Life of the founder of Buddhism - Gautama Buddha

The founder of Buddhism is Gautama Buddha and this is the story of his life.

Buddhism originally arose out of the teaching and enlightenment of Lord Gautama Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was the first of many Buddhas – or enlightened masters - who have enriched the Buddhist tradition.

The Buddha the founder of Buddhism lived approximately between the years 563-483 BCE. He attained understanding in around 531 BCE and spent the rest of his life preaching and propagating his teaching.

The life of the Buddhism founder Gautam Buddha is a study in contrasts. He was born to a royal family and lived in the lap of luxury until he was around 29. One day on going through his kingdom on his chariot he saw in rapid succession a sick man, an old man, a dead man and a monk.

This was a new experience for the Buddha Gautama as he had never before come in touch with suffering in any of its forms. His past life must have satisfied him that happiness was not to be found in pleasure and sense indulgence. Knowing now that suffering is inevitable he resolved to find the path to the end of suffering.

The Buddha practiced severed austerities for about 6 years and learned meditation from many masters of his time. The austerities were so severe that he was reduced to mere skin and bones.

It was only when he gave up this extreme also and practiced the Middle Way that he achieved his breakthrough. He found himself in Gaya (in the present state of Bihar in North India) and after a long time had a meal of milk and rice. Then refreshed, he did an all night meditation sitting. And he was enlightened towards the dawn when the morning star arose.

So this is the life of Gautam Buddha till his enlightenment. The Buddha Gautama must have been around 35 at that time.

Subsequent life of Buddha the founder of Buddhism

He debated this question in his mind. There was a risk of some if not most people misunderstanding his message and drawing the wrong conclusions. Against that there was the fact that surely a few people would understand and use his teaching to benefit themselves.

At length the Buddha decided to teach for the benefit and happiness of all.

After that the Buddha went to some five ascetics with whom he had practiced austerities earlier. These ascetics had abandoned him in Gaya when they had seen him eating and drinking. They were determined not to welcome the Buddha now.

But when the Buddha approached his sense of presence and majesty was such that they welcomed him and offered him water to drink. The Buddha then preached to them the first sermon – that about suffering, the cause of suffering and the cessation of suffering. This was the message of the Four Noble Truths.

So this is the life of the founder of Buddhism - Gautama Buddha.

The Buddha taught his teaching for the next 45 years till his death. He won over the people and gathered many followers, who became monks, to follow his way. He ultimately died at the age of 80 at about 483 BCE.

This teaching became the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. It is also called the Path of the Elders or the Southern school and is regarded as the Buddha’s original teaching.

So, this is about when was Buddhism founded and about the founder of Buddhism.

Influence of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great

This is about the founder of Buddhism and how his teaching spread later.

Visit this page for more on the renunciation of Lord Gautama Buddha

Buddhism then spread to many countries in East and North Asia. Burma, China, Tibet, Japan, and Vietnam are some of the countries to which it spread.

Buddhism – in recent years – is gaining adherents in the West due to its non-dogmatic nature, possibility of a spiritual guide and prudence. Buddhism does not actively look for converts but welcomes those who wish to convert on their own.

Buddhism at all times has been a living seed and has grown and changed and adapted itself to suit the different countries in which it found itself. Alan Watts calls Buddhism as Hinduism stripped for export. And in fact if you compare Hinduism and Buddhism you will find many common points in the two doctrines. The difference is only one of emphasis – how certain points are elaborated or ignored.

More information can be found on this page on Hinduism and Buddhism a comparison

There are many different traditions within Buddhism now. There is the original Theravada tradition practiced in Burma, Sri Lanka and some other countries. There is Mahayana Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. These traditions are practiced (or were practiced) in Tibet, China, Japan, Vietnam and other countries. This is the Northern school of Buddhism.

So this is about the founder of Buddhism and how his teaching spread later.

And with Buddhism gaining many converts in the West it will not be long before a new tradition is established (as regards Buddhist teaching in the West). Indeed it is necessary that a new tradition should arise since it is not possible for the rituals and practices of the older methods to be exported and adopted in the modern western countries.

Visit this page for more on There have been many enlightened masters who have enriched and grown the Buddhist teaching. There was Nagarjuna in India (at around 200 A.D). There was Padmasambhava who carried the teaching of the Buddha to Tibet. In Tibet an entirely new tradition has grown with many powerful methods to become enlightened.

Then there was Bodhidharma who carried the teaching to China where Zen Buddhism came into being. From China Zen spread to Japan and it is in Japan that Zen is practiced today. There have been many enlightened masters in Zen as well as other traditions of Buddhism.

Visit this page for more on The Zen teaching of Bodhidharma

So this is the life of the founder of Buddhism.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it will be useful to you.

Stay tuned for more in this continuing series.

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