Antique Buddha Statues | Top 10 known facts about Buddha which you may know but would like to know in better way.

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Top Ten Facts about Buddha:
1. The Predictions:
When Gautama Buddha was born, a famous astrologer had predicted that he would go on to be
a great and a holy man, with the fact that one day he would leave the palace and his family.
Scared by the thought of losing his son, his father Suddhodhana kept him inside the palace,
taught him inside and gave him everything what he required, but never let him out of the palace.
Until that one day when he got out, he returned just to leave again.
2. Born a Prince
Siddhartha Gautama was actually a prince, who belonged to the Shakya Clan of Nepal. His
father, Suddhodhana was the chief of that clan. Yet, when he came face to face with the
realities of life, he sacrificed the luxurious life of being a Prince, and went on his own path to
give birth to Buddhism.
3. The four terrible sights
Gautama Buddha hadn’t been out of the palace till that one day when he comes across the four
sights, which is actually the turning point of his life. At the age of 29, he went outside the palace
and what he saw shocked him and made him realize and see the reality of life. He came across
an old man, a corpse, a sick man and a wandering ascetic. It then dawned on him that all of this
later would come to him as well.
4. Gautama Buddha’s realization
The day he left the palace, he saw people in pain and suffering. After he got back to his palace,
he could not lead the normal life anymore, after realizing that the reality of life was not pleasures
and luxury but pain, suffering and death. He realized the fact that all these worldly pleasures
which got at his palace would die one day, and that death would naturally come to him as well.
5. Searching for the truth
Gautama Buddha went around the world searching for truth and seeking answers to life. He had
left all the worldly pleasures and luxuries of life and lived the life of a hermit. After meditating for
years and seeking the path of ‘The Middle Way’ and attaining enlightenment, he travelled to
spread these teachings of his. He had gone to the wisest of teachers to seek wisdom from
them, but none of them could answer the questions to what he asked. So he decided to seek for
the truth himself.
Taken from: http://listden.com/top-10-unknown-life-facts-about-lord-gautama-buddha/

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6. Enlightenment and ‘The Middle Way’
Gautama Buddha had decided to sit under a ‘peepal’ tree and meditate till the time he does not
seek the answer to the purpose of life and the truth behind life. That tree today is famously
known as the ‘Bodhi’ tree. After years of meditation, he found enlightenment to ‘The Middle
Way’, which basically means that human beings should remain devoid of any extremism in their
life. Extreme self mortification and self indulgence was exactly the opposite of ‘The Middle Way’,
which he preached for years after that.
7. The wise teacher
The first sermon of Gautama Buddha was in Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, India. Therefore, it would
be surprising to know that Gautama Buddha was reluctant in the first place to spread his
teachings and teach people of wisdom and life. He believed that there are some things which
cannot be learnt, and some things which cannot be taught. To learn the things which he wanted
to propagate, a person needs to have a pure mind and heart.
8. Worldly Teachings
Gautama Buddha travelled around the world to spread his idea of life and principles, and taught
people never to be ignorant, never to fall in the trap of hate and never to be angry. He spoke to
people of how to avoid and refrain from negative feelings in life. He spread positive vibes among
people and made a place in their hearts quickly and easily.
9. Family Re-united
After he decided to leave his home and go around the world to spread his teaching and
principles, he visited his son, father, his wife and his foster mother. His family members later
then joined the Sangha, which Gautama Buddha had formed, and became monks. Thereon, his
cousin Ananda also joined him in his ventures as his disciple and turned a monk. Gautama
Buddha’s son, Rahula, also followed his father’s footsteps and became the youngest monk in
the Sangha.
10. His words of wisdom
Gautama Buddha died in 483 BC and in a place in India named Kushinagar. But before his
death, he spread some words of wisdom which are remembered by people till date. People
might not be following the Buddhism religion, but his simple wisdom and preaches of life, such
as spreading kindness and compassion among others is believed to be a way of life, followed by
a log of people around the world. One of his main wisdom thoughts was that happiness lies only
in knowing that nothing in this world remains permanent.

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