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Buddhism
Buddhism
The historical founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, was a native of a small city in
the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. He was born in the mid-sixth century B.C.
Siddhartha was surrounded in affluent surroundings by his father, the king. In the palace,
Siddhartha experienced the best of the ancient Indian world. Throughout his life, he never
experienced the reality of suffering in the world. The king wanted Siddhartha to follow in his
footsteps and eventually take over as king. He was afraid that his son may want to become a
monk, a man who devotes himself to a religious group. If he could convince his son of the
grandeur of life as a king, he would stay forever. Siddhartha experienced this lavish way of life
until he was around thirty years old, already with a wife and son.
Then, Siddhartha was allowed to venture out of the palace walls. There he spotted an
elderly man hobbling painfully along with a cane. Siddhartha asked his servant what was wrong
with the man. He learned that all people grow old someday and said, “Shame on birth, since to
everyone that is born, old age must come.” Next he saw someone who was very ill. It troubled
him to find out that sickness was part of life. On another occasion, the prince came upon a
funeral procession. He learned that death was a part of life.
Finally, Siddhartha spotted a man in the park who seemed to be at peace with the world.
The man was calm even though he was asking people for help in getting his next meal.
Siddhartha asked his servant who the man was and learned that the man was a monk. The
prince was amazed that someone could be so at peace in a world filled with sorrow and
suffering.
The prince then decided that he would give up all he had and become a monk. His
journey to find the meaning of life had begun.
2. Try to define the words affluent and grandeur without looking it up. Use context
clues.
3. How and why was Siddhartha sheltered by his father, the king?
4. What were the four things that Siddhartha witnessed outside the palace walls?
5. What decision did Siddhartha make after witnessing life outside the palace?
To find the answers to the meaning of life, Siddhartha abandoned his home and family
and traveled widely. He gave up all of his belongings. For the next six years, Siddhartha
traveled throughout northern India as a monk. In his search for wisdom, he talked at length with
Hindu priests, but felt their answers were not enough. To clear his mind and disconnect himself
with the physical world, he stopped eating. He eventually began eating once he nearly starved
himself to death.
Siddhartha spent much of his time meditating. Meditation is to focus and quiet the mind
in order to reach a higher level of awareness and inner calm. Finally, Siddhartha achieved
enlightenment as to the meaning of life under a tree and spent the rest of his life preaching it.
His teachings became the philosophy of Buddhism. The wisdom he received would later earn
him the title of Buddha, which means the “Awakened One.”
The Buddha adopted the beliefs of karma and reincarnation into Buddhism. Buddhist
texts say that the Buddha concluded that life is ruled by Four Noble Truths. These include: life is
full of suffering, suffering is caused by people’s wants like power or a longer life, suffering can
be ended if people stop wanting things, and to stop wanting things people must follow eight
basic laws.
The eight basic laws are referred to as the Eightfold Path. This is a set of instructions on
the proper way to live. By following this path, people could end suffering. These include right
knowledge, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right
awareness, and right meditation.
By the time the Buddha died at age 80, there were thousands of Buddhists who followed
Siddhartha’s teachings in northern India. They lived according to his Four Noble Truths. Like the
Buddha, Buddhist monks gave up all they owned. They worked to live peacefully among all
living things and to love others.