Buddha

Buddha


     The word Buddha 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 was an era of great brutality with the domination of Northwest

India by Indo-Aryan invaders.  Many people, influenced by the Aryan civilization,

began to question the value of life and it's true meaning.  Schools were opened

because of this curiosity where teachers would discuss the significance of

existence and the nature of man and held programs to reconstruct one's spiritual

self. (Pardue, page 228)


Background

     Near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King

Suddhodhana and Queen 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 well

respected leader.

     As Siddhartha grew, he became very curious about the world outside of

the palace walls.  He felt a great need to undergo new experiences and learn the

truth of reality.  Siddhartha was married to a woman named Yasodhara who gave

birth to a boy, Rahul.  Even after his marriage, Siddhartha was still not

completely satisfied with his life; he decided that it was necessary for him to

see the lives of those outside the castle.


The Four Meetings

     One day, Siddhartha called for his charioteer to take him to the park.

When the King heard of this, he ordered the streets to be cleared of everything

except beauty.  As the Prince rode by, the people cheered and threw flowers at

him, praising his name and Siddhartha was still clueless to the suffering of

life until a god, disguised as a poor, old man stumbled before the chariot.

Siddhartha was curious to this man's condition and he asked the charioteer about

his appearance.  The charioteer replied that all men must endure old age and

that even the prince could not escape this fate.  Siddhartha then returned to

the palace to contemplate about old age which caused him to want to see more.

     The next day, Siddhartha decided to venture on to the streets again

which were, by the King's request, once more cleared of all evil and ugliness.

This 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 This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now!


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