Buddha Essay Research Paper BuddhaThe word Buddha

Buddha Essay, Research Paper

Buddha

The word Buddha means “enlightened one.” It is used today as

a title to the one who has given us more religious beliefs than almost

any other human who lived in this world. However, he was not given

this name at birth; he had to earn it for himself by undergoing long,

hard hours of meditation and contemplation. Buddha has changed the

lifestyles of many cultures with new, never-before asked questions

that were explained by his search for salvation. He began an entirely

new religion that dared to test the boundaries of reality and go beyond

common knowledge to find the answers of the mysteries of life.

India

During the sixth century BC, India was a land of political and

religious turmoil. It was an era of great brutality with the domination of

Northwest India by Indo-Aryan invaders. Many people, influenced by

the Aryan civilization, began to question the value of life and it’s true

meaning. Schools were opened because of this curiosity where

teachers would discuss the significance of existence and the nature of

man and held programs to reconstruct one’s spiritual self. (Pardue,

page 228)

Background

Near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived

King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as

the Shakyas. (Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon

became pregnant and had a dream shortly before she gave birth. In

this dream a beautiful, white elephant with six tusks entered her room

and touched her side. This dream was soon interpreted by the wisest

Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give birth to a son

that would, if he were to remain in the castle, become the wisest king

in the world, but if he were ever to leave the castle he would then

become the wisest prophet far into future generations. (Encyclopedia

Americana, page 410)

In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a

life of pure luxury. (Wangu, page 16) His father wanted to make sure

that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from

desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy,

kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in

his father’s footsteps in becoming a well respected leader.

As Siddhartha grew, he became very curious about the world

outside of the palace walls. He felt a great need to undergo new

experiences and learn the truth of reality. Siddhartha was married to a

woman named Yasodhara who gave birth to a boy, Rahul. Even after

his marriage, Siddhartha was still not completely satisfied with his life;

he decided that it was necessary for him to see the lives of those

outside the castle.

The Four Meetings

One day, Siddhartha called for his charioteer to take him to the

park. When the King heard of this, he ordered the streets to be

cleared of everything except beauty. As the Prince rode by, the

people cheered and threw flowers at him, praising his name and

Siddhartha was still clueless to the suffering of life until a god,

disguised as a poor, old man stumbled before the chariot. Siddhartha

was curious to this man’s condition and he asked the charioteer about

his appearance. The charioteer replied that all men must endure old

age and that even the prince could not escape this fate. Siddhartha

then returned to the palace to contemplate about old age which

caused him to want to see more.

The next day, Siddhartha decided to venture on to the streets

again which were, by the King’s request, once more cleared of all evil

and ugliness. This time, Siddhartha encountered a sick man and

again, returned to the palace to reflect on sickness. On his third trip to

the park, Siddhartha approached a funeral in a garden and was

educated by the charioteer about how every man must experience

death. Finally, on the fourth day, the young prince saw a shaven-

headed man wearing a yellow robe. He was amazed and impressed

by how peaceful the man seemed; he carried with him only a begging

bowl and had left all other possessions to try to find spiritual

deliverance. At that moment, Siddhartha knew his destiny was to

discover how this man has avoided these acts of suffering. (The New

Encyclopedia Britannica, page 270)

Later that night, Siddhartha kissed his wife and son, and left with

his charioteer away from the palace of riches and pleasure. He left

behind his life of pure desire to understand the true meaning of life.

To symbolize his renunciation from civilization, Siddhartha cut his long

hair and beard with his jeweled sword, traded his silk robes for a

yellow robe, and gave away all of his possessions.

The Journey to Moksha (Salvation)

Siddhartha wandered from place to place gathering as much

information as he could f

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