhartha had gained perfection and became the Buddha, he visited his mother in heaven for three months to pay respects and to teach the Dharma. Dharma (Sanskrit) or Dhamma (Pāli) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fǎ in Mandarin and hō in Japanese. ...

Religious parallels

Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpretation of the prophetic dream Queen Māyā is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Śuddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhārtha's conception. Nonetheless, this interpretation has lead to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

The story of the birth of the Buddha was known in the West, and possibly influenced the story of the birth of Jesus. Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Also a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth. Saint Jerome redirects here. ...

False etymologies

• The name Māyā is completely unrelated to Maria (Mary), which is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam.
• Also unrelated is the Greek goddess Maia, the mother of Hermes, whose name means "mother" in Greek. The fact that the planet Mercury is called Budha in Sanskrit is a coincidence; budha means "intelligent", and reflects the traditional association of gods of learning such as Mercury, Hermes, and Nabu with the planet Mercury. Budha is a different word from Buddha in sanskrit and is spelt differently.

According to the New Testament, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic מרים Maryām Bitter; Arabic مريم (Maryam); Septuagint Greek Μαριαμ, Mariam, Μαρια, Maria; Geez: ማሪያም, Māryām; Syriac: Mart, Maryam, Madonna), was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, who at the time of his conception was the betrothed wife of Saint Joseph (cf. ... Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed. ... Maia, in Greek mythology, is the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Nebo (god) be merged into this article or section. ... Media:Example. ...

See also

• Gautama Buddha
• History of Buddhism
• Mahapajapati Gotami

Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. ... Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ...

External links

• The Life of Buddha and the Art of Narration in Buddhist Thangka Paintings

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