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If you talk to Buddhists from different countries and teachings they will tell you basically the story you know. From what I understand the Buddha was a son of nobility and he was spared from witnessing any suffering. His world was a very voilent he was raised away in a compound where the world came to him filtered. When he finally saw the suffering that exists in the world he was shocked. The reality of the world was very different from what he was lead to believe.
He did become enlightened under the bodhi tree http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/bod ... _tree.html
Life is suffering it is not an excuse for creating suffering. I interpret it to mean that yeah bad things happen it happens to everyone and nothing is forever. I don't balme karma when things are not going my way it is as I say in my vows a manifestation of the three jewels Buddha, Dharma and Sanga.
Pema Chödrön books give guidance and acceptance of suffering Tonglen: The Path of Transformation - The Places that Scare You - When Things Fall Apart. She is very sensitive and funny.
http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/

The Buddha in the story was Buddha Shakyamuni.
The next Buddha will be Maitreya.
....Eventually the time will come for Maitreya to appear as the fifth universal Buddha of this world age and turn the wheel of dharma for the benefit of all. This will come about in the following manner. In the future, because of the growth of delusion, the beings living in this world will degenerate. Their lifespan will decrease and be filled with much suffering. When the human life expectancy has shortened to only ten years, Maitreya will manifest in the form of a great spiritual leader and demonstrate the path of virtue. He will particularly spread the teachings on loving kindness and, as a result, the fortune of the beings in this world will begin to change. As they gradually give up their deluded attitudes and harmful behaviour, their lifespan will increase. After a great many ages the life expectancy of humans will grow enormously and then slowly decrease again until the human lifespan is about a hundred years. According to the prophesies of all the Buddhas and his own promise, this will be the time when Maitreya Buddha will appear in this world as a universal teacher.
http://www.fpmt-osel.org/teachings/maitreya.htm

this will be the time when Maitreya Buddha will appear in this world as a universal teacher. [/quote

Tri-me- please tell when time wise this is supposed to happen? How the teacher is going to do that? what kind of authority, channels and ways is he going to use? What are the pupils of the teacher going to do when the teaching is done/compleated? What is going to happen to the teacher?

In that web site is says 30,000 yrs I don't know for how many years this has been stated. My friend/teacher who is from Malaysia (I say this because Buddhists from different countries and teachings have slight differences) told me that when Maityrea returns the world will be a very different place, unrecognizable to us.

Their lifespan will decrease and be filled with much suffering. When the human life expectancy has shortened to only ten years,

yikes

I am not sure how this will manifest, an advanced teacher might know. Chogyam Trumpa Rimpoche brought the Shamabhala teachings to North America which were a transmission he received. I started studying Buddhism this past October before this I participated in Shambhala training.

Cheerful Sunday morning. This came to me via e-mail, it touches (lightly) on why things happen to us through our lives. Boss I thought of you when I read this.

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week
July 30, 2005
CONDITIONAL SUDDEN ENLIGHTENMENT
People talk about sudden enlightenment, a sudden glimpse, satori and all
kinds of other spiritual attainments. But those things require the
conditions for you to pull yourself together. You need to be in the right
frame of work, so to speak, and frame of mind to experience such a thing.
So-called sudden enlightenment needs enough preparation for it to be
sudden. Otherwise, it can't be sudden. If you have a sudden accident in
your motor car, you have to be driving in your car. Otherwise, you can't
have the accident. That is the whole point: whenever we talk about
suddenness and sudden flashes of all kinds, we are talking in terms of
conditional suddenness, conditional sudden enlightenment.
Sudden enlightenment is dependent on the slow growth of the spiritual
process, the growth of commitment, discipline and experience. This takes
place not only in the sitting practice of meditation alone, but also
through the life-long experience of dealing with your wife, your husband,
your kids, your parents, your job, your money, your sex life, your
aggressive life, whatever you have. You have to deal with everything you
experience in your life, and you have to work with and learn from those
situations. Then, the gradual process is almost inevitable, and we could
almost say quite safely at this point that scholastically and
experientially there is no such thing as sudden enlightenment in Buddhism
at all.

From "Meditation and the Fourth Moment," an unpublished talk given on July 5, 1974, within the course THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST PATH at the Naropa Institute (now Naropa University). Rough edit by Carolyn Gimian.

