Historians,
religious scholars, and various Buddhist sects debate the
actual year of the Buddha's birth; it may have been as early
as 644 BC or as late as 540 BC. It is however, relatively
certain that he was born as Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the son
of Suddhodana, king of the Shakya tribe. His birthplace was
the forest grove of Lumbini in the hilly regions of what is
today northeastern India and Nepal. His parents gave him the
name Siddhartha and there were many wonderful predicitions
about his future. In his early years he lived as a prince in
his royal palace but when he was 29 years old he retired to
the forest where he followed a spiritual life of meditation.
After six years he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi
Tree in Bodh Gaya, India.
Buddha
then rose from meditation and taught the first Wheel of
Dharma. These teachings which include the Sutra of the Four
Noble Truths and other discourses, are the principal source
of the Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle, of Buddhism. Later,
Buddha taught the second and third Wheels of Dharma, which
include the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and the Sutra
Discriminating the Intention respectively. These teachings
are the source of the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, of
Buddhism. In the Hinayana teachings Buddha explains how to
attain liberation from suffering for oneself alone, and in
the Mahayana teachings he explains how to attain full
enlightenment, or Buddha hood, for the sake of others. Both
traditions flourished in Asia, at first in India and then
gradually in other surrounding countries, including Tibet.
In all Buddha Shakyamuni gave eighty-four thousand
teachings. His intention in founding Buddhism was to lead
living beings to permanent liberation from suffering. He
realized temporary liberation from suffering and
difficulties is not enough. Motivated by love and compassion
his aim was to help living beings find lasting peace or
nirvana.
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