1. Correspondence between the Chinese calendar, the solar calendar and the modern (Gregorian) calendar.

2. Three life patterns of Sakyamuni and his ordained followers

3. Everyday lifestyle

(a) Lifestyle basics

(b) Period of the everyday lifestyle

(c) Clothing

(d) Food

(e) Dwelling

(f) Medicine

(g) The daily schedule

(h) Religious training

4. Saṃgha events, etc.

(a) Monthly events

(b) Yearly events

(c) Relations between bhikkhus and bhikkhunis

5. Life during the rainy season (vassāvāsa）

(a) Reasons for deciding on the rainy season retreat system

(b) The period of the rainy season retreat

(c) The food situation during the rainy season retreat

(d) When did people arrive at the site of the rainy season retreat

(e) Determining the site of the rainy season retreat

(f) When people left the site of the rainy season retreat

(g) The place where the rainy season retreat was held

(h) Life during the rainy season retreat

(i) Living in a group or living as an individual

6. The wandering (cārika) life

(a) The reason that wandering was chosen

(b) The purpose of wandering

(c) When did wandering take place?

(d) Means of transport

(e) Lodgings

(f) Number of people undertaking wandering

(g) The distance travelled in a day

(h) Period spent wandering and the distance travelled

(i) Life during wandering

(j) Routes

7. Living cycle of Sakyamuni and his ordained followers (approximate goals)

8. Conclusion

These are the notes prepared for the keynote address given by Mori Shōji at the symposium held on December 13, 2002, to which the Venerable Alubomulle Sumanasara of the Japan Theravada Buddhist Association was invited. The symposium was entitled "What kind of life did Sakyamuni lead? Considering the question with the Venerable Sumanasara."

Mori first presented information about the precise items concerning the lives of Sakyamuni and his ordained followers listed in the contents, compiled from the early Buddhist scriptural sources. The Venerable Sumanasara then made comments as a Sri Lankan monk of the Theravada School, which retains the tradition of Shakyamuni's Buddhism most closely of all the Buddhist sects, and as the author of a large number of books. Details of these comments are not included here, but the Venerable Sumanasara expressed his full approval of Mori's keynote report.