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≫ Basic facts about Buddha

• Siddhartha Gautama is the original name of Buddha.
• Siddhartha Gautama was born in 624 BC, in a Sakya clan in Lumbini near Kapilvastu (Nepal).
• He was born to Shudhodana and Mahamaya.
• He was married to Yashodhara and he had a son Rahula.

≫ Siddhartha Gautama to Buddha

• When Prince Siddhartha Gautama was 29 years old he decided to abandon lay life.
• He left his palace at 29, with Channa- the charioteer and his favourite horse, Kanthaka in search of ‘Mahabhinishkramana’ (truth).
• He wandered for 6 years.
• He initially meditated with Alara Kama.
• But he was not convinced that Alara Kama could help him obtain liberation from sorrow by mental discipline and knowledge.
• Udraka Ramputra was his second teacher.
• He attained ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Enlightenment’ at 35 at Gaya in Magadha (Bihar) under a pipal tree.
• He delivered the first sermon at Sarnath.
• His first sermon is called ‘Dharmachakrapravartan’.
• The ‘Dharmachakrapravartan’ means ‘Turning of the Wheel of Law’.
• He attained Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar in 544 BC at the age of 80 in the Malla republic.

≫ Three Ratnas of Buddhism

• Buddha
• Dhamma – The teachings of Budhha
• Sangha – Community of Buddhist monks and nuns

≫ Dhamma
Teachings of Buddha are known as Dhamma.

≫ The Four Great Truths:

• The world is full of sorrow and misery.
• The cause of all pain and misery is desire.
• Pain and misery can be ended by killing or controlling the desire.
• Desire can be controlled by following the Eight Fold Path.

≫ Astanga Margha
Eight-fold Path of Buddha is known as Astanga margha. The Eight fold path is:

• Right livelihood
• Right observation
• Right determination
• Right action
• Right meditation
• Right exercise
• Right speech
• Right memory

≫ Belief in Nirvana
When desire and rebirth ends, nirvana is attained. Freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth is attained by following the 8-fold path. Buddhism does not recognise the existence of God and the soul.

≫ Belief in Ahimsa
The concept of Ahimsa means one should not cause harm to any living being, animal or man.

≫ Law of Karma
According to the Law of Karma, Man reaps the fruits of his past deeds.

≫ Sangha

• The word Sangha is a combination of Pali and Sanskrit languages.
• The Sangha is most commonly referred to the monastic community of bhikkhus (monks) and bhikkhunis (nuns).
• Apart from Sangha, the worshippers were called Upasakas.

≫ Spread of Buddhism:

• Pali language has a prominent role in the spread of Buddhism.
• Emperor Ashoka and Kaniska had a keen interest in spreading Buddhism.
• Buddha also organised the Sangha as a religious order, whose doors were open to everybody, irrespective of caste and sex.
• They promoted education through residential universities like Valabhi, Nalanda and Vikramshila.
• After the death of Buddha, the monks assembled four times and the effect of these events had a great impact of spreading of Buddhism.