Life of Buddha

Buddhism, Enlightenment & Nirvana

The life of the person who would become known as the Buddha began some two and a half thousand years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, the founding figure of Buddhism, was born at Lumbini south of the Himalayas. In terms of today's states this birthplace is in Nepal and quite close to India.

Before and after his birth into a locally influential minor Royal House certain signs and portents seemed to indicate that the child would have a momentous future.

Given these prophecies Siddharta's father decreed that his son should be raised in all luxury and also be strictly sheltered from such realities as illness, old age, and mortality.

As a teenager the young Prince was entrusted to the hospitality and education of priests and teachers. Siddhartha subsequently took a Princess Yashodhara as his wife and lived a life of some material luxury and sensual licence.

Then, in his late twenties, Prince Siddharta, and several friends were out hunting and met with a person who was in grievious pain, a person who was incapacitated by the effects of extreme old age, and then with the funeral observances for yet another person. These meetings with the misfortunes of life took place despite the orders of the King that the aged, the ill, and deceased persons, were not to be allowed to cross Siddhartha's path !!!

Thoroughly disillusioned and troubled Prince Siddharta headed towards his palatial home. Some time later Prince Siddhartha came across an itinerant priest, who was of a profoundly tranquil demeanour, who discreetly sought alms. The Prince was much impressed by the calm and peace that seemed to radiate from the Holy man.

That very night Prince Siddhartha, in what Buddhism calls the Great Renunciation, abandoned his high station and himself embarked on life as a seeker after truth.

Some time passed in contemplation and travel, many visits were made to the abodes of Holy persons. Despite his contemplations, travels and severe austerities Siddhartha did not consider that he made worthwhile progress for all of seven years although he had become known to others as Sakyamuni - the Sage of the Sakya's.

Siddhartha concluded that the life of austerity he was leading was not going to be of assistance in his search for truth and began to live less austerely.

Then one day, whilst sitting under a great, spreading, Bo tree Siddhartha felt that he was undergoing profound, and extensive, alterations of realisation and awakening. It is from this time that Siddhartha began to be referred to as the Buddha, a name implying his having gained Enlightenment.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Nirvana in association with this Enlightenment experience. Nirvana being a state where suffering is eliminated through the abandonment of desires - desires being the cause of suffering. The attainment of Nirvana is held to bring release from an otherwise endless succession of reincarnations or rebirths. The term Nirvana has suggestive associations with a verb indicating cooling, or possibly, extinguishment!!!

One of the key Buddha teachings is known as the Sermon at Benares (aka Varanesi).

Buddha teachings

Sermon at Benares

Four Noble Truths

Noble Eightfold Path

One day, whilst sitting under a great, spreading, Bo tree Siddhartha Gautama felt that he was somehow undergoing profound, and extensive, alterations of realisation and awakening. Siddhartha remained for seven days under the great tree. It is from this times that Siddhartha began to be referred to as the Buddha, a name implying his being Awake and Enlightened. These few day's spent under the Bo tree are considered to have been the time of his Enlightenment.
Buddha is said to have "attained Nirvana" - to have achieved a state where suffering is eliminated through the abandonment of desires - desires being the cause of suffering. Such attainmentment is held to bring release from an otherwise endless succession of reincarnations or rebirths. The term Nirvana has suggestive associations with a verb indicating cooling, or possibly, extinguishment!!! Considering himself to have made significant Spiritual Progress and that he now had some Buddha teachings that he thought important to share with others Siddhartha journeyed on foot over one hundred miles to Benares. Buddha's Enlightenment was experienced whilst living a life that was neither overly luxurious nor overly austere. His teachings were subsequently framed against an idea of a "Middle Way" that avoided such extremes. In a deer park he delivered the celebrated "The Sermon at Benares" in which are included two of the more central Buddha teachings i.e. the "Four Noble Truths" and the "Noble Eightfold Path".
The Four Noble truths The First Noble Truth is that old age, illness, and death are all forms of human suffering, and that there are many other other ways in which people suffer. The Buddha accepted the Vedic idea of endlessly successive reincarnations where life followed upon life, with much suffering inevitably attending in each of these lives. The idea of Karma further sugesting that in each existence a person's good or bad deeds would respectively impact positively or negatively on their store of "merit". It was this Karma-merit that would underpin the advantageous, or pitiful, state into which individual reincarnations would occur.
The Second Noble Truth is that suffering is closely linked to desire, a desire for being which leads from birth to death and involve ageing, illness, and mortality. There are also various desires for pleasures and for powers which, frustratingly, may not be realised.
The Third Noble Truth is that suffering can be dispelled by the abandonment of all desires.
The last of the Four Noble Truths holds that such abandonment of desires can be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path

*Right Belief (in the Truth) Right Intent (to do good rather than evil)

*Right Speech (avoidance of untruth, slander and swearing)

*Right Behaviour (avoid blameworthy behaviours)

*Right Livelihood (some occupations e.g. butcher, publican, were disparaged!!!)

*Right Effort (towards the good) Right Contemplation (of the Truth)

*Right Concentration (will result from following the Noble Eightfold Path)

Siddhatha Gautama's Buddha teachings were to provide the basis for the establishment of Buddhism as a most significant religious and philosophical movement - in India for more than a thousand years - with Buddhism also spreading widely into other parts of Asia.