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Your son will be a world conqueror or a world savior.
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The grandfather of the Buddha was King Suddhodana, who was the ruler of the Shakya clan in the kingdom of Kosala, now part of modern-day India and Nepal. King Suddhodana was the father of Queen Maha Maya, who was the mother of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. King Suddhodana's father was King Suddhodana, who was the ruler of the Shakya clan and the first in the line of the kings of the Shakya dynasty.
King Suddhodana was a devoted follower of the vedic religion, and he and his court were dedicated to upholding its values and traditions. He was a strong and just king, who brought great prosperity and peace to his kingdom. He was a great warrior who fought against many enemies and was a staunch supporter of his people. King Suddhodana was an influential and respected leader who provided guidance to his people.
King Suddhodana was a devout follower of the vedic religion and was deeply committed to its teachings. He was a wise and fair leader who believed in justice for all, and he was also a great patron of the arts. He provided support and patronage to many of the great poets, writers, and musicians of his time. His wise counsel and strong leadership made him a beloved leader among his people.
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His mother was Queen Maha Maya, a Koliyan princess. His father was King Suddhodana.
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King Suddhodana chief of Shakya nation, ancient tribes in Kosala
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The Buddha's (Siddhārtha Gautama) family was:
- Father: King Suddhodana, the leader of Shakya clan
- Mother: Queen Maha Maya (Māyādevī)
- Wife: Yaśodharā (Yasodharā)
- Son: Rahula.
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King Suddhodana, father of the Gautama Buddha, ruled a region called the Shakyas that was among the foothills of the Himalayas in the farthest northern regions of the plains of India in Nepal. He was not king of the country Nepal itself but more resembled a "tribal chief" of his region.
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The Buddha's father was King Suddhodana, the leader of Shakya clan. His mother was Queen Maha Maya (Māyādevī) a Koliyan princess
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King Suddhodana chief of Shakya nation, ancient tribes in Kosala
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No. His mother (Queen Maya) died giving birth to the Buddha and his father (King Suddhodana) became one of his followers later in life.
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Lord Mahavir passed away from his liberation. He finally got rid of all of his bad karma and was liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth
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Siddhartha Gautama was a prince. He was the son of King Suddhodana of a small region in northern India called Sakya(which is where he gets the title Sakyamuni Buddha).
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Buddha was originally referred to as Siddhartha Gautama or by Gautama Buddha.
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I know of no saint who predicted Buddha's birth, but the hermit and holy man Asita predicted to Buddha father, King Suddhodana, that his son would be either a great ruler of men or a great holy man.
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King Suddhodana was visited by the Buddha before his death. After many discussions, his father died. This was when Buddha was about forty years old . Buddha died in about 483 BCE when he was 80 years old, so his father would have died in 523 BCE
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Siddhartha Gautama's father, King Suddhodana, initially opposed his son's decision to renounce his privileged life and pursue spiritual enlightenment as a wandering ascetic. However, he eventually came to respect Siddhartha's dedication and teachings, leading to a reconciliation between them.
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Soon after Prince Siddhartha was born, the wise men predicted that he would become a Buddha.
It began around 2,500 years ago in India when Siddhartha Gautama discovered how to bring happiness into the world. He was born around 566 BC, in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya.
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Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Gautama Buddha, is whose teachings and beliefs were how Buddhism was founded. It is unknown when and how Buddha died.
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The birth of Pince Siddharth was a significant event in the history of mankind. He was born in 563 B.C. to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya in the royal grove of Lumbini between Devadaha and Kapilvastu. Their kingdom Kapilvastu was between the Nepalese foothills and the river Raptu. It is near to Himalayas in India.80 years
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The hero of our story is Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha, who lived more than 2,500 years ago. His father was the Rajah of the Sakya clan, King Suddhodana, and his mother was Queen Maha Maya. They lived in India, in a city called Kapilavatthu, in the foothills of the Himalayas.
There had been much rejoicing at the birth of the prince, but two days after he was named, Queen Maha Maya died. Everybody was shocked and felt very sad. But the saddest person was, of course, her husband King Suddhodana. He was worried, too, because his wise advisers had predicted that if the prince saw someone old, someone sick, a dead person, and a monk, he would want to leave the palace and become a monk himself, instead of being a prince.
The Queen's sister Prajapati Gotami took care of the baby prince with as much love as if he were her own son. Prince Siddhartha was a healthy and happy boy. He liked to learn and found it easy to study, and was the cleverest in his class and the best at games.
One day Siddhartha went outside of the palace and discovered pain and suffering in the world. He then ran away from home, starved himself and began to medidate. After many days he had reached Nirvana, he had understood the world. He began to teach his teachings to many people, who became his followers.
That is the story of buddhism
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Siddarth's father King Suddhodana learnt through prophecies that his young son would grow up to be either a great Emperor or a great saint. The king wanted siddarth to be a king and not an ascetic. He exposed the growing boy to all the comforts and kept him isolated away from the vagaries of life like sickness, oldage and death. He did not want his son to experience any of the sufferings of normal human life as he feared that his son may turn away from worldly life and become a sage. So he kept him secluded in a palace with all the materialistic luxuries a man can't even dream of. He thought that the material comforts would make him choose to be a king rather than an ascetic.
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Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha, lived in northeast India between 563 and 483 BC. As a bodhisattva he had passed through thousands of existences before coming to Earth for his ultimate transmigration. This last lifetime he began as a son of the King of the Sakya, Suddhodana, who ruled at Kapilavastu on the border of Nepal, and was born in a village called Lumbini into the warrior tribe called the Sakyas (from where he derived the title Sakyamuni, meaning "Sage of the Sakyas").
