Gautam Buddha

Gautam Buddha lived between 563 - 483 BC and is highly regarded the world over by followers of other religions besides Buddhism, which was named after him. Buddha refers to the title given to the young prince Gautam Siddhartha and literally means 'the awakened one;' Gautam Buddha was called so after he attained enlightenment and salvation during his lifetime and spread the message through simple living and high thinking to his fellowmen and many generations after that still follow this middle path to find the true nature of life.

Background and Early Life of Gautam Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of that candle will not be shortened is a famous Buddhist proverb that stands true for the founder of Buddhism, Gautam Buddha, most of all: he found through suffering and meditation the true meaning of life, how spirituality can be developed through self-awareness, discipline and focusing on a higher self by service towards others and practicing humility, love and kindness in action, words and deeds.

Christened Siddharth (meaning one who is accomplished), Gautam Buddha is also referred to as Sakyamuni, since he was a highly venerated sage of the tribe of Sakya. The village of Lumbini near Kapila Vastu was the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, born to high ranking royals, now regarded as bordering on Nepal land and a famous pilgrimage spot for Buddhists from all over the world.

The legend goes that a soothsayer foretold the young prince's fate to his father, king Suddhodana; the young Gautam was destined to give up the throne and luxury and renounce the world the day he would see four things. These four diversions to Gautam Buddha's life as a royal would be the sighting of an old man, a sick man, a diseased man and a dead man. Upon hearing this, the king was determined to keep the young prince away from any harsh realities of life that would draw him away from the comfortable life and Gautam grew up in a cloistered, utterly sheltered world that only spelt luxuries and comforts, cosseted with all worldly pleasures. Married off at the tender age of sixteen to Yasoddhra, Gautam got a rude shock when faced with the visions of old age, sickness and death in his kingdom; jolted out of his complacency and having to deal with the truths of existence, the young prince came to recognize suffering as a fact of life.

Visibly shaken up during the chariot ride that acquainted Gautam with these unpleasant sights, he realized his true vocation in life upon sighting a monk of holy countenance. Since Buddha is an honorary title bestowed upon an enlightened being, even most true preachers of Buddhism that have renounced the world, much like the original Gautam Buddha, are conferred with the title after seeing these after seeing these four signs and when a son has been born to him. This is also linked with the event of fatherhood in Gautam Buddha's life, where, according to historical accounts, seven days before Siddhartha would have been crowned as his father's heir he was blessed with a son, Rahula, born to Yasodhara. This last sign propelled the young crown prince Siddhartha to stand firm on his resolve and leave the world of transient luxury and journey outward of the princely pleasures to discover the causes of true happiness and the end of all suffering.

Gautam Buddha and the Great Renunciation period

With the prince announcing his decision to renounce the world, the old king bade a royal groom, Chandaka, to accompany the prince out into the world as he went forth on his quest astride his steed; however, this was not to be for long, for the determined young man on the path towards divine truth went only a short distance with his trusted companions. A little away from Kapilavastu, Siddhartha performed the symbolic practice that came to be known as the great renunciation - he cut off his hair and donned the robes of an ascetic, sending Chandaka back to the palace with his jewels and horse and stepped into the life of a wandering saint.

The learning years: Gautam Buddha's quest for the truth of life

Gautam studied and practiced the Hindu doctrine in the first few years and a bit of Jainism too; however, this left him unfulfilled and he put himself through severe physical and mental discipline with many years of rigorous fasting along with extreme self-mortification. This too did not bring Gautam any closer to the higher plane of existence he was seeking, so he resumed normal eating patterns and gave up extreme asceticism. He even visited Kapilavastu briefly at the behest of his father, but this was only after he gained enlightenment.

The awakening: when Gautam became Buddha

One evening when Gautam was 35, he felt his whole being submerged in an immense wave of all-pervading truth; a sense of wakefulness took over his whole self and this very self-realization came to be termed as the enlightenment, which was said to have shone through around Gautam's like an aura. Beneath the shade of a giant fig tree (Bodhi), Gautam attained his awakening or enlightenment and came to be known as 'The Buddha.' Some schools of Buddhist thought also define the Buddha as 'The Perfectly Self-Awakened One. Samyaksambuddha is another term for the same title.

Since Lord Buddha, as Gautam came to be known as after the enlightenment episode, had already denounced the path of asceticism and embraced pure meditation as the road to peaceful self-realization and discovery of true meaning of life, freedom from suffering and fulfillment of real purpose of living, he propagated the famous Middle Path route to his disciples. This was mainly a doctrine that believed happiness and true contentment was possible with disciplined avoidance of undesirable thoughts, actions and speech and by following a path of moderation and self-mortification.

Gautam Buddha's spiritual journey into truisms of life: tenets of Buddhism, humanity and Nirvana

After gaining enlightenment and following the simple life of a wandering saint, Gautam Buddha spent a good 45 years preaching the truth that he felt he had discovered through meditation and self-realization; this very same disciplined control over excesses of body and mind that led the Buddha towards a higher level of existence and awareness was taught to other followers (bhikshus or missionaries) that accompanied him in his many travels.

Gautama Buddha's primary teachings are regarded as the 'Four Noble Truths' by the Buddhists; these are:

The Eight Fold Path or the Lotus Path preached by Gautam Buddha contained reflections for walking the straight and narrow; these were spiritual prompts for a good, noble life that was built on Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation. Spreading this message of peace, non-violence, love for brotherhood and seeking a higher truth through meditation and self-awareness, Gautam Buddha covered many lands, including Gangetic Plain of Northeastern India and other regions. Bare-footed, clean-headed, with only a saffron robe, walking stick and begging bowl to his name, Gautam Buddha lived on to an elevated sense of being, at the age of 80 in the year 483 BC, when he gained Parinirvana or complete salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth.

Gautam Buddha lived on through his teachings that many faithful followers held strong to: royal patronage, simplicity and practicality of the religion as well as humane factor helped revive Buddhism in later times.

Gautam Buddha found true and abiding patronage in the ruler of Magadha, emperor Bimbisara, who embraced Buddhism as personal faith and allowed the establishment of many Buddhist 'Viharas,' or monastries that led to the rechristening of his entire region as we know it today: you guessed it, Bihar!

Besides Bihar, the strong holds of Buddhism as according to Gautam Buddha's teachings that penetrated hearts and souls of all living creatures that he grouped as deserving alongside human love and kindness, the other important Buddhism pilgrimage sites in India are the Deer Park near Varanasi in northern India, where he set the Wheel of Dharma in motion. This was the spot of Buddha's first sermon along side 5 companions who had previously sought enlightenment and thereafter came to known as the first Sa?gha, the company of Buddhist monks. This aspect led to the formation of the Three Gems in Buddhism - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - that are the complete features of true Buddhist religion even today.

Since the Buddha did not appoint a successor and asked his followers to work for personal salvation, his main teachings existed only in oral traditions, which were disputed in later years by the Sangha (Buddhist Councils) who failed to reach a consensus on many issues regarding Buddhist doctrines and practices. This led to the doctrines being open to interpretation differently by the various councils and many branches of Buddhism opening up to accommodate each new faction based on a certain set of beliefs, with Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism being the first divisions in Buddhism.