| Overview | ||
| Buddhism is a religion founded on the teachings of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama (563-483 BCE) also known as Gautama Buddha from around 520 BCE. |
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| Buddhism is unique amongst the great religions of humanity in that it is the only one based on essentially “atheistic” principles, with a primary focus on self discipline, self knowledge and improvement. |
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| Today, there are estimated to be between 230 to 50 million adherents within three primary sects (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) with the largest populations of Buddhists located in Asia (China, Japan, Korea and South-east Asia). |
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| The life and journey of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama (Buddha) |
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| While the main Buddhist sects differ on rules and certain doctrines, all streams of Buddhism are based around the account of the life and self-awakening journey of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama (“Buddha”). |
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| Siddhartha was born in the city of Lumbini and raised as Crown Prince in the small but wealthy kingdom of Kapilvastu within the Shakya nation, both of which are in modern day Nepal. Gautama was the family name. |
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| His father was King Suddhodana, the chief of the Shakya nation and his mother was Queen Maha Maya (Māyādevī). |
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| At 16 (around 547 BCE), King Suddhodana arranged for Crown Prince Siddhārtha (Buddha) to be married to a cousin named Yaśodharā, believed to be around the same age. Upon his marriage, Crown Prince Siddhārtha (Buddha) was given regal authority over Kapilvastu which he ruled for at least 13 to 15 years until 530 BCE. |
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| Sometime between 545 and 534 BCE, Princess Yaśodharā have birth to the only recorded child of Buddha, Prince Rāhula. It is quite possible that other children were also born, but no historic records survives. |
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| Between 534 to 530 BCE upon reaching the age of 30, Buddhist theology maintains that Crown Prince Siddhārtha renounced his royal birthright, his wife and family and set on a quest to find truth and enlightenment. |
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| The first recorded part of his journey recounts him living in poverty with the street beggars in the city of Rajagaha in the nearby Kingdom of Magadha. Buddhist theology maintains that upon King Bimbisara of Magadha discovering the Crown Prince of the Shakya nation living on the streets of his city, he offered him the kingdom of Magadha, which according to the legend Prince Siddhārtha (Buddha) rejected. |
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| After leaving the kingdom of Magadha, it is recorded that Buddha spend several years as a student of great Hindu mystics and in all probability learnt much of the ancient knowledge pertaining to Hindu mythology and the secrets to meditation and mind practiced by great gurus. |
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| However in Buddhist mythology, it is said that Buddha initially sought even harsher conditions than the Hindu holy men. He left their group and travelled to the region around the city of Gaya where it is said after sitting under a bodhi tree near the Falgu River he reached “enlightenment”. |
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