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The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was the son of Suddhodana Gautama, the leader of the Sakya clan in northeastern India. (Hence he is also often called Sakyamuni, the "wise man of the Sakya clan"). His mother's name was Maya, usually referred to as "Maha Maya" ("Maya the Great"). She died seven days after giving birth to Siddhartha, and he was raised by Maya's younger sister, Maha Pajapati. Siddhartha had several half-brothers, including Ananda and Devadatta. Ananda eventually become the Buddha's attendant, and--due to his great memory skills--is believed to be the verbatim source of Buddha's teachings. Devadatta, on the other hand, was jealous of Siddhartha and tried to foil his mission. The Buddha had a wife, named Yasodhara and a son named Rahula. Even though Yasodhara was initially furious when Siddhartha abandoned her in his quest for enlightenment, she eventually came around to seeing things his way and emulated his actions, though within the confines of the palace. When Siddhartha eventually returned home (now as Buddha), Ananda negotiated between him and Yasodhara, which eventually resulted in Siddhartha ordaining her to be the first female member of his order.
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The Lord Buddha was born in the 6th century BCE in Lumbini Nepal. It is believed that he was born in the year 563 BCE though some sources suggest it was 566 BCE. He was born to King Suddhodana and Queen Maha Maya. He was raised in Kapilavastu until the age of 29 when he left his palace in search of enlightenment.
When the Lord Buddha reached the age of 35 he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. This event established the foundation for Buddhism and his teachings continue to inspire and guide many people around the world. After his enlightenment the Lord Buddha spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching and spreading his wisdom before he passed away in 483 BCE.
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The cast of Papilio Buddha - 2013 includes: Padmapriya Prakash Bare as Sp Narayanan Nair as Chief Minister Kozhikode Narayanan Nair as Minister Kallen Pokkudan as Kariyan Kallen Pokudan as Kariyan Sreejith Ramanan as Dr.Prasannaraj Saritha Saritha as Manjusree Sreekumar Sp as Shankran Antony Thekkek as Gandhian Ram Das
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Buddhism is one of the major religions in the world. It began around 2,500 years ago in India when Siddhartha Gautama discovered how to bring happiness into the world. He was born around 566 BC, in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya.
For six years he practiced severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment. He sat in meditation and ate only roots, leaves and fruit. At times he ate nothing. He could endure more hardships than anyone else, but this did not take him anywhere. He thought, "Neither my life of luxury in the palace nor my life as an ascetic in the forest is the way to freedom. Overdoing things can not lead to happiness. " He began to eat nourishing food again and regained his strength.
Enlightenment :On a full-moon day in May, he sat under the Bodhi tree in deep meditation and said. "I will not leave this spot until I find an end to suffering." During the night, he was visited by Mara, the evil one, who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. First he sent his beautiful daughters to lure Gautama into pleasure. Next he sent bolts of lightning, wind and heavy rain. Last he sent his demonic armies with weapons and flaming rocks. One by one, Gautama met the armies and defeated them with his virtue.
As the struggle ended, he realized the cause of suffering and how to remove it. He had gained the most supreme wisdom and understood things as they truly are. He became the Buddha,'The Awakened One'. From then on, he was called Shakyamuni Buddha.
After his enlightenment, he went to the Deer Park near the holy city of Benares and shared his new understanding with five holy men. They understood immediately and became his disciples. This marked the beginning of the Buddhist community.
For the next forty-five years, the Buddha and his disciples went from place to place in India spreading the Dharma, his teachings. Their compassion knew no bounds, they helped everyone along the way, beggars, kings and slave girls. At night, they would sleep where they were; when hungry they would ask for a little food.
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A short History of Buddhism:
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named YaÅ›odharÄ. They had a child named RÄhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
The Buddha was, but it may be best to tell you his story.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
For six years he practiced severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment. He sat in meditation and ate only roots, leaves and fruit. At times he ate nothing. He could endure more hardships than anyone else, but this did not take him anywhere. He thought, "Neither my life of Where_and_when_did_Buddhism_come_fromin the palace nor my life as an ascetic in the forest is the way to freedom. Overdoing things can not lead to happiness. " He began to eat nourishing food again and regained his strength.
Enlightenment :On a full-moon day in May, he sat under the Bodhi tree in deep meditation and said. "I will not leave this spot until I find an end to suffering." During the night, he was visited by Mara, the evil one, who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. First he sent his beautiful daughters to lure Gautama into pleasure. Next he sent bolts of lightning, wind and heavy rain. Last he sent his demonic armies with weapons and flaming rocks. One by one, Gautama met the armies and defeated them with his virtue.
As the struggle ended, he realized the cause of suffering and how to remove it. He had gained the most supreme wisdom and understood things as they truly are. He became the Buddha, 'The Awakened One'. From then on, he was called Shakyamuni Buddha.
After his enlightenment, he went to the Deer Park near the holy city of Benares and shared his new understanding with five holy men. They understood immediately and became his disciples. This marked the beginning of the Buddhist community.
