Gautam Buddha is known as the founder of Buddhism and is also known as Siddhartha Gautama or Lord Buddha. He is thought to be the father of Buddhism. People who follow him are called Buddhists. Gautam Buddha has attained the state of Nirvana and is also known as Buddha. The meaning of the word Buddha means “enlightened one” or “free from suffering and ignorance.”
He was born in Kapilvastu District of Nepal, not far from the foothills of the Himalayas. Lord Buddha was born into the Shakya Clan, which is a very important family. His mother was a Koliyan princess, and his father was the leader of the Shakya clan.
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Early Life of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha was born in 623 BC in Lumbini, a province in the southern part of Nepal. He was born into a wealthy family from the Shakya Clan that lived in the slopes of the Himalayas. The father of Gautam Buddha was Suddhodana, the leader of the Shakya clan, and his mother was Maya, a Koliyan princess. When he was born, the court astrologers predicted that he would become a great sage or a Buddha. Buddha’s father kept him safe from the outside world and other people’s pain, and he had all the comforts he could want as a child.
Buddha saw the real world for the first time after 29 years of living a safe and smooth life. One day, he saw an old man, a sick man, and a dead body in the streets of Kapilavastu. The person driving his car told him that everything gets old, gets sick, and dies. Buddha couldn’t sleep after hearing this. On his way back, he saw a stray monk walking along the road. He realized that becoming a hermit would help him get through all of this pain, so he left his kingdom to find answers to the problems of pain.
Buddha’s path to awakening
While Buddha was looking for answers to the problems of pain, he said goodbye to his wife in silence and didn’t wake her up. He left him home and went to the forest wearing the simple robe of an ascetic. Alara Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra were the two teachers who taught him. From Alara Kalama, he learned how to train his mind to go into the realm of nothingness, and from Udraka Ramaputra, he learned how to get into the mind’s focus zone. This zone is neither awake nor asleep. In the end, Buddha left both of his masters to find freedom.
Asceticism was something that Buddha and five other friends did for six years by eating only one grain of rice and battling their minds against their bodies. When Buddha chose to stop being an ascetic, his five friends left him.
A woman named Sujata gave Buddha a disk of milk and several jars of honey in a town. Afterwards, he took a bath in the Nairanjana river and then meditated while sitting under the bodh tree. After seven days, he was freed from the chains of human sorrow and changed his name to “Buddha,” which means “enlightened one.”
Formation of the Sangha
After he became enlightened, Buddha was hesitant to tell others about what he had learned. He thought most people would find it too hard to understand. People say that God Brahma made him change his mind, though. He went back to find Alara Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra, but they were already dead. He then went to find his five friends who had previously left him. Deer Park (Sarnath), which is close to Varanasi, is where Buddha met his five friends. He told them about his awakening. Buddha initially turned the wheel of dharma. The five friends turned into the First Sangha, a group of men (and later women) who followed Buddha’s beliefs. As they begged for food, they traveled around northeastern India in small groups, teaching Buddhism and meditating.
Growth of the Sangha
Buddha preached dharma for 40–45 years as he walked through Indian villages and towns. There were many kings who knew him, and some of them gave grounds and parks to the sangha so that people could go there. Buddha made a set of rules for the sangha that are recorded in many books called Pratimoksha. The Sangha read each of these books once every two weeks.
Last Days of Gautama Buddha
Buddha died at the age of 80 after eating mushrooms or pork. The monks who gathered around him on his deathbed helped him understand that everything is temporary. In times of trouble, he told them to find safety in themselves and the dharma. The term “Lord Buddha” was given to Buddha many years after he died.
Conclusion
Buddha was born into a wealthy family with all the comforts of life. He chose to give up everything he had in order to find answers to the problem of human pain. While meditating under the Bodhi tree, he became enlightened. With the help of his sangha, he finally taught others. He was the first person to start Buddhism. It’s still not clear what year Buddha died, but his life and lessons are still important today, hundreds of years after he died.
