The 12 deeds of Shakyamuni Buddha

Buddha Shakyamuni manifested the 12 deeds, as do all buddhas, as implicit teachings for the beings of our world system, in addition to the explicit teachings he gave during his life. Ven. George Churinoff said, "Through the various deeds he showed that that we too, born from a mother's womb as the Buddha seemed to be, can attain enlightenment. The Buddha's deeds of leaving his family and palace and his passing away into parinirvana are obvious teachings to his disciples about renunciation and impermanence, for example."

There are different authentic versions of these 12, which usually mean that two deeds which are presented separately according to one list are combined into one according to another. The deeds depicted in the September Mandala follow the order presented in His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Opening the Eye of New Awareness (published by Wisdom Publications.)

These depictions of the 12 deeds can be found in the Memorial Shrine, at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California. They were painted in panels seven feet above the ground by Thubten Gelek and assistant Ngawang Kunkhen, who began their work in early 2000 and finished mid 2001.

Shown here is Deed 4: Prince Siddhartha becomes skilled in the arts and playing the sports of youth in the city of Shakya.

The full beautifully illustrated pictorial essay of the Buddha's deeds can be found in the September issue of Mandala