For the next forty-five years, the Buddha and his disciples went from place to place in India spreading theDharma,his teachings. Their compassion knew no bounds, they helped everyone along the way, beggars, kings and slave girls. At night, they would sleep where they were; when hungry they would ask for a little food. The End btw my name is gorgia
1 answer
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
2 answers
a brief history lesson on Buddhism:
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
Siddhartha Gautama. A short history is below:
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
3 answers
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, in the Sakya kingdom, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named YaÅ›odharÄ. They had a child named RÄhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
1 answer
Since budda started helping people; and when he died it became offical
Buddhism was not founded to be a religion, but as a Philosophy in ending suffering. However, there are some countries who combined it with their religon, thus, it become a pseudo-religion. Example is Japan who combined Buddhism with their Shinto religion.
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Before he was a spiritual icon he was in fact a prince and he lived in a palace with his father Suddhodana, Buddha's birth name was Gautama. The king knowing that his son would either be a ruler or a religious teacher influenced his son to be a ruler and so Gautama was brought up in a world of security and wealth where he was waited on hand and foot.
Eventually he grew up and married a princess who bore him a son, Rahula. One day he decided he would like to go outside the Palace to a nearby town and he went four times each time seeing something which shocked him and was new to him and eventually changed his life. On his first visit he met an old man and Gautama had never seen old age before and was shocked at this, on his second visit he met a sick man and Gautama had never seen sickness before. On the third he saw a funeral parade and having never seen death was once again shocked. On his last visit he met a religious man and Gautama saw that it was possible to come to terms with the suffering withing life.
After seeing this he began his spiritual life and snuck out from his palace, replaced his silken robe for a simple orange robe, he cut of his long hair and carried nothing but a bowl for people to put food in and he began his quest.
Gautama wanting to find enlightenment went to all the notable spiritual teachers of the day and put himself through great hardships to find enlightenment. He lived in forests which terrified him and sometimes graveyards, he burned in the heat of the midday sun and froze at night, he slept on beds of thorns and at one point starved himself till there was hardly anything left of him. Here he realised he might die before reaching enlightenment. So he took some food - which was enough to disgust his fellow spiritual companions- and sat under a great Bo tree which is now known as a Bodh Gaya.
he reached enlightenment on the full moon of the month of May where he fell deep into meditation in which he gained extortionate knowledge. He learned of Karma and how every deed affected the way your new life turned out, he saw his past lives, he saw how to overcome desire and other things. When he left the Bo tree in the morning he was Buddha the enlightened one. Some people think he had reached Nirvana which can only be attained by the person it is found by.
At first he was reluctant to share what knowledge he had gained afraid that people would not understand, however he was convinced that some people would understand therefore he went to Isipatana and taught his first lesson in a deer park.
What Buddha taught was the Middle Way, he taught that a person should go to no extremes just stay within the middle. He formed the Sangha which is the community of Buddhist Priests and Nuns which from the start was supported by a large lay community.
Buddha died at the age of 80 at Kushinara much to the grief of his followers, his last words were to keep the Buddhist way going and it has to this day.
1 answer
* Resentment of Hindu priests * Dissatisfaction with Hinduism * The migration of the Aryans
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in Northern India (now Nepal) about 563 BCE to King Suddhodana and his wife Queen Maha Maya, so he was born a Prince. His mother died shortly after childbirth. The hermit seer Asita told his father, the King, that his son would either grow up to be a great ruler or a great holy man. The King didn't want his son to be a Holy man so he made it that the prince was only surrounded by luxury and beauty and hid from him sickness, old age and death. At 16 Siddhartha married his cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā. They had a child named Rāhula which means fetter (think ball and chain).
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen what the real world for the first time and was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that neither giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
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The Buddha was a hindu sant/satguru(enlightened and blessd soul),not a god or a prophet, who lived two thoushand five thoushand years ago in acient India. A very famous king of India called King Ashok believed in him and spread his messages all the way across India and Asia through missoneries, causing the followers of the Buddha's to grow to such an extenient that it split of Hinduism and became a separate religion called Buddhism!
Before Christanity and Islam, Buddhism was the worlds largest religion, almost the whole of Asia was Buddhist. Still Buddhism is the worlds largest religion after Christanity and Islam.
So I suppose you could say tha tthe Buddha was the founder of the Buddhism!
Buddha was born in Hindu family in Lumbini, Nepal into a royal family where he was a prince.
He was the one who figured out a way in which people could do to be freed from suffering and sorrow.
His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama
A grateful and hopeful man who taught us how to live in peace and harmony, a great man who deserves for everyone to know his name, Buddha.
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A Bodhisattva is a being who aspires to attain enlightenment in order to help all sentient beings achieve liberation from suffering. They postpone their own enlightenment until all beings can be liberated. Bodhisattvas are revered figures in Mahayana Buddhism.
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I'm pretty sure the story of the Buddha indicates that he didn't believe in any religion but was seeking a way out of suffering. His realizations from that search then turned into what is Buddhism.
Answer:
In all probability Buddha was a Hindu to start with (before his enlightenment). He realized that aspects of Hinduism were not correct such as the caste system and he reached his own conclusions on the route to enlightenment. So is safe to assume that, at that point, he no longer was a Hindu.
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Mahayana Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism focused primarily on meditation and concentration, the eighth of the Eightfold Noble Path; as a result, it centered on a monastic life and an extreme expenditure of time in meditating. This left little room for the bulk of humanity to join in, so a new schism erupted within the ranks of Buddhism in the first century AD, one that would attempt to reformulate the teachings of Buddha to accomodate a greater number of people. They called their new Buddhism, the "Greater Vehicle" (literally, "The Greater Ox-Cart") or Mahayana, since it could accomodate more people and more believers from all walks of life. They distinguished themselves from mainstream Theravada Buddhism by contemptuously referring to Theravada as Hinayana, or "The Lesser Vehicle."
