GAUTAM BUDDHA

Gautam Buddha was one of the greatest religious teachers that the world has seen. He is the founder of Buddhism, a religion that is popular in Burma, China, Japan, Thailand and other South Eastern Countries. The Buddha was born in 563 B.C. as Siddhartha, the prince of Kapilavastu( In Nepal). Gautam Buddha's mother died at childbirth and he was brought up by his mother's sister Prajapati Gotami. It was predicted that Siddhartha would give up worldly pleasures and follow a simple life. Siddhartha's father the King wanted to avoid this at all costs and did not let him out of the palace. He hoped that Siddhartha would one day become king.

Did you know

The name Siddhartha means "wish-fulfilled" or "one who has accomplished his goal".

When Siddhartha became a young man he ventured out of the Palace and saw suffering, pain and death for the first time. This experience changed his life. Though Siddhartha was married to a beautiful princess called Yashodhara and had a son Rahul, at the age of about 30 years Siddhartha left the palace in search of the truth about life.

He spent many years in the company of saints and finally one day when he was sitting under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya (Bihar, India) he was blessed with the divine light. This was the turning point, as he realized the truth is within every human being. The search outside was pointless. After this he was known as ' Buddha' or the enlightened one.

For 45 years, Buddha spread his message of a spiritual life with 8 - fold path towards salvation -

Right speech Right Understanding Right Determination Right deeds Right efforts Right awareness Right thinking and Right living.

According to Buddhism, by following this path one could overcome desires, which are the root cause of grief and misery. Buddha died in 483 BC at the age of 80 years.