The Buddha Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha is probably one of the best known and revered enlightened beings and many of us know the novel Siddhartha written by German author Hermann Hesse, which tells a beautiful story in parallel with the Buddha’s actual life. The Buddha was considered an awakened human with extraordinary powers, his teachings were not dissimilar to Jesus. The Buddha, born Siddhartha Gautama lived from 566 to 480 B.C. The son of an Indian warrior-king, Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, revelling in the privileges of his social caste. Unsatisfied with the indulgences of royal life, Gautama wandered into the world in search of understanding.
He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a Bodhi tree or sacred fig tree where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Following this epiphany, Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.”
The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but there are many “bodhi trees” around the world said to be a direct descendant of the original tree. I have personally visited the revered Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi fig tree in Anuradhapura Sri Lanka, planted in 288 BC and said to be oldest planted living tree in the world. Legend reveals that this ancient tree grew from a branch taken from the holy Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Buddha became enlightened. It certainly was an amazing experience for me sitting under that tree.
Unlike Hindu religion Buddhists do not believe in a supreme god or deity. The Buddha is considered an extraordinary being, but not a god.
The Buddha Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha is probably one of the best known and revered enlightened beings and many of us know the novel Siddhartha written by German author Hermann Hesse, which tells a beautiful story in parallel with the Buddha’s actual life. The Buddha was considered an awakened human with extraordinary powers, his teachings were not dissimilar to Jesus.
The Buddha, born Siddhartha Gautama lived from 566 to 480 B.C. The son of an Indian warrior-king, Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, revelling in the privileges of his social caste. Unsatisfied with the indulgences of royal life, Gautama wandered into the world in search of understanding.
He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a Bodhi tree or sacred fig tree where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Following this epiphany, Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.”
The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but there are many “bodhi trees” around the world said to be a direct descendant of the original tree. I have personally visited the revered Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi fig tree in Anuradhapura Sri Lanka, planted in 288 BC and said to be oldest planted living tree in the world. Legend reveals that this ancient tree grew from a branch taken from the holy Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Buddha became enlightened. It certainly was an amazing experience for me sitting under that tree.
Unlike Hindu religion Buddhists do not believe in a supreme god or deity. The Buddha is considered an extraordinary being, but not a god.
