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Gautama BuddhaSpiritual teacher from ancient India, legendary founder of Buddhism
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 India |
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Biography of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha, also known as Buddha Shakyamuni, was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and the legendary founder of Buddhism. He was born Siddhartha Gautama, which means "successor of Gotama, successful in achieving goals." Later, he became known simply as Buddha or Supreme Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama is a key figure in Buddhism, and his life, wise sayings, conversations with his followers, and monastic teachings form the basis of the sacred Buddhist texts, the "Tripitaka."
Early Life
Gautama Buddha was born around 563 BCE or 623 BCE. However, there is very little reliable information about his life. Traditionally, his biography is based on a number of Buddhist texts, including the "Lalitavistara Sutra." But even the earliest texts associated with Buddha's name appeared 400 years after his death and underwent exaggeration approved by the monks.
According to the traditional biography, Gautama Buddha began his path to enlightenment many hundreds of lives before escaping the torment of the "cycle of birth and death," starting with a meeting between the learned Brahmin Sumedha and the Buddha Dipankara. Impressed by the Buddha's serenity, Sumedha desired a similar state, and after his death, the power of this desire influenced his subsequent incarnations in human and animal bodies, and Sumedha himself came to be called a "bodhisattva." Living through the cycle and perfecting himself, the bodhisattva appeared among the gods for the penultimate time, where he had the opportunity to choose a place for his final birth on earth. And he chose the family of the Shakya king, so that people would show greater respect and trust in the Buddha's upcoming teachings.
Traditional Biography
According to traditional biographies, King Shuddhodana, most likely a member of the ruling assembly of Kshatriyas, became the father of Buddha, and Queen Maha Maya, a princess from the kingdom of Koliya, became his mother. On the night of the conception of the future founder of Buddhism, Maha Maya dreamed of an elephant with six white tusks entering her right side. Following the Shakyas' tradition, Maha Maya went to her parents' home, where the birth was supposed to take place, but the child was born along the way, under an ashoka tree, in the Lumbini grove. The newborn immediately stood up, proclaiming that he was a being surpassing gods and humans. Almost all sources assert that Maha Maya died a few days after the birth of her miraculous son. The hermit-seer Asita counted 32 signs of his greatness on the baby's body and blessed him, promising that the boy would become a chakravartin or a great saint. On the fifth day of the child's birth, he was named Siddhartha, which means "one who has achieved his goal," and eight Brahmins were invited to confirm his dual destiny.
Siddhartha was raised by Maha Pajapati, the sister of Maha Maya, while his father did everything possible to shield his son from religious teachings and knowledge of the impermanence of existence. The boy lived in three palaces, surpassing his peers in physical and intellectual development, and had a propensity for contemplation. At the age of 16, he married his cousin, Princess Yasodhara, who gave birth to their son Rahula several years later. For many years, Siddhartha was a prince of Kapilavastu, but he felt within himself that material wealth was not the ultimate goal of his existence. When Siddhartha celebrated his 29th birthday, he managed to leave the palace together with his charioteer Channa, where the tranquil prince saw the "four sights." He realized the realities of harsh life when he encountered a beggar, a sick person, an ascetic, and a decaying corpse, and understood that the only way to comprehend all human suffering was through self-discovery. After that, Siddhartha secretly left his home, family, and wealth to find ways to escape suffering.
Enlightenment
Dressed as a commoner, Siddhartha became an ascetic, begged for alms, learned yogic meditation, and mastered the teachings of Alara Kalama. He then became a disciple of Uddaka Ramaputta. Having reached the highest level of meditative concentration, Siddhartha, along with five companions, found himself in southeastern India, where he practiced severe asceticism and self-mortification. But after six years, on the brink of life and death, he concluded that asceticism did not bring greater understanding but only clouded the mind and exhausted the body. His companions left Siddhartha, who, in solitude, achieved the state of jhana, and after 49 days of meditation on the full moon day of Vaisakha, he attained the state of "Supreme Awakening," Nibbana or Nirvana, and gained knowledge of the "Four Noble Truths." After this, Siddhartha became Buddha or "The Awakened One." Able to deeply sympathize with all creatures, Buddha decided to become a teacher and share the true Dharma with others.
For 45 years, he traveled throughout the Gangetic Plain, sharing his knowledge and performing miracles. However, not everyone responded joyfully to his message, and opposition religious groups repeatedly attempted to kill Buddha. At the age of 80, Gautama Buddha declared that he would soon attain the final stage of immortality, Parinirvana, and be free from his earthly body. Legend has it that before his death, Buddha told his disciples, "Strive diligently for your own liberation." After a special cremation, his remains were divided into eight parts and placed at the base of stupas. It is believed that the sacred relic, the "Tooth of Buddha," is kept at the Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka.
There are various interpretations of Buddha's life story. While early Western science readily accepted the biography of the spiritual teacher from ancient India, today scholars are not in a hurry to share unverified information about historical facts related to Buddha.
