2. Gautam Buddha was the founder of Buddhism.
He was an avatar (descension) of the Supreme
Lord, Shree Vishnu.
He was born and raised in a royal family but
attained true knowledge, which he later spread
to the world through the tenets of his
teachings.
3. He was born in late sixth century B.C., in the
village Lumbini .
His father, King Suddhodana was the leader of
the Shakya clan and His mother, Queen Maya,
died soon after his birth.
His father shielded his son from the realities of
the world
4. One day, young Siddharth asked his charioteer
to take him around the countryside.
There he saw an old man suffering in pain. He
also saw a sick person and a dead corpse.
These encounters saddened him greatly and
left a deep impression on his mind.
He realized that all living beings without
exception have to experience the sufferings of
birth, sickness, old age and death.
He was shaken up by these harsh realities.
5. Realizes the Suffering in the World
Decided to Leave his Comfort life and become
an Ascetic
Searched for Enlightement
He wanted to realize the true meaning of life,
and in that quest, he shaved off his head, wore
the robes of a sadhu and left the palace at night
in secrecy.
6. Siddharth reached Bodh Gaya (presently in
Bihar in North India) and sat for meditation
under a peepal (fig) tree, that later came to be
known as the Bodhi tree.
It was under this tree that Siddharth attained
enlightenment.
He came to be known as the Buddha or the
Enlightened One.
7. Buddha was moved by compassion to do
something for humanity.
He travelled in search of his five companions,
to what is now Uttar Pradesh in Northern
India.
Having found them, he preached the first
sermon to them based on the four noble truths.
8. These four truths are:
1. There is suffering in life
2. The cause of suffering is attachment
3. Suffering can be finished
4. The eight-fold path is the way to get release
from suffering
The eight-fold path consists of: right view, right
intention, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and
right concentration.
9. In Tibet, the Dalai and Panchem Lama
followers have their own tradition based on the
tenets of Buddhism first taught by Gautam
Buddha.
In China and Japan, Zen Buddhism involves a
meditative adaptation of the teachings.
In Sri Lanka, Theravada Buddhism combines
primitive belief in spirits with traditional
teachings of the Buddha.
10. Buddha widely preached the knowledge that
he had received through enlightenment.
At the age of 80, he suddenly announced that
he would soon be leaving his earthly body.
Gautam Buddha left this world, having spread
his teachings across India and neighboring
countries.
