Origins of BuddhismThe Buddha, as he came to be known, was born Siddhartha Gautama. He was the son of a prince of the Shakya tribe. There are many divine stories surrounding his birth, and one indicates that his mother dreamt that a white elephant entered her side and that this was the moment of conception.
Siddhartha's life was predicted by a sage when he was a baby. The sage said that Siddhartha's life could go two ways. He would either become a "world ruler" or a "world teacher", depending on his life experiences. Siddhartha's father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, so he took great care to shield the boy from the outside world. http://www.chakranews.com/siddhartha-gautama-buddha/168 |
The Journey |
Siddhartha made a decision to go outside of the confines of his father's palace and decided to take a spiritual journey in which he sought enlightenment through asceticism and rigorous meditation. But after his body failed him even on this righteous path, he determined that the best path to enlightenment was that of moderation. He garnered a great many followers.
https://youtu.be/C9AoZj_FPzU https://youtu.be/nVKK-WVW2uw |