Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha was born in Lumbini, located near the border between India and Nepal. Gautama was his family name. His mother, Mahamaya, passed away when he was only seven days old. The child was brought to Kabilavasthu and was cherished by Mahaprajapathi Gautami who was Mahamaya's sister and Suddhodana's second wife. His father conferred all his loving attention and care on the child.

Asita, an old Sear, once went to the palace to see the new born baby-prince. He forecasted that the baby was intended to be a "great soul" or a great man. He laughed, but minutes later, tears dripped down his face. Those who present there were astonished at this and asked Asita, why he had both laughed and wept at the same time. He gave details that he had laughed because he was delighted at the thought the child would reject the world, found a new religion and be a savior of mankind. He shed tears because he would not live long enough to see the future greatness of the child realized.

King Suddhodana was not happy about the prediction because he wanted his child to come after him as the King of Kabilavasthu. His son, Siddhartha was very amiable as well as intelligent. He lived in a big palace in the middle of beautiful gardens. As he grew up, he was trained reading, writing, music riding, swimming and hunting. He knows well how to use the sword and pull the bow. He trained himself in everything a prince ought to know.

Siddhartha grew up into a fine-looking youth. Deep inside his heart, however, Gautama longed for loneliness. He was a dreamer, by temperament, often he left his associates in the middle of play and wandered away to privacy, absorbed in deep thought. Once his companions found him missing, for a pretty long period. They searched for him until at last they found him sitting in meditation under a tree. Siddhartha had a kind and loving heart and could not bear the pain and suffering of others. When out hunting, his heart would suffer in compassion for blameless birds and animals and he would not kill them. Once he found a injured swan in a corner of his garden and was over whelmed by its anguish. All this was observed by his father and it made him very sad. He tried to keep Siddhartha away from the unhappiness and melancholy of life.

As per King's arrangement, Siddhartha was married to Yashodha a beautiful princess, whom he dearly loved. Together, they lived delightfully. He was given three palaces for the three seasons - winter, summer, and monsoon. There were dancing, music games and hunting to entertaining him. He had all the pleasures and lavishness that a royal life could offer. In time, he was blessed with a son was christened Rahul.

Siddhartha now saw that some people were trying to discover a way out of human melancholy. This created a powerful urge in him to find out why there was suffering in the world and how man could free himself from it. In the prime of his youth, he made up his mind to give up all comforts and pleasures of princely life and adopt the life of a saint in expedition of Truth. He was only twenty-nine at that time.

At midnight, when everyone in the palace was in deep sleep, he rose from his bed and called his charioteer to fit out his preferred horse Kanthaka. He had a last, enduring glimpse of his beloved wife, Yashodhara, who was fast asleep, with baby Rahul next to her. He softly walked out, mounted his horse and rode away. This was the Great Renunciation.

He rode towards a forest all night long and the next morning he reached a place far away from his Kingdom. He cast off his princely clothing, cut off his hair, wore a yellow robe and marched alone in search of the secret of happiness. He began the life of a nomadic ascetic.

He met some of the most celebrated religious teachers of that time and learned something from them, but he was still not fulfilled. He walked on and on and reached the forest of Uruvela near Gaya in Bihar (India). Here, he practiced rigorous reparation for six long years. He observed severe fasts and imposed severe pain on his body. In the process, he was reduced to a skeleton. He, however, did not gain the truth he was seeking. He found that self-torture was not the right way. He took food again. He now began to meditate deeply under a Pipal tree hear Gaya. At last one day he unexpectedly attained NIRVANA (supreme knowledge). Thereafter, he came to be known as the 'BUDDHA' (enlightened one).

The Buddha, who was then thirty five years old, was willing to share the light of knowledge with the humanity. He proceeded to Sarnath near Varnashi (India) and began to discourse his new faith called Buddhism. The Buddha taught the four Noble Truths. They were:

A. Life is full of suffering.
B. The cause of this suffering is that mass is selfish and has desires.
C. Suffering ceases when the desire ceases.
D. Desire can be eliminated by following the eight-fold path which consisted:
1. Right faith
2. Right resolve
3. Right Speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right living
6. Right effort
7. Right remembrance
8. Right meditation.

The Buddha accomplished from his own experience that one should neither pamper too much in the pleasure of life nor torment oneself too much. These were extremes and did not bring happiness and should, therefore, be avoided. There was a middle path which led to knowledge and happiness. The Buddha said:

One should learn self control; if someone is angry, one should not be angry in return but be kind instead.

One should not lie, steal, kill and drink.

One should have a good heart and mind which will manifest itself in good thoughts, good words and good deed .

One should lead a simple and pure life.

That is the way to attain happiness. He went place to place coaching the people the way to happiness. Disciples began to gather round him and thousands of people became his followers. His father, wife and son also adopted Buddhism.

Exceptionally gentle and tolerant, full of human sympathy and kindness, universal love and consideration, the Buddha discoursed his Dharma to the rich and the poor, the high and the low alike. He said "It is not by birth, but through one's acts, that one becomes a Brahman or an untouchable." He said that all the castes combined in his religion as did the rivers in the ocean. The Apostle took his gospel to the doors of the people and trained them in their own language and in a manner that was at once simple and touching. For forty-five years, the Master preached sermon on Universal Love, morality and purity, leading people to the path of righteousness.

The Buddha died at Kushinagar (modern Kushinagar in U.P. India), about 190 kilometers (120 miles) from Varnashi (Banaras) at the age of eighty. The Buddha called Kashmir 'the land of blue forests.' He is said to have envisaged that a disciple of Anand, his constant companion, would spread his religion in Kashmir, later, Kashmir became a great centre of Buddhism and Buddhist learning. Several Buddhist scholars lived and studied there. The third Buddhist council was held in Kashmir. A number of Buddhist scholars from Kashmir went beyond the borders of India, especially to China through Tibet, to spread the holy message of the Buddha. Most of the people in Ladakh, one of the divisions of Jammu& Kashmir State (India), are Buddhists. There are a number of Buddhist monasteries and priests there.

Millions, the world over follows Buddhism, even today and draw inspiration from his life and work.