Buddha
The word means "enlightened one." It is used today as a title to
the one who has given us more religious beliefs than almost any other human who
lived in this world. However, he was not given this name at birth; he had to
earn it for himself by undergoing long, hard hours of meditation and
contemplation. Buddha has changed the lifestyles of many cultures with new,
never-before asked questions that were explained by his search for salvation.
He began an entirely new religion that dared to test the boundaries of reality
and go beyond common knowledge to find the answers of the mysteries of life.
India
During the sixth century BC, India was a land of political and religious
turmoil. It ...
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Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas.
(Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon became pregnant and had a
dream shortly before she gave birth. In this dream a beautiful, white elephant
with six tusks entered her room and touched her side. This dream was soon
interpreted by the wisest Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give
birth to a son that would, if he were to remain in the castle, become the wisest
king in the world, but if he were ever to leave the castle he would then become
the wisest prophet far into future generations. (Encyclopedia Americana, page
410)
In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of
pure luxury. (Wangu, page 16) His father wanted to make sure that his son was
well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace.
Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of
reality so that he could follow in his father's footsteps in becoming a ...
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time, Siddhartha encountered a sick man and again, returned to the palace
to reflect on sickness. On his third trip to the park, Siddhartha approached a
funeral in a garden and was educated by the charioteer about how every man must
experience death. Finally, on the fourth day, the young prince saw a shaven-
headed man wearing a yellow robe. He was amazed and impressed by how peaceful
the man seemed; he carried with him only a begging bowl and had left all other
possessions to try to find spiritual deliverance. At that moment, Siddhartha
knew his destiny was to discover how this man has avoided these acts of
suffering. (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, page 270)
Later ...
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"Buddha." Essayworld.com. December 9, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Buddha/94362.
"Buddha." Essayworld.com. December 9, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Buddha/94362.
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