Buddha is a title, not a name. It means “The Enlightened One” or “The Awakened One.” When most people refer to the Buddha, they are speaking of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism, who lived around 563–483 BCE in what is now Nepal and northern India.
🧘 Who Was Siddhartha Gautama?
Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family of the Shakya clan in Lumbini (present-day Nepal). His father was a king, and Siddhartha was raised in great luxury and protected from the hardships of life. A prophecy at his birth predicted he would either become a great king or a spiritual teacher (a Buddha).
His father, wanting him to be a king, shielded him from suffering and the outside world. He was married young and lived in a palace surrounded by pleasure.
🕉️ The Four Sights – The Turning Point
At the age of 29, Siddhartha left the palace on four occasions and encountered what are now called the Four Sights:
1. An old man (sign of aging)
2. A sick person (sign of illness)
3. A corpse (sign of death)
4. A wandering ascetic (a monk in search of truth)
These experiences deeply disturbed him. He realized that suffering (dukkha) is unavoidable in life and that his luxurious life did not protect him from it.
🚶 The Great Renunciation
Soon after, Siddhartha left his wife and newborn son in the middle of the night — an event known as The Great Renunciation — and began a spiritual quest to understand and overcome suffering.
He wandered as a seeker, studying with spiritual teachers and practicing extreme asceticism, including severe fasting. For years, he lived with almost no food, meditating constantly. But he found that neither indulgence nor self-denial led to true understanding.
🌳 Enlightenment Under the Bodhi Tree
Eventually, Siddhartha sat beneath a Bodhi tree (in Bodh Gaya, India) and vowed not to rise until he had found the truth. After 49 days of intense meditation, he attained Enlightenment (nirvana) at the age of 35.
What Did He Realize?
He discovered the Four Noble Truths:
1. Life is suffering (dukkha)
2. Suffering is caused by desire and attachment (tanha)
3. There is a way to end suffering
4. That way is the Eightfold Path
This realization freed him from the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara). He became the Buddha — the Enlightened One.
🛤️ The Eightfold Path – The Way to Liberation
This is the Middle Way between indulgence and self-mortification. It includes:
1. Right Understanding
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
Following this path leads to the cessation of suffering and ultimately to nirvana — the liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
🧡 The Truth About Buddha
The Buddha was not a god. He never claimed to be divine. He was a human who attained a perfect state of wisdom and compassion. He taught that each person has the potential to become enlightened, just as he did.
He spent the remaining 45 years of his life traveling and teaching, building a community (the Sangha), and guiding others on the path. He died at the age of 80, entering Parinirvana, the final release from the cycle of life and death.
