I have read that he met his son after his enlightenment, who then became a monk himself.
Did he likewise ever meet his parents or his wife again? How did that play out?
Also as a side question. Growing up, the sort of Buddhism in five minutes that you always learn in schools is that he was a prince who was sheltered from death, sickness and old age. Is this supported in the EBT, or is it some later teaching? What I have read so far is that he was indeed a prince or at least royal, and that his father gave him three palaces, one for each season. I have not read about the sheltering from old age, sickness and death though.
If you are not familiar with the Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, thatās something you can check out. The version of the DPPN on Sutta Central is quite slimmed down and I donāt believe it even includes the Buddhaās father. However the whole dictionary is on line. Here is his entry: http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/s/suddhodana.htm
You will notice that most of the citations include an A in them which indicates they are commentary. There is actually very little biographical info in the EBTs. The majority is found in the commentaries.
Thank you. Are the commentaries a part of the Pali Canon or are they written later?
I am probably in need of some sort of guide for how to navigate the Theravada system. I get that it is based upon the Pali Canon, but is later commentaries used or is everything in there somehow? Sorry for all of the questions!
