You’ve probably seen statues of the Buddha. They are sold everywhere, from religious stores that specialize in beautiful artifacts, to flea markets where the Buddha statue is obviously plastic and badly painted. But what is the Buddha – or who was the Buddha? And why is he so popular?
The Buddha was born as Prince Siddhatha Gotama. He was born in 623 B.C. during the month of May, near what is now the border between India and Nepal. His parents, the King and Queen, were delighted with their son, and the whole Kingdom rejoiced at his birth.
Though he was brought up in a royal household and taught all the necessary lessons of a future King, Siddhatha felt lost in his own world. Though he was married to a beautiful woman and had the entire kingdom at his command, he wanted something more. There was a spiritual yearning inside him, begging to get out.
On the day his wife had their first and only son, Siddhatha realized he would become too attached to his child, and he would never find the enlightenment he sought. He chose to leave them in the palace and strike out on his own, on a quest for spiritual answers. At this point, he was 29 years of age.
Siddhatha followed great spiritual teachers, but soon reached the limits of what they could teach him. He moved on to more and more powerful teachers until it seemed there was nothing left to learn, but he was still feeling lost. He finally set about meditation and the path to enlightenment on his own, sometimes even flirting with death to accomplish his goal. Finally, on the eve of his 35th birthday, he finally achieved true understanding, or nirvana.
Siddhatha, the Buddha, went on to teach for 45 years. He ordained thousands of monks during that time, he even helped his wife and son, Rahula, achieve enlightenment as he had done. His teachings were the beginning of Buddhism.