Who is e Buddha? | |||
THE BUDDHA Buddhism is a way of life, a religion which is based on the practice of discipline according to the teachings of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama who is also known as the Buddha Sakyamuni. e word "Buddha" derives from the root Sanskrit word "Budh" which means "to know". It is used as a title to denote an "Enlightened Being" -- one who has attained, by, his own personal efforts and merit, the pinnacle of intel ect and divine knowledge. Buddhism is a religion of peace and loving kindness, in the name of which no blood was ever shed in its long history, there had never been any association with kil ing and destruction in its manner of persuading people to walk its gentle path. It is a religion of reason and meditation and its final goal is Deliver- ance, meaning the Liberation of the Self from the cycle of birth, old age, disease and death. ho is e uddha? Historical y, this refers to Siddharta Gautama who was born in 560 BC to Queen Mahamaya and King Suddhodanna of the Sakya Kingdom in the vicinity of Nepal. e queen had, prior to the birth of the child, a dream of a beautiful white elephant entering her womb through her side. Gautama was born in Lumbini Park on a ful -moon day in the month of Vesakha. A week after his birth, his mother died and he was brought up by his aunt, Mahaprajapati. At a name giving ceremony he was given the name Siddharta which means One Whose Aim Is Accomplished. Ancient Pali commentaries relate a significant incident which occured during the Ploughing Ceremony, when as a young child and left alone in a tent under a rose-apple tree, his nurses later found the prince to be seated in a lotus posture and having en- tered one-pointedness of mind known as Samadhi. e young prince grew up in the midst of luxury and splendour and at the age of 16, was married to his cousin, the beautiful Yasodhara. For almost thirteen years after his marriage, he led a blissful life unaware of the ever changing nature and misfortunes of life outside the palace. When he was 29 years old Gautama encountered four significant sights which marked the turning point of his life. First he saw a weak and frail old man leaning on a staff, next a diseased person, then a corpse and final y, a shaven-headed hermit in yel ow robe moving around with a peaceful and serene countenance. e first three sights convincingly showed him the inexorable nature of life, and the universal ailments of humanity; the fourth showed the means to overcome the il s of life and to attain to calm and peace. Realising the worthlessness of sensual pleasures and the value of renunciation he decided to leave home in search of Truth and Eternal Peace. ¡ûBACK¡û |INDEX| ¡úNEXT¡ú |