The Buddha

Sham S. Misri

Buddha was born in about 563 BCE in the royal family of Shakyas. His father ruled on a small kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains (present Nepal)

A group of astrologers predicted that the young prince would grow up to be a great man.

Prince Siddhartha married a beautiful princess named and they had a son. They all lived happily together within the world of wealth and power.

One day, Prince Siddhartha persuaded his father to let him go outside the palace walls to see the city. When Siddhartha and his wife set out for their tour of the city in chariots they saw many young and happy people. However, they also happened to see a feeble old man who was lying at the side of the road.

Siddhartha asked someone to explain what was wrong with the man. It was only then that Siddhartha learned about how people get old.

Siddhartha was moved by the suffering of the old man. On his next journeys into the city he saw a sick man, a dead man and a sage. These visits led to his realizing the fundamental truths of life.

Siddhartha left his wife and son at the palace and set out to learn the way of finding salvation and understanding.

He took off his princely robes, cut his hair and sent his wife back to the palace with his horse.

Siddhartha wandered through the forests seeking knowledge from wise men and ascetics. However, this did not bring him satisfaction or greater understanding. Finally, Siddhartha settled under a tree to meditate, where he achieved enlightment. From that point, he was known as the Buddha.

 The Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath. In this sermon he shared the knowledge he had gained through meditation. For the rest of his life, the Buddha travelled around sharing his teachings with many people.

Buddha did not approve of the miracles. However, he once gave a demonstration of his magical powers to win over six rival teachers, making four images of himself appear in a mango tee. The Buddha also made water jet from his feet and flames from his shoulders.

Buddhism began in northern India about 2500 years ago. His teachings spread from India to /Sri Lanka and then to other parts of Asia, where it has thrived down to the present day.

The Buddha died in 483 B.C. at the age of 80.

Then the Buddha’s body was taken for cremation. At first the funeral pyre would not light, but when the disciple, Mahakashypa, arrived it burst into flames.

 After his death, there was a stir of music, dances and offerings of flowers for seven days.

After cremation, his ashes were divided up and taken to eight different sites.

At each of these sites, a mound-like structure called a stupa was built to contain the ashes.

Over time, many stupas were built and rebuilt, serving as centers of worship for the Buddha's followers.