The Mahayanists, however, did not see themselves as creating a new start for Buddhism, rather they claimed to be recovering the original teachings of Buddha, in much the same way that the Protestant reformers of sixteenth century Europe claimed that they were not creating a new Christianity but recovering the original form. The Mahayanists claimed that their canon of scriptures represented the final teachings of Buddha; they accounted for the non-presence of these teachings in over five hundred years by claiming that these were secret teachings entrusted only to the most faithful followers.
Whatever the origins of Mahayan doctrines, they represent a significant departure in the philosophy. Like the Protestant Reformation, the overall goal of Mahayana was to extend religious authority to a greater number of people rather than concentrating it in the hands of a few. The Mahayanists managed to turn Buddhism into a more esoteric religion by developing a theory of gradations of Buddhahood. At the top was Buddhahood itself which was preceded by a series of lives, the bodhisattvas.
This idea of the bodhisattva was one of the most important innovations of Mahayana Buddhism. The boddhisattva, or "being of wisdom," was originally invented to explain the nature of Buddha's earlier lives. Before Buddha entered his final life as Siddhartha Gautama, he had spent many lives working towards Buddhahood. In these previous lives he was a bodhisattva , a kind of "Buddha-in-waiting," that performed acts of incredible generosity, joy, and compassion towards his fellow human beings. An entire group of literature grew up around these previous lives of Buddha, called the Jataka or "Birth Stories."
While we do not know much about the earliest forms of Buddhism, there is some evidence that the earliest followers believed that there was only the one Buddha and that no more would follow. Soon, however, a doctrine of the Maitreya , or "Future Buddha," began to assert itself. In this, Buddhists believed that a second Buddha would come and purify the world; they also believed that the first Buddha prophesied this future Buddha. If a future Buddha was coming, that meant that the second Buddha is already on earth passing through life after life. So someone on earth was the Maitreya . It could be the person serving you food. It could be a child playing in the street. It could be you. What if there was more than one Maitreya? Five? Ten? A billion? That certainly raises the odds that you or someone you know is a future Buddha.
The goal of Theravada Buddhism is practically unattainable. In order to make Buddhism a more esoteric religion, the Mahayanists invented two grades of Buddhist attainment below becoming a Buddha. While the Buddha was the highest goal, one could become a pratyeka-buddha , that is, one who has awakened to the truth but keeps it secret. Below the pratyeka-buddha is the arhant , or "worthy," who has learned the truth from others and has realized it as truth. Mahayana Buddhism establishes the arhant as the goal for all believers. The believer hears the truth, comes to realize it as truth, and then passes into Nirvana . This doctrine of arhanthood is the basis for calling Mahayan the "Greater Vehicle," for it is meant to include everyone.
Finally, the Mahayanists completed the conversion of Buddhism from a philosophy to religion. Therevada Buddhism holds that Buddha was a historical person who, on his death, ceased to exist. There were, however, strong tendencies for Buddhists to worship Buddha as a god of some sort; these tendencies probably began as early as Buddha's lifetime. The Mahayanists developed a theology of Buddha called the doctrine of "The Three Bodies," or Trikaya. The Buddha was not a human being, as he was in Theravada Buddhism, but the manifestation of a universal, spiritual being. This being had three bodies. When it occupied the earth in the form of Siddhartha Gautama, it took on the Body of Magical Transformation (nirmanakaya ). This Body of Magical Transformation was an emanation of the Body of Bliss (sambhogakaya ), which occupies the heavens in the form of a ruling and governing god of the universe. There are many forms of the Body of Bliss, but the one that rules over our world is Amithaba who lives in a paradise in the western heavens called Sukhavati, or "Land of Pure Bliss." Finally, the Body of Bliss is an emanation of the Body of Essence (dharmakaya ), which is the principle underlying the whole of the universe. This Body of Essence, the principle and rule of the universe, became synonymous with Nirvana . It was a kind of universal soul, and Nirvana became the transcendent joining with this universal soul.
http://wsu.edu/~dee/BUDDHISM/MAHAYANA.HTM
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The following is an exerpt from the book "Mankind's Saerch For God," published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: "A Manual of Buddhism, published in Colombo, Sri Lanka, gives the following simplified account.
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The Founder of Buddhism was the historical Buddha (which means the Fully Enlightened One), born in Nepal (year 623 B.C.) as Prince Siddhartha of the Sakya Kingdom. The natives of ancient Nepal were the Kirat people (Tamang, Sherpa, Rai, Gurung etc.), better known as the Gurkhas today.
Prince Siddhartha left Nepal (in the Himalayan mountain range) at the age of 29 years old, crossed over to ancient India and eventually gained Enlightenment (Bodhi) at the age of 35 years old, at a place subsequently named as Bodhi Gaya. He became the Buddha.
The key teachings of the Buddha, encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths, are:
1. Living a simple life of love, non-violence and compassion will result in a person getting reborn in heaven, or in good circumstances as a human being. The former is consistent with Christ's Teachings. For the latter, clinical cases of human rebirth have been extensively researched and published by Dr. Ian Stevenson, MD and university Professor.
2. Practising meditation / yoga / Zen together with point 1, will bring about spiritual happiness here and hereafter. This is consistent with Laozi's Teachings.
3. Practising points 1 and 2, together with the initial knowledge of the intrinsic nature of all worldly things (impermanence, insubstantiality and insatisfactoriness) will lead to the end of rebirth, and go beyond heavenly existence. This is termed as Nibbana (Nirvana), which the Buddha has described to us as Highest Happiness, Freedom, Unique and Beyond Space-Time Continuum. Nibbana is not existence nor extinction.
