THE CHILDHOOD OF THE PRINCE

The prince grew up to be kind and generous. He was liked by all. When still in his early years, Prince Siddhartha witnessed a bird carrying a worm that had been turned up by the farmer’s plough. This sight caused him to think about the unhappy situation of creatures which were killed by other creatures for food.
Seated under a rose apple tree the young prince experienced the joy of mediation. At another time, the compassionate prince saved the life of a swan which had been woulded by devadatta’s arrow. As a prince, young Siddhartha received and education in the arts and sciences and mastered the art of war and the royal sports of his time.
Witness (v) chứng kiến, Plough (n) lưỡi cày, Sight (n) thấy, kiến, Situation (n) hoàn cảnh, tình huống, Seat (n) an tọa, Experience (v) từng trải, Meditation (n) tham thiền, Creatures (n) chúng sanh, Joy (n) niềm an lạc, Compassionate (a) từ bi, Receive (v) chấp, nhận lấy, Turned up (v) thị hiện, xuất hiện, Worm (n) con sâu, loài động vật thấp sinh, Royal (a) thuộc hoàng gia, Education (n) nền giáo dục, giáo pháp ngữ, Swan (n) con ngan, con ngỗng, Wound (v) bị thương, Arrow (n) mũi tên, Arts (n) nghệ thuật, Science (n) khoa học, Master (v) quán triệt, ngộ, War (n) chiến tranh, Sports (n) thể thao

THE NAMING CEREMONY

Five days after the birth of the prince, many wise men were invited to the palace for the Naming Ceremony. They looked at the marks on the child’s body. Seven wise men raised two fingers and said that the prince would either become a Great King or a Buddha. The youngest, Kondana, raised only one finger and said that the prince would become a Buddha. The prince was then given the name “Siddhartha” by the wise men, which meant “wish- fulfilled”.
Seven days after the birth of her child, Queen Maha Maya passed away. Pajapati Gotami, her younger sister, who was also married to King suddhodana, brought up the prince as her own child.

Vocabulary
Naming Ceremony (n) Lễ đặt tên, mark (n) dấu vết, palace (n) lâu đài, raise (v) nâng lên, giơ lên, finger (n) ngón tay, Buddha (n) Phật, Kondanna (n) Kiều Trần Như, wish- fulfilled (a) thành tựu như ý, pass away (v) qua đời, Maha Pajapati Gotami (n) Bà xà ba đề, bring up (v) nuôi dưỡng.

THE BIRTH OF PRINCE SIDDHARTHA

A long time ago in India, there lived a king named Suddhodana and a queen named Maha Maya. They were both good and kind people. One full moon night, the Queen dreamt of four devas. They carried her to a lake, to rest on a soft bed. A white elephant carrying a lotus flower went round her three times and disappeared into her. Wise men explained that the Queen was going to give birth to a prince.
When the time came for the baby to be born, Queen Maha Maya left the palace with the attendants to go back to her parent’s home to give birth to the baby. On the way, they passed by a beautiful park called Lumbini Garden. Queen Maha Maya a took a rest in the garden. While she was standing up and holding on to a tree she gave birth to the baby.
The birth took place on the fifth month of Vesakha, on a full moon day in 623 BC. We call it Vesak or Buddha Day. Queen Maha Maya then returned to the palace with her baby prince. King Suddhodana was very happy and celebrated the birth of the baby with his people all over the country.
Vocabulary
Deva: chư thiên, Rest: an, xả, Lotus:hoa sen, Prince:hoàng tử, Attendant: thị gỉa, Lumbini: vườn Lâm Tỳ Ni,Vesak: lễ mừng đản sanh Phật, Return: trở về, Celebrate: phụng nguyện, Explain: minh giảng, Appear: thị hiện.

WHO WAS THE BUDDHA

THE COUNTRY WHERE THE BUDDHA GREW UP
To find out who the Buddha was, you need to go back to the beginning. The Buddha lived in India more than two thousand five hundred years ago. His teachings are known as Dharma. Even as a boy, Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, liked to meditate. This is how he became enlightened. His teachings help people to live wisely and happily.
The hero of our story is Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, who lived more than 2500 years ago. His father was the Rajah of the Sakya clan, King Suddhodana, and his mother was Queen Maha Maya. They live in India, in a city called Kapilavatthu, in the foothills of the Himalayas. They belonged to the Indian warrior caste.
vocabulary
Buddha (n) Phật, India (n) Ấn Độ, Teachings (n) giáo pháp, Buddhism (n) Đạo Phật, Siddhartha (Tất Đạt Đa), Meditate (v) thiền định, enlightened (a) đã giác ngộ, wise (a) có trí huệ, Rajah (n) vua hay hoàng tử, sakya (n) Dòng Thích Ca, Gautama (n) Cồ Đàm, Suddhodana (n) vua Tịnh Phạn, Mahan Maya (n) hoàng hậu Ma-da, Kapilavatthu (n) Thành Ca tỳ La Vệ, Himalayas (n) Hy mã lạp sơn, warrior (chiến binh), caste (n) giai cấp, belonged to (v) thuộc về thành phần, clan (n) dòng họ.