Suddhodana- Buddhist FigureMortal"King of the Shakyas"
Also known as: Śuddhodana, शुद्धोदन, 净饭王, and Jingfan Wang
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Description
He built three palaces of pleasure to shelter his son from all knowledge of suffering, but could not keep the prince from discovering old age, sickness, and death beyond the walls. When the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu, the king who had tried to cage a future buddha attained stream-entry.
Mythology & Lore
The Father Who Could Not Hold Back a Buddha
Suddhodana ruled the Shakyas from Kapilavastu in the Himalayan foothills. He married two sisters from the neighboring Koliya clan: Maya, who bore Siddhartha, and Mahapajapati Gotami, who raised the prince after Maya died seven days after giving birth.
The Prophecy and the Three Palaces
At Siddhartha's birth, the sage Asita prophesied that the child would become either a universal monarch or a fully awakened buddha. Suddhodana wanted a king, not a monk. He built three palaces, one for each season, and surrounded his son with youth and luxury. Guards ensured no aged, sick, or dead person came within the prince's sight. It did not work. Siddhartha slipped past the guards and saw what his father had hidden: an old man bent double, a corpse on a stretcher. The world Suddhodana had built collapsed in an evening.
The Night Departure
Siddhartha left in the night, abandoning his wife and newborn son. Suddhodana sent messengers after him. All failed. For six years the king lived knowing his heir wandered as a homeless ascetic, his household held together by Mahapajapati.
The Return
When news reached Kapilavastu that Siddhartha had attained enlightenment, Suddhodana sent messengers nine times. The first eight each became monks upon hearing the Buddha teach and forgot to deliver the invitation. Finally Kaludayin, a childhood friend of the prince, succeeded. The Buddha came home. Suddhodana, offended that his royal son was begging for alms in his own city, confronted him. The Buddha replied that this was the tradition of all buddhas. Suddhodana heard the dharma and attained stream-entry. Later, as he lay dying, the Buddha visited and taught him further. Suddhodana attained arhatship before death.