4. The precise method for point 3 is known as the Noble Eight-fold Path.
At the age of 80 years old, the historical Buddha entered into Final Nibbana (Parinibbana). 500 years later (year 57 A.D.), the Buddha appeared in a dream to the Han Emperor Mingdi, which prompted the Emperor to ask his Court the next day about 'a golden man with light shining from his neck'. This account is recorded in China's historical archives. One of the official said he had heard of a holy man in the western region, who had find immortality and whose skin was golden. Subsequently, Han Mingdi sent an expedition to found out more. This marked the spread of Buddha's Teachings from the western region (Himalayas), and also India, into the central plains of ancient China.
2600 years later, Albert Einstein said:
"There is a third stage of religious experience…the individual feels the futility of human desires…beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism…contains a much stronger element of this."
Robert Oppenheimer said:
"If we ask, for instance, whether the position of the electron remains the same, we must say 'no'. If we ask whether the electron's position changes with time, we must say 'no'. If we ask whether it is in motion, we must say 'no'. The Buddha has also given such answers when asked (about Parinibbana)."
Niels Bohr said:
"For a parallel to the lesson of atomic theory...(we must turn) to those kinds of epistemological problems with which already thinkers like the Buddha and Laozi have been confronted, when trying to harmonize our position as spectators and actors in the great drama of existence."
Siddhartha Gautama. He was the son of King Suddhodana of a small region in northern India called Sakya (which is where he gets the title Sakyamuni Buddha).
6 answers
First View:
The Buddha's relation with Hinduism is so close that it's easy to confuse Buddhism with Hinduism. The two religions have close connections, and yet they are distinct. This was because of Buddha's reform movements and his refining of Hindu beliefs. It would not be wrong to state, then, that Buddha founded a noble religion by distilling Hinduism, and offering a commonsense approach to self-betterment to which the people can relate easily.
The Hindu caste system defined a person's position in society as determined by their birth. Buddha condemned the Hindu caste system and said that it is karma or the good and bad actions of a person and not birth that should determine a person's caste. He introduced the idea of placing morality and equality on a higher place than genealogy of a person.
Hindus believe that the purpose of the avatar of Buddha, like all divine avatars, was to re-establish dharma where "adharma" (irreligiousness) had become prevalent. Buddha is regarded by some sects of Hindus as an incarnation of Vishnu, or even as a Hindu. This is because Buddha's theistic beliefs are not contrary to Hinduism, but only a step ahead. This is also because the nature of Hinduism itself is such that all beliefs are recognized as being facets of the Ultimate Truth. It is interesting to note that the word "Nirvana" - used by Lord Buddha to describe the state of permanent bliss - is indeed a Vedic term.
Buddha was born into the Shakya dynasty of a Kshtriya caste family. It's a different thing that Buddha, after he became enlightened, never sought to classify himself into any caste or religion. He was only a born Kshtriya (classified as Hindus) and not a practicing one.
Also 80% of his teachings were taken from Upanishadas and Yogas. He taught Lotus Pose, Meditation, Concept of Soul as reality all these concepts were already there in Sanatana Dharma which is now known as Hinduism.
Counter View:
The Buddha was not "born a Hindu" because Hinduism in its present form had not emerged at the time of his birth. Before the time of the Buddha the religion of India was Vedic Brahmanism, but alongside the Vedic tradition there was an ascetic (Śramana) stream of religious thought and practice having its origin in prehistoric times; it is to this Śramanic culture that Buddhism has its closest affinity. Hinduism grew out of a fusion of Vedic Brahmanism with Buddhism and other Śramanic religious trends. Although Buddhism acknowledges an affinity with the Śramanic cults, it is nevertheless a unique product of the Buddha's direct insight.
Buddha was from Shakya dynasty, named after muni (sage) Shakya but he left his family and established his Dhamma (Dhamma is different from Dharma or religion). Although Shakyas are considered themselves as Aryan Kshtriya (a Hindu) but their relationships with Kolis (Non-Hindus) might be considered that they were Non-Hindus.
