Enlightenment

• Whilst living as an ascetic Siddhartha went to bathe in the river
• At the river siddhartha saw a girl who offered him a bowl of milk
• Siddhartha realised his ascetic life could not lead him to happiness
• Siddhartha was too weak to even meditate so he took the milk
• Siddhartha learned an important lesson that his extravagant lifestyle could not protect him from suffering but his ascetic life could not make him happy
• Siddhartha knew he could only be happy by living a way in between self indulgence and self torture
• This is known as the middle way
• Siddhartha sat beneath the Bohdi tree and meditated
• Siddhartha was determined not to move until he was enlightened
• Siddhartha was visited by the demon of destruction Mara
• The buddha was enlightened at 35
• He had experience wealth and poverty and then lived the middle way
• Mars tried to distract and tempt the Buddha to stop meditating but siddhartha did not give in
• After 12 hours of mediation siddhartha became enlightened