Buddha: The Path of Light

Buddhism is one of the world's major faiths, originally begun in the Indian subcontinent and spreading to a vast part of south-east Asia. The history of this religion is linked to the story of Prince Siddharta Gautam, who became known as Buddha.

journey from Siddhartha to Gautam Buddha. source: en.wikipedia.org

For 49 years, the world's Buddha walked barefoot along the Ganges River's banks. He led us to the discovery of the route to emancipation, guiding us through the darkness as if it were a path of light.

The Buddha was born as Siddharta to mother Queen Maya and father King Suddhodana of the Sakyan kingdom in Lumbini in 563 BC. He lived a magnificent life of ease and pleasure in the palace as the future monarch of the Sakya Clan.

Some Sages predicted that when he grew up, he would become a great holy monarch or a well-known spiritual leader who would bring the world together. It is stated that his father foresaw his son's eventual renunciation of the world. His father did everything he could to shield his little son away from the world's woes to prevent him from going to religious life.

However, Prince Siddhartha had a meditation experience as a kid that taught him that suffering, or "DUKKHA" in Pali, is inherent in all existence. He grew up in a pleasant environment and had a happy childhood. But he continued to explore religious issues, and at the age of 29, he witnessed what became known as the four sights in Buddhism.

The prince had never seen an old man before and was shocked when he saw a man bent with age. He inquired about it with his servant Channa, who said, "It was an old guy, and we will also grow old one day." The prince returned to the palace, devastated.

Siddartha went out again after a few days, and this time he encountered a severely sick guy who was crying out in pain. "Why is this man crying?" he inquired again, to which Channa replied that the old man was unwell and in pain. Siddhartha was upset once more because he was confronted with the hardships of this world from which his father had hidden him.

He spotted a bunch of people dragging a dead body the next day. That was the day the prince realized the ultimate reality of existence. Channa explained to him that we shall all grow old and die eventually.

A man with a shaved head, orange robes, and a bowl in his hand who left everything and walked to the jungle to seek happiness inspired him. Siddhartha made the decision to leave his home.

The prince, moved by everything he had witnessed, chose to abandon the palace in the middle of the night, against his father's wishes, to seek the reality of life and live as a wandering ascetic, leaving behind his newborn son Rahula and his wife Yasodhara.

Siddhartha went from teacher to teacher asking, “Do you know the way to happiness”? but nobody could tell him. Finally, after giving up his life of extreme asceticism, the prince sat in meditation under a tree and received enlightenment, which is frequently referred to as knowing the Four Noble Truths: suffering, source of suffering, state of mind free from suffering, and way to end suffering.

The Buddha spent the following 45 years spreading his teachings throughout northeastern India, establishing monks and nuns' orders, and receiving the support of monarchs and merchants.

He became gravely unwell at the age of 80. After that, Jesus gathered with his disciples one last time to give them his final instructions before entering nirvana. His relics were subsequently distributed and put in stupas (funerary monuments that traditionally house relics), where they would be honored.

Buddhism. source: history.com