慈音雜誌電子報

There were much auspiciousness when Buddha was born
佛陀誕生，諸多瑞相
We talked about the leaders’ spiritual implications in the last section. Now we are talking about our spiritual leader-the Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born a prince of Kapililavstu in central and northern ancient India (now in southern Nepal) 2,500 years ago, around the eighth day of April, 470 B.C. (according to Master Yin-shun’s calculation, it was said B.C. 556), and was named Siddhartha. His mother, Queen Maya passed away seven days after his birth. He was brought up by his mother’s sister.
前段我們談到領袖的精神涵意，最後談到精神領袖佛陀，佛教創始者釋迦牟尼佛在二千五百餘年前，約西元前470年（依印順導師所推算，也有記載西元前556年）的四月八日，誕生在古印度中北部的迦毗羅衛國的王子（今尼泊爾南方）取名悉達多，太子誕生後七天，母后聖母摩耶夫人就往生，由姨母養育成人。

According to the sutra named Madhyamagama (the middle Agama Sutra), when the Buddha was born, the earth shook, the world yielded a radiant glow, and there was a shower of cool and warm fragrant rain from the sky to clean his body.
Numerous various colorful lotus blooms from the sky scattered on the ground, all the flowers, plants and trees were exuberant, all the flowers were in full bloom, and all the animals looked toward the direction of his birthplace. Soon after the Buddha came to the world, he made seven steps toward four directions, and lotus bloomed under his tiny feet. Then he said a verse:
“Between the heaven and the world, the greatest thing is the inherent Buddha nature.”
據《中阿含經》所載，佛降生時，大地震動，天地大放光明，天空降下一冷一熱香水，洗淨太子之身，天空落下無數的各種顏色蓮花，散於地上，所有花草樹木皆生氣盎然，百花盛開，所有動物皆往出生地方向注視。佛生下即向四方各行走七步，地上湧出蓮花，並說了一偈：「天上天下，唯我本有的佛性最為尊貴。」

When the Buddha was born, it stated in “The Records of Unusual Events” of “The History of Jhou Dynasty”：“When King Jhou-Jhao was going to the court to summon courtiers, suddenly, the earth quaked, and lofty brightness glowing from the sky. The king was frightened and asked the historiographer (officer), Su-you, what strange signs they were. Su-you answered and predicted that a saint was born in the west whose name was Buddha, and his holy teaching would transmit to China one thousand years later. Then the king command people to place inscription recording the fact outside the town of Luoyang.” The stele was excavated during the King Han-Ming dynasty.
佛誕生時，《周書異記》記載：「周昭王正上朝召見群臣，忽大地震動，天空毫光萬丈，帝驚，問天文官周太史蘇由，是何異相？蘇預言答曰，西域有聖人降生，是名為佛，一千年後聖教將傳中國。王命人立碑記事於洛陽城外。」此碑於漢明帝時被挖出。(下期待續)