Buddha Purnima 2024: Who was Siddhartha Gautama? Know his teachings and Noble eightfold path
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published May 22, 2024, 4:41 PM ISTSiddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, attained enlightenment after rejecting a life of wealth and enduring asceticism. He introduced the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, emphasizing a balanced lifestyle to end suffering. This year, Buddha Purnima falls on May 23.
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born around 563 BCE into a wealthy family. Renouncing his life of luxury, he adopted an ascetic lifestyle characterized by extreme self-discipline. In his pursuit of enlightenment, Gautama rejected notions of caste, privilege, and wealth, and undertook 49 days of meditation. His enlightenment made him a revered figure among monks, who then began to spread his teachings.
This year, Buddha Purnima will be observed on May 23.
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Who was Siddhartha Gautama?
He decided to give up his lavish lifestyle and endure poverty. For nearly six years, he practiced fasting and other austerities, but these techniques proved ineffective, leading him to abandon them. Eventually, he promoted the idea of the "Middle Way," which advocates for a balanced approach between the extremes of indulgence and deprivation. This philosophy guided him to seek a life without excessive luxury or severe self-denial.
After regaining his strength, Siddhartha Gautama seated himself under a Bodhi tree in west-central India, vowing not to rise until he had attained supreme enlightenment. He resisted the temptations of Mara, an evil spirit offering worldly comforts and desires, and ultimately reached enlightenment, becoming the Buddha at the age of 35. He then dedicated the rest of his life to teaching others how to achieve this spiritual state.
The religion’s founder, Buddha, is considered an extraordinary being, and the word Buddha means “enlightened.”
Buddha's Teachings:
Buddhism emphasizes individual responsibility for personal happiness. The Buddha articulated the Four Noble Truths as fundamental principles: (1) life involves suffering; (2) the cause of suffering is desire; (3) ending desire will end suffering; and (4) adopting a controlled and moderate lifestyle, known as the Eightfold Path, will help end desire and thus alleviate suffering.
To achieve the goals outlined in the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha introduced the Noble Eightfold Path. This path includes the right belief, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi (meditation). According to Buddhist practice, adhering to the Noble Eightfold Path leads to liberation from samsara, the cycle of rebirth and suffering.
Types of Buddhism:
1. Theravada Buddhism
2. Mahayana Buddhism
3. Tibetan Buddhism
4. Zen Buddhism
5. Nirvana Buddhism
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