The great unification of Buddhism and Hinduism is still prevalent in Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha. Ironically, Nepal is the world's only Hindu nation, where people don't consider the two religions distinct from each other.8 answers
I. The BuddhaThe Birth of the BuddhaTranslated from the Introduction to the Jtaka (i. 4721)NOW while the Future Buddha was still dwelling in the city of the Tusita gods, the "Buddha-Uproar," as it is called, took place. For there are three uproars which take place in the world,-the Cyclic-Uproar, the Buddha-Uproar, and the Universal-Monarch-Uproar. They occur as follows:- 1 When it is known that after the lapse of a hundred thousand years the cycle is to be renewed, the gods called Lokabyũhas, inhabitants of a heaven of sensual pleasure, wander about thorugh the world, with hair let down and flying in the wind, weeping and wiping away their tears with their hands, and with their clothes red and in great disorder. And this they make announcement:- 2 "Sirs, after the lapse of a hundred thousand years, the cycle is to be renewed; this world will be destroyed; also the mighty ocean will dry up; and this broad earth, and Sineru, the monarch of the mountains, will be burnt up and destroyed,-up to the Brahma heavens will the destruction of the world extend. Therefore, sirs, cultivate friendliness; cultivate compassion, joy, and indifference; wait on your mothers; wait on your fathers; and honor your elders among your kinsfolk." 3This is called the Cyclic-Uproar. 4 Again, when it is known that after a lapse of a thousand years an omniscient Buddha is to arise in the world, the guardian angels of the world wander about, proclaiming: 5 "Sirs, after the lapse of a thousand years a Buddha will arise in the world." 6 This is called the Buddha-Uproar. 7 And lastly, when they realize that after the lapse of a hundred years a Universal Monarch is to arise, the terrestrial deities wander about, proclaiming:- 8 "Sirs, after the lapse of a hundred years a Universal Monarch is to arise in the world." 9 This is called the Universal-Monarch-Uproar. And these three are mighty uproars. 10 When of these three Uproars they hear the sound of the BuddhaUproar, the gods of all ten thousand worlds come together into one place, and having ascertained what particular being is to be The Buddha, they approach him, and beseech him to become one. But it is not till after omens have appeared that they beseech him. 11 At that time, therefore, having all come together in one world, with the Ctum-Mahrjas, and with the Sakka, the Suyma, the Santusita, the Paranimmita-Vasavatti, and the Maha, or of a Brahma, or of a Universal Monarch, that you fulfilled the Ten Perfections; but it was to gain omniscience in order to save the world, that you fulfilled them. Sir, the time and fit season for your Buddhaship has now arrived." 12 But the Great Being, before assenting to their wish, made what is called the five great observations. He observed, namely, the time, the continent, the country, the family, and the mother and her span of life. 13 In the first of these observations he asked himself whether it was the right time or no. Now it is not the right time when the length of men's lives is more than a hundred thousand years. And why is it not the right time? Because mortals then forget about birth, old age, and death. And if The Buddhas, who always include in their teachings the Three Characteristics, were to attempt at such a time to discourse concerning transitoriness, misery, and the lack of substantive reality, men would not think it worth while listening to them, nor would they give them credence. Thus there would be no conversions made; and if there were no conversions, the dispensation would not conduce to salvation. This, therefore, is not the right time. 14 Also it is not right time when men's lives are less than a hundred years. And why is it not the right time? Because mortals are then exceedingly corrupt; and an exhortation given to the exceedingly corrupt makes no impression, but, like a mark drawn with a stick on the surface of the water, it immediately disappears. This, therefore, also is not the right time. 15But when the length of men's lives is between a hundred years and a hundred thousand years, then is it the right time. Now at that time men's lives were a hundred years; accordingly the Great Being observed that it was the right time for his birth. 16 Next he made the observation concerning the continent. Looking over the four continents with their attendant isles, he reflected: "In three of the continents the Buddhas are never born; only in the continent of India are they born." Thus he decided on the continent. 17 Next he made the observation concerning the place. "The continent of India is large," thought he, "being ten thousand leagues around. In which of its countries are The Buddhas born?" Thus he decided on the Middle Country. 18 The Middle Country is the country defined in the Vinaya as follows:- 19 "It lies in the middle, on this side of the town Kajan˜gala on the east, beyond which is Mah-Sla, and beyond that the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the river Salalavat on the southeast, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the town Setakannika on the south, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the Brahmanical town Thu˜na on the west, beyond which are the border districts. It lies in the middle, on this side of the hill Usraddhaja on the north, beyond which are the border districts." 20 It is three hundred leagues in length, two hundred and fifty in breadth, and nine hundred in circumference. In this country are born The Buddhas, the Private Buddhas, the Chief Disciples, the Eighty Great Disciples, the Universal Monarch, and other eminent ones, magnates of the warrior caste, of the Brahman caste, and the wealthy householders. "And in it is this city called Kapilavatthu," thought he, and concluded that there he ought to be born. 21 Then he made the observation concerning the family. "The Buddhas," thought he, "are never born into a family of the peasant caste, or of the servile caste; but into one of the warrior caste, or of the Brahman caste, whichever at the time is the higher in public estimation. The warrior caste is now the higher in public estimation. I will be born into a warrior family, and king Suddhodana shall be my father." Thus he decided on the family. 22 Then he made the observation concerning the mother. "The mother of a Buddha," thought he, "is never a wanton, nor a drunkard, but is one who has fulfilled the perfections through a hundred thousand cycles, and has kept the five precepts unbroken from the day of her birth. Now this queen Mah-My is such a one; and she shall be my mother."-"But what shall be her span of life?" 1 continued he. And he perceived that it was to be ten months and seven days. 23 Having thus made the five great observations, he kindly made the gods the required promise, saying,- 24 "Sirs, you are right. The time has come for my Buddhaship." 