BuddhismLesson 3

The Ploughing Festival

The Ploughing Festival

• Everyone gets dressed in special clothes– even the oxen pulling the plough are decorated with red flags and sashes!

• Everyone follows behind the oxen pulling ploughs in a long procession.• Women and girls carry offerings of rice and flowers. • After the procession, there are ceremonies where furrows are ploughed and rice is sown.

When he was very young, Siddhartha’s father, the king, had a festival to celebrate the start of the growing season. Siddhartha was carried to a shady spot by the field where the festival took place.

As he sat watching, Siddhartha noticed that the oxen pulling the ploughs were working very hard and suffering, while the people watching relaxed and enjoyed themselves.

Beyond the people watching, Siddhartha saw a lizard eating ants. A moment later, a bird swooped down and ate the lizard.

He was sad that, although he was happy and lived a life of luxury, those animals were suffering. He began to meditate….

While meditating, Siddhartha experienced his first moment of enlightenment. He realised that nothing in life is perfect. All living things suffer. This meant that even he, with his life of luxury, would eventually suffer too.

As he understood this, he also realised that he must spend his life searching for a way to overcome this suffering.

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths

1All human life involves suffering. This is known as ‘dukkha’. This does not mean humans are never happy. However, even

things that make us happy will eventually end. This is because the world is always changing (impermanent).

The Four Noble Truths

2The root of suffering is craving. This is the idea that

humans always want things; we are never satisfied. This leads to suffering as in an impermanent world we cannot get

everything we want.

The Four Noble Truths

3We can escape suffering if we learn to be contented and

stop craving. This state is known as nirvana. Buddha achieved this through his enlightenment.

The Four Noble Truths

4We can end suffering by following what Buddha described as

the ‘middle way’. This involves living a life which is somewhere between the luxurious life Buddha lived in the

palace and the poor, difficult life he lived as a holy man. This is also known as the ‘Eightfold Path’.

How does the story of the Ploughing Festival

remind you of the Four Noble Truths?

Task

1. Why did the king decide to hold the Ploughing festival?

2. As he was watching the festival, what did Siddhartha notice?

3. Why did Siddhartha feel sad?

4. While meditating, Siddhartha realised that all living things

suffer. What did that mean for him?

5. What did Siddhartha realise he must do?