Shakyamuni Buddha was originally a prince of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapilavastu, born approximately 2600 years ago. It is said that the king, Śuddhodana, and his queen, Māyā, had no children for a long time after their marriage. One night, Queen Māyā dreamt of a white elephant with six tusks entering her womb through her right side. King Śuddhodana summoned Brahmins skilled in interpreting dreams to the palace. They said, “ Queen Māyā will give birth to a prince with the thirty-two marks of a great man, radiating with majesty. If the prince inherits the throne, he will become a universal monarch; if he renounces worldly life to practice, he will attain enlightenment and become a Buddha, renowned throughout the ten directions.“

佛陀原是古印度迦毗罗卫国的太子，约2600年前诞生。据传，迦毗罗卫国的国王净饭王与王后摩耶夫人婚后久久无子。有一夜，摩耶夫人做了个梦，梦到一头六牙白象从她的右肋进入胎中。净饭王召集了一些精通相学的婆罗门入宫解梦。相师们说：“ 摩耶夫人必定会生下一位具足三十二相、身相庄严的太子。如果太子继承王位，将会是一位统一天下的圣王；若是出家修行，则会悟道成佛，名闻十方。“

After ten months of pregnancy, according to ancient Indian customs, Queen Māyā returned to her parental home for childbirth. While passing through the Lumbini Garden, she rested by holding onto a branch of a sal tree, and unexpectedly, the prince was born from her right side.

经过十月怀胎，临产时，摩耶夫人依照古印度习俗回娘家待产。途经蓝毗尼园时，摩耶夫人将右手攀在一棵无忧树的树枝上略作休息，没想到太子就自摩耶夫人的右肋出世了。

Auspicious Signs at the Birth of the Buddha

佛陀出世，天现吉祥之象

It is said that as soon as the prince was born, he took seven steps in each of the four directions, and lotus flowers bloomed where he stepped. He then stopped, pointed one hand to the sky and the other to the earth, and said, “ In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am the honored one.“ After these words, nine dragons appeared in the sky, spouting water from their mouths to bathe the prince, signifying various auspicious signs at the birth of Prince Siddhartha.

据传，太子一出生就向四方各行走七步，踩过的地方都冒出莲花来。当他停下脚步后，便一手指天一手指地，说：“ 天上天下，唯我独尊。“ 语毕，天空出现了九条龙，从口中吐出水来为太子沐浴，这便是悉达多太子出生时的各种祥瑞之象。

King Śuddhodana named the prince Siddhartha, meaning “ one who has accomplished all goals,“ signifying wealth, auspiciousness, and the fulfillment of all virtues. Queen Māyā passed away seven days after giving birth to the prince and was reborn in the Trayastrimsha heaven. Thus, Prince Siddhartha was raised by his aunt.

净饭王为太子起名为悉达多，即是“ 吉财“ 、“ 吉祥“ 、“ 一切功德成就“ 的意思。摩耶夫人在产下太子七天后去世，投生到忉利天中，因此，悉达多太子是由姨妈养育长大的。

When is the Buddha's Birthday?
佛诞日是哪一天？

In ancient times, due to the lack of developed writing and detailed records, combined with differences in regional calendars and errors from calendar conversions, the dates of Buddha's birthday vary. In regions influenced by Chinese and Northern Buddhism such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea, Buddha's birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. However, after the Meiji Restoration, Japan changed Buddha's birthday to the eighth day of April in the Gregorian calendar.

古时候，由于文字并不发达，缺乏详尽的记载，再加上各地历法不同，以及历法转换时所产生的误差，因此各地的佛诞日不尽相同。在汉传佛教及北传佛教所流传的台湾、中国、香港、日本、韩国等地，佛诞日为农历四月初八日。但日本自明治维新后，将佛诞日由农历改为公历，因此日本现今的佛诞日为公历四月八日。

In regions influenced by Theravada Buddhism, such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, Buddha's birthday, when converted to the Chinese calendar, falls on the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month. Theravada Buddhists believe that the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death all occurred on the same day, which they celebrate as Vesak.

至于南传佛教所流传的新加坡、泰国、马来西亚、印尼、缅甸 、越南等地的佛诞日，换算成汉历则是农历四月十五日。由于南传佛教认为佛陀诞生、出家、成道、涅槃都在同一天，因此他们并不称那一天为佛诞日，而称为卫塞节。

In Tibetan Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan, and Mongolia, Buddha's birthday is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar. The entire fourth month of the Tibetan calendar is referred to as “Saga Dawa.“

在藏传佛教盛行的西藏、不丹、蒙古等地，则将佛诞日订于藏历的四月十五日，同时也将整个藏历四月称为“萨嘎达瓦节“。

The Story of Shakyamuni Buddha: The Path to Enlightenment
释迦牟尼佛的故事：释迦牟尼得道的由来

Prince Siddhartha was intelligent, wise, and eager to learn, excelling in both civil and military skills. At about 16 years old, he married Princess Yasodhara, the eldest daughter of King Suppabuddha. At 29, his son Rahula was born.

