Buddha
...us more religious beliefs than almost any other human who
lived in this world. However, he was not given this name at birth; he had to
earn it for himself by undergoing long, hard hours of meditation and
contemplation. Buddha has changed the lifestyles of many cultures with new,
never-before asked questions that were explained by his search for salvation.
He began an entirely new religion that dared to test the boundaries of reality
and go beyond common knowledge to find the answers of the mysteries of life.
India
During the sixth century BC, India was a land of political and religious
turmoil. It was an era of great brutality with the domination of Northwest
India by Indo-Aryan invaders. Many people, influenced by the Aryan civilization,
began to question the value of life and it's true meaning. Schools were opened
because of this curiosity where teachers would discuss the significance of
existence and the nature of man and held programs to reconstruct one's spiritual
self. (Pardue, page 228)
Background
Near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King
Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas.
(Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon became pregnant and had a
dream shortly before she gave birth. In this dream a beautiful, white elephant
with six tusks entered her room and touched her side. This dream was soon
interpreted by the wisest Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give
birth to a son that would, if he were to remain in the castle, become the wisest
king in the world, but if he were ever to leave the castle he would then become
the wisest prophet far into future generations. (Encyclopedia Americana, page
410)
In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of
pure luxury. (Wangu, page 16) His father wanted to make sure that his son was
well taken care of...
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