Gautama Buddha History – Enlightenment

Gautama Buddha History

Gautama Buddha is one of the famous incarnations of Lord Vishnu; many buddhas, as well as Hindus, worship Him with great respect. His preaches and way of life changed the entire attitude of Indian society during his period and later. He was born in or around 563 BCE on a moon night in Lumbini. His father, Suddhodana, and his Mother, Maya. His mother died at a very early age of Siddhartha. Hence he was brought up in the house of Gauthami, his aunt. So that Lord Buddha, also known as Gauthama.

His family belongs to the Sakya tribe and ruled Kosala in the sixth century B.C. The tribe made Sravasti city their capital in the Himalayan foothills. When Siddhartha was born, the court predictor and great sage Asita examined the boy and predicted he would become the greatest king or a great renouncer. Therefore Suddhodana wants to make him a great monarch rather than a saint. Since then, lit,tle Siddhartha kept him under the observation of Gauthami and hid the ground realities of life from Siddharta. An fA few years later, at a young age, they married Yasodhara and gave him a son called Rahul. Even He was in the pleasure of circumstances; sometimes his heart alerted him to know the Salvation for sorrow. The repeated alarm in their mind made his quest to understand life’s salvation.

Gautama Buddha Story after Marriage:

Gautama Buddha spent most of his life around the walls of the fort. He rarely comes out of the walls and observes the people outside. He wanted to see more of the world one day, so he ordered a chariot to take him out. Hesitatingly the Chariot took him out of the palace by avoiding the orders of Suddudona. On his way into the town, he saw an older man bent due to age and struggling to lead his life. On another day, he saw an ill-affected man and, finally, a corpse. All these incidents rendered his heart, and he concluded that no one could escape death. Every time he thought in his mind to know how to bring sorrow to an end.

The unstoppable thoughts made him leave the palace to search for Salvation from the sorrows. One night Siddhartha, accompanied by his servant Channa, went to the forest and then sent Channa back to Kapilavastu with his jewels and all his valuable belongings. Then He cut off his hair and started the austere life to quest for truth. In knowing Salvation, he met many sages, engaged with their teachings, and not with spiritual teachers. All his efforts failed, and he didn’t find the answers to rendering doubts in his thoughts. Even though he finished fasting and became very weak, the pain was inflicted on his body. Finally, he found that there was no use in doing it to find self-realization. So, one day, he sits under the bodhi tree in Sarnath and meditates until he achieves enlightenment.

Enlightenment:

One day he became very pure and untempted by any human lust. After the enlightenment, he said the four noble truths to his very first disciples. They are 1. Every existence should suffer. 2. Ignorance and desire cause suffering. 3. There is always a cure for suffering; to avoid all these things, we should follow the right speech, correct beliefs, the proper mode of livelihood, proper conduct, reasonable effort, right-mindedness, right aspiration and proper meditation.

Lord Gautama Buddha Preaches 

The enlightened Gautama Buddha gave his first preach in the deer park at Sarnath in 527 BCE. The first disciples of Buddha became members of the Buddhist Sangha. Buddha travelled to many places and preached his thoughts about Salvation. Slowly his messages impressed the people, and his fame spread rapidly worldwide. He impressed the great king Bimbisara and brought the law of the Sacrificial killing of innocent animals. Buddha brought the glorious weapons of ahimsa and Non-violence. He refused the intentions of the people about Buddha having miraculous powers. He preached the importance of reducing the desires of one’s mind. Many people became his disciples, and some followed his preaches. During his time, the kings also followed his guidance.

Gautama Buddha and His Son Rahula:

Over the years, his father wanted to restore the kingdom to Gautama Buddha and make him the king of Sravasti. His father endeavoured him and invited him to the domain for the coronation of the wast kingdom. Then Buddha didn’t tempt to abandon his calling. He came to the field with his disciples and made his son Rahula disciples. In the Palace, Buddha preached about lamentation due to the desires in life. Later, he left the kingdom as an enunciated man, travelled all over North India, and spread the messages he intended in his mind. Many miracles happened in his lifetime. Finally, he reached the ancient city of Kasi at eighty. He spent there few more days and achieved Mahanirvana. After 200 years of his death, the Maurya Emperor Ashoka strongly influenced the concept of Buddhism. The preaches of the Buddhist monks made him convert to Buddhism. Since then, Ashoka has spread the Gautama Buddha messages in India and other parts of Asia.