Of interest to our readers: Since its publication earlier this year, THE
SANITY WE ARE BORN WITH has sold out two printings and the publisher is going back for a third printing. To get a copy, go to http://ChogyamTrungpa.com

Tri-me,

Thanks for your piece. It's fantastic and I agree with the bulk of it. To attain a state of inner contentedness, a state of at-one-ness with the world often takes time. In most novels you read or movies you watch the hero/heroine goes through many transformations, much internal psycho-analysis to reach the desired state. Think back to Luke Skywalker in the original 'Star Wars'. Of his teaching and conditioning. I'm not sure about absolute enlightenment. I believe we are ever growing, always learning.

Joseph Campbell, an American academic who specialized in world mythology and religion wrote a book called 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces'. In it he spoke of the trials and tribulations the hero must endure to be ready for the deed. That deed could be slaying a dragon or freeing a nation. You see, we are all heroes, even living in our insulated boxes of today. Each of us (as your article inferred) must pass through phases or levels to be ready. It is growth, even as one reaches into old age. It is all learning. We are all heroes. And while it may take some time to chip away at pain and suffering, it is courage and Love that endures; the courage and Love from within, that gives us the strength. And I reiterate, money can't do it. Only Love.

Boss,

Sorry to interrupt, but Luke Skywalker? C'mon.

Sorry Linda.

Was searching for a well-known, archetypal figure. His is so clear cut. Any way, I like Star Wars!! Did you have to be one of the 'cool chicks' at school Linda? Nothing daggy come your way. Everything had to be 'cool'. So predictable.

Boss

Nice try, Boss.

For you not to criticise savagely, it was more than a 'try'. What is it with you anyway? You've been on my case 'something chronic'. Do I piss you off that much? The paradox is that the more insult I receive, the stronger I become. It just shows your desperation. Take the above case for instance. I assure people that we all have a hero path and say that Love is bigger than money. The general gist is positive and forward-looking. And you go picking at something that had only a modicum of importance. Luke Skywalker could have been any person, even you. But you pick at the unimportant fact 'cos you're desperate and are unable to speak about love in a genuine way. From the heart. From a knowing, all-encompassing, intuitive place. You rather crack jokes about a character I happen to choose to illustrate a point. Pathetic. What is the matter? What really is the problem? If you are, as you imply sarcastically, 'all grown up' (Luke Skywalker is just a bit too much for YOU), be a woman of stature and give some wisdom. Open up and tell us about you...

Good gracious!

Boss, if that's any example of speaking from a "knowing, all-encompassing, intuitive place" include me out.

YdF

P.S. Even when I was a kid I recognized Star Wars to be warmed-up pantheism. Lucas said he made Star Wars to introduce Americans to Buddhism. Enjoyed the story but I knew that taking your hands off the instruments and "using the force" was a recipe for crashing and burning.

Didn't like all that kowtowing to royalty either.

Tsk, tsk, Linda.

Am I correct in thinking Luke Skywalker was born of a virgin?

Oh. Hullow, whom have we here? Is it? Is it really?...Curley, Larry and Moe??? And in one room.

Linda.

But you pick at the unimportant fact 'cos you're desperate and are unable to speak about love in a genuine way.

personal attacks are really unkind. Linda has the right to dusagree, as everyone else does, no need to attack her as a loving caring person that you say you are this is out of order tisk tisk.

Lucas said he made Star Wars to introduce Americans to Buddhism

what????????? Did they have Buddhism for dummies in the 70's, did George Lucas attend a one week-end seminar and say hey I think I've got it. Buddhists are against violence so this would have been a poor representatin. The force is not like our Buddha nature, our Buddha nature is not used to be destructive and conquor our enemies. We are taught to love our enemies. The practice of meditation and studying dharma is the best action against our enemies.

Perth wrote:Am I correct in thinking Luke Skywalker was born of a virgin?

NOOooooo..... from seventy-two virgins. Seventy-two different parts that were assembly by the Force while they were giving birth all together. This because Darth Vader is doing asthma and had to rely on technology to procreate. This is why also Luke and Princess Leia are twins but don't look alike. This will be explained in details in Star Wars Part LXVIIXX. Also Chewbacca and Yoda will marry. Don't miss it.