25 Then, surrounded by the gods of the Tusita heaven, and dismissing all the other gods, he entered the Nandana Grove of the Tusita capital,-for in each of the heavens there is a Nandana Grove. And here the gods said, "Attain in your next existence your high destiny,' and kept reminding him that he had already paved the way to it by his accumulated merit. Now it was while he was thus dwelling, surrounded by these deities, and was conceived in the womb of queen Mah-My. And in order that this matter may be fully understood, I will give the whole account in due order. 26 It is related that at that time the Midsummer Festival had been proclaimed in the city of Kapilavatthu, and the multitude were enjoying the feast. And queen Mah-My, abstaining from strong drink, and brilliant with garlands and perfumes, took part in the festivities for the six days previous to the day of full moon. And when it came to be the day of full moon, she rose early, bathed in perfumed water, and dispensed four hundred thousand pieces of money in great largess. And decked in full gala attire, she ate of the choicest food; after which she took the eight vows, and entered her elegantly furnished chamber of state. And lying down on the royal couch, she fell asleep and dreamed the following dream:- 27 The four guardian angels came and lifted her up, together with her couch, and took her away to the Himalaya Mountains. There, in the Manosil table-land, which is sixty leagues in extent, they laid her under a prodigious sal-tree, seven leagues in height, and took up their positions respectfully at one side. Then came the wives of these guardian angels, and conducted her to Anotatta Lake, and bathed her, to remove every human stain. And after clothing her with divine garments, they anointed her with perfumes and decked her with divine flowers. Not far off was Silver Hill, and in it a golden mansion. There they spread a divine couch with its head towards the east, and laid her down upon it. Now the Future Buddha had become a superb white elephant, and was wandering about at no great distance, on Gold Hill. Descending thence, he ascended Silver Hill, and approaching from the north, he plucked a white lotus with his silvery trunk, and trumpeting loudly, went into the golden mansion. And three times he walked round his mother's couch, with his right side towards it, and striking her on her right side, he seemed to enter her womb. Thus the conception took place in the Midsummer Festival. 28 On the next day the queen awoke, and told the dream to the king. And the king caused sixty-four eminent Brahmans to be summoned, and spread costly seats for them on ground festively prepared with green leaves, Dalbergia flowers, and so forth. The Brahmans being seated, he filled gold and silver dishes with the best of milk-porridge compounded with ghee, honey, and treacle; and covering these dishes with others, made likewise of gold and silver, he gave the Brahmans to eat. And not only with food, but with other gifts, such as new garments, tawny cows, and so forth, he satisfied them completely. And when their every desire had been satisfied, he told them the dream and asked them what would come of it? 29 "Be not anxious, great king!" said the Brahmans; "a child has planted itself in the womb of your queen, and it is a male child and not a female. You will have a son. And he, if he continue to live the household life, will become a Universal Monarch; but if he leave the household life and retire from the world, he will become a Buddha, and roll back the clouds of sin and folly of this world." 30 Now the instant the Future Buddha was conceived in the womb of his mother, all the ten thousand worlds suddenly quaked, quivered, and shook. And the Thirty-two Prognostics appeared, as follows: an immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovered their sight, as if from desire to see this his glory; the deaf received their hearing; the dumb talked; the hunchbacked became straight of body; the lame recovered the power to walk; all those in bonds were freed from their bonds and chains; the fires went out in all the hells; the hunger and thirst of the Manes was stilled; wild animals lost their timidity; diseases ceased among men; all mortals became mild-spoken, horses neighed and elephants trumpeted in a manner sweet to the ear; all musical instruments gave forth their notes without being played upon; bracelets and other ornaments jingled; in all quarters of the heavens the weather became fair; a mild, cool breeze began to blow, very refreshing to men; rain fell out of season; water burst forth from the earth and flowed in streams; the birds ceased flying through the air; the rivers checked their flowing; in the mighty ocean the water became sweet; the ground became everywhere covered with lotuses of the five different colors; all flowers bloomed, both those on land and those that grow in the water; trunk-lotuses bloomed on the trunks of trees, branch-lotuses on the branches, and vine-lotuses on the vines; on the ground, stalk-lotuses, as they are called, burst through the overlying rocks and came up by sevens; in the sky were produced others, called hanging-lotuses; a shower of flowers fell all about; celestial music was heard to play in the sky; and the whole ten thousand worlds became one mass of garlands of the utmost possible magnificence, with waving chowries, and saturated with the incense-like fragrance of flowers, and resembled a bouquet of flowers sent whirling through the air, or a closely woven wreath, or a superbly decorated altar of flowers. 31 From the time the Future Buddha was thus conceived, four angels with swords in their hands kept guard, to ward off all harm from both the Future Buddha and the Future Buddha's mother. No lustful thought sprang up in the mind of the Future Buddha's mother; having reached the pinnacle of good fortune and of glory, she felt comfortable and well, and experienced no exhaustion of body. And within her womb she could distinguish the Future Buddha, like a white thread passed through a transparent jewel. And whereas a womb that has been occupied by a Future Buddha is like the shrine of a temple, and can never be occupied or used again, therefore it was that the mother of the Future Buddha died when he was seven days old, and was reborn in the Tusita heaven. 32 Now other women sometimes fall short of and sometimes run over the term of ten lunar months, and then bring forth either sitting or lying down; but not so the mother of a Future Buddha. She carries the Future Buddha in her womb for just ten months, and then brings forth while standing up. This is a characteristic of the mother of a Future Buddha. So also queen Mah-My carried the Future Buddha in her womb, as it were oil in a vessel, for ten months; and being then far gone with child, she grew desirous of going home to her relatives, and said to king Suddhodana,- 33 "Sire, I should like to visit my kinsfolk in their city Devadaha." 