悉达多太子聪颖、智慧又好学，文武兼修。约16岁时，娶邻国善觉王的长女耶输陀罗公主为妻。29岁时，儿子罗睺罗出生。

One day at the age of 29, while on a tour outside the palace, the prince saw the sufferings of old age, sickness, and death, and was deeply troubled. He was also moved by the serene demeanor of a wandering ascetic. This led him to ponder the way to overcome suffering, but he couldn't find the answers. Admiring the ascetic's liberation, he decided to leave the palace on a full moon night, riding a horse to embark on the path of ascetic practice.

29岁时的某一天，太子离开皇城在外巡游，因为看见老人、病人、死者的各种苦状，感到闷闷不乐，同时也为修行者所显现的超然威仪而感动。自此，他便经常思索离苦得乐之道，却苦思不得其解，再加上对修行者的解脱威仪感到倾慕，于是便在某个月圆之夜，骑上马离开皇宫，踏上修行之路。

Six Years of Seeking and Still No Liberation.
寻师问道六年，仍然不得解脱

After Siddhartha's departure, King Śuddhodana sent people to persuade him to return, but the prince was unwavering in his determination to practice. King Śuddhodana then sent five attendants—Ajnata Kaundinya, Ashvajit, Vaspa, Mahanama, and Bhadrika—to protect him. These five attendants, moved by the prince's resolve, decided to follow him in his ascetic practices. These five attendants are later known as the “Five Bhikkhus,“ the first disciples of the Buddha after his enlightenment.

知道悉达多太子出走之后，净饭王多次派人劝说，希望他能回心转意，但太子表现出坚定不移的修行决心，不为所动。净饭王只好派出阿若憍陈如、跋提、跋波、摩诃男、阿说示等五位侍者，随身保护太子。五位侍者深受太子求道的决心所感动，决心追随他苦行修道，这五位侍者便是后人所称的“五比丘”，也是佛陀成道后的第一批弟子。

In his quest for liberation, Prince Siddhartha studied under many teachers. However, after six years, he still had not attained liberation from suffering. He then led the Five Bhikkhus into the forest to practice extreme asceticism.

为了寻求解脱之道，悉达多太子遍访名师，然而，经过六年的寻师问道，仍然无法解脱烦恼，于是他便带领着五比丘进入苦行林，修行各种极端的苦行。

From Extreme Asceticism to the Middle Way.
由苦行转修中道

After six years of extreme asceticism, subsisting on a single grain of rice and wheat a day, Siddhartha became emaciated and weak. One day, he collapsed by the Nairanjana River due to exhaustion. A shepherd girl passing by fed him milk-rice, which restored his strength.

苦行了六年，悉达多太子一天只吃一麻一粟，整个人变得瘦骨嶙峋、虚弱不堪。某天，他拖着虚弱的身体来到尼连禅河边，竟因体力不支而昏倒，正巧一名牧羊女经过，以羊乳粥喂食太子，太子这才慢慢恢复过来。

After regaining his strength, the prince realized that extreme asceticism was not the path to liberation. He decided to abandon it in favor of the Middle Way, avoiding attachment to extremes of indulgence and asceticism. The Five Bhikkhus, misunderstanding his abandonment of asceticism as a loss of resolve, left him.

恢复体力后，太子意识到苦行并非离苦得乐之道，决定放弃苦行，改采不执著于“有无、苦乐、是非、生灭”的中道。五比丘误以为太子是因为失去道心而放弃苦行，深感失望，便离他而去。

Later, Siddhartha arrived at Bodh Gaya, where he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree, vowing, “ I will not rise from this seat until I have attained supreme enlightenment.“

后来，悉达多太子来到菩提伽耶，在一棵菩提树下打坐入定，发誓“ 不达究竟正觉，终不起座。“ 。

Enlightenment Under the Bodhi Tree.
夜见明星，顿时开悟

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, after 49 days of meditation, Siddhartha attained enlightenment upon seeing the morning star. He entered into the four stages of deep meditation and realized the Four Noble Truths and the ultimate truth, attaining supreme enlightenment. This is how Prince Siddhartha became the Buddha.

腊月八日，就在悉达多太子禅定至第49天夜半之时，因看见夜空中的明星而觉悟，入四种禅，悟得三明四谛，证得无上正等正觉，这即是悉达多太子成佛的由来。

After his enlightenment, the Buddha went to the Deer Park in Sarnath to teach. His first audience was the Five Bhikkhus, to whom he taught the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path. This event is known in Buddhist history as the “First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.“ The Five Bhikkhus, realizing their misunderstanding, became the first disciples of the Buddha, forming the earliest monastic community. As the community grew, the teachings of the Buddha spread widely, and Buddhism began to flourish.

悟道之后，佛陀前往鹿野苑传道，第一次传法的对象为五比丘，所宣说的内容为“中道”、“四圣谛”、“八正道”，这便是佛教史上所谓的“初转法轮”。五比丘在听完佛陀的开示之后，解开了对佛陀的误会，成为佛陀的第一批弟子，也形成了最早的僧团。后来僧团逐渐扩张，佛陀的声名也逐渐传扬开来，佛教便随之广传于世。