34 "So be it," said the king; and from Kapilavatthu to the city of Devadaha he had the road made even, and garnished it with plantain-trees set in pots, and with banners, and streamers; and, seating the queen in a golden palanquin borne by a thousand of his courtiers, he sent her away in great pomp. 35 Now between the two cities, and belonging to the inhabitants of both, there was a pleasure-grove of sal-trees, called Lumbini Grove. And at this particular time this grove was one mass of flowers from the ground to the topmost branches, while amongst the branches and flowers hummed swarms of bees of the five different colors, and flocks of various kinds of birds flew about warbling sweetly. Throughout the whole of Lumbini Grove the scene resembled the Cittalat Grove in Indra's paradise, or the magnificently decorated banqueting pavilion of some potent king. 36 When the queen beheld it she became desirous of disporting herself therein, and the courtiers therefore took her into it. And going to the foot of the monarch sal-tree of the grove, she wished to take hold of one of its branches. And the sal-tree branch, like the tip of a well-steamed reed, bent itself down within reach of the queen's hand. Then she reached out her hand, and seized hold of the branch, and immediately her pains came upon her. Thereupon the people hung a curtain about her, and retired. So her delivery took place while she was standing up, and keeping fast hold of the sal-tree branch. 37 At that very moment came four pure-minded Mah-Brahma angels bearing a golden net, and, receiving the Future Buddha on this golden net, they placed him before his mother and said,- 38 "Rejoice, O Queen! A mighty son has been born to you." 39 Now other mortals on issuing from the maternal womb are smeared with disagreeable, impure matter; but not so the Future Buddha. He issued from his mother's womb like a preacher descending from his preaching-seat, or a man coming down a stair, stretching out both hands and both feet, unsmeared by any impurity from his mother's womb, and flashing pure and spotless, like a jewel thrown upon a vesture of Benares cloth. Notwithstanding this, for the sake of honoring the Future Buddha and his mother, there came two streams of water from the sky, and refreshed the Future Buddha and his mother. 40 Then the Brahma angels, after receiving him on their golden net, delivered him to the four guardian angels, who received him from their hands on a rug which was made of the skins of black antelopes, and was soft to the touch, being such as is used on state occasions; and the guardian angels delivered him to men who received him on a coil of fine cloth; and the men let him out of their hands on the ground, where he stood and faced the east. There, before him, lay many thousands of worlds, like a great open court; and in them, gods and men, making offerings to him of perfumes, garlands, and so on, were saying,- 41 "Great Being! There is none your equal, much less your superior." 42 When he had in this manner surveyed the four cardinal points, and the four intermediate ones, and the zenith, and the nadir, in short, all the ten directions in order, and had nowhere discovered his equal, he exclaimed, "This is the best direction," and strode forward seven paces, followed by Mah-Brahma holding over him the white umbrella, Suyma bearing the fan, and other divinities having the other symbols of royalty in their hands. Then, at the seventh stride, he halted, and with a noble voice, he shouted the shout of victory, beginning,- "The chief am I in all the world." 43 Now in three of his existences did the Future Buddha utter words immediately on issuing from his mother's womb: namely, in his existence as Mahosadha; in his existence as Vessantara; and in this existence. 44 As respects his existence as Mahosadha, it is related that just as he was issuing from his mother's womb, Sakka, the king of the gods, came and placed in his hand some choice sandal-wood, and departed. And he closed his fist upon it, and issued forth. 45 "My child," said his mother, "what is it you bring with you in your hand?" 46 "Medicine, mother," said he. 47 Accordingly, as he was born with medicine in his hand, they gave him the name of Osadha-Draka [Medicine-Child]. Then they took the medicine, and placed it in an earthenware jar; and it was a sovereign remedy to heal all the blind, the deaf, and other afflicted persons who came to it. So the saying sprang up, "This is a great medicine, this is a great medicine!" And thus he received the name of Mahosadha [Great Medicine-Man]. 48 Again, in the Vessantara existence, as he was issuing from his mother's womb, he stretched out his right hand, and said,- 49 "Pray, mother, is there anything in the house? I want to give alms." 50 Then, after he had completely issued forth, his mother said,- 51 "It's a wealthy family, my son, into which you are born;" and putting his hand in her own, she had them place in his a purse containing a thousand pieces of money. 52 Lastly, in this birth he shouted the shout of victory above-mentioned. 53 Thus in three of his existences did the Future Buddha utter words immediately on issuing from his mother's womb. And just as at the moment of his conception, so also at the moment of his birth appeared the Thirty-two Prognostics. 54 Now at the very time that our Future Buddha was born in Lumbini Grove there also came into existence the mother of Rhula, and Channa the courtier, Kludyi the courtier, Kanthaka the king of horses, the Great Bo-tree, and the four urns full of treasure. Of these last, one was a quarter of a league in extent, another a half-league, the third three-quarters of a league, and the fourth a league. These seven 2 are called the Connate Ones. 55 Then the inhabitants of both cities took the Future Buddha, and carried him to Kapilavatthu. 56
The Buddha's mother did not experience a normal painful birth. Instead, the gods birthed the Buddha from his mother's side under the arm pit.
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In the year 534 BCE, a young Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama (age 29) was deeply troubled about the fact that so many people suffer. So he left his wife and child and renounced his throne to find out the answer to why there was suffering. Now it should be noted when Buddhists speak of suffering this includes dissatisfaction (unhappiness) with the way things are. Siddhartha went to study with various gurus to try to find the answer to his question. Theses gurus had him do various types of yoga and meditation to try to help him with his quest. None of them seem to have an answer to his question though.
Siddhartha left these various gurus and joined in with a group of ascetics. Asceticism is a path in which you deprive the body in order to conquer and control the mind. He practiced asceticism fiercely, almost to the point of death. At that point he realized that giving in to pleasure, as he did when he was a prince, nor trying to punish the body, was the proper path to finding the answer. So he sat down and meditated under a pi-pal tree. During this meditation he discovered the root of all suffering and the path to how to overcome suffering and became enlightened.
After his enlightenment he meets up with his ascetic friends, who by now were critical of him for leaving the path of asceticism. But he explains to them what he had discovered and they were instantly converted. From there The Buddha taught for 45 years until his death at 85 converting many to his teachings and now Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in the world.
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