WHO IS BUDDHA

The Buddha, whom the world today knows as a spiritual leader, was a Nepalese prince named Siddhartha Gautama 2,500 years ago. His epic story was first written down about 400 years after his death, in the first century AD, by the Sanskrit poet Asvaghosa under the name Buddhacharita. The poem was in the style of ancient Greek epics, where the life of a historical figure was made more symbolic and allegorical than real. The biography of the Buddha also became a continuation of this tradition. Then, like every religion, the biography of Buddha by the Buddhist scholars was created, embellished and given new meanings in order to prove that their leader was flawless, superhuman and a source of spiritual knowledge. Today, about 500 million people consider the same Buddha as their spiritual guide who has reached them through the same paths. The importance of this Buddha has increased so much in this era that there are no other figures in the world as Buddha in so great a number of statues. From science to management and from medical to therapy, thousands of books are published every year related to this ideology. Buddhism has become the fourth-largest religion in the world, meaning that at least six out of every hundred people belong to this religion. In such a situation, it is important that we know something about the historical and legendary Buddha who was he. Curious Fellows, I, Faisal Warraich. According to Buddhism, the story of Buddha begins with a dream. 2,500 years ago, Maya Devi, the queen of the city of Kapilvastu in Nepal, had a dream. A white elephant with six large gold tusks descended from the sky and came to her. Then this elephant entered her stomach from the right side. When morning came, Maya Devi told her husband, Raja Saddhodana, about it. The king called the astrologers, the dreamers, and asked what evil our queen has dreamt. The greatest astrologer said that this dream means that a boy will be born to you. If he stayed in the palace, he would become a "Chakravarti" king, ruling over a world. But if he left the palace and became a sadhu, the realities of the world would be revealed to him. When the king and queen heard this prediction, they were very worried. They did not want their son to become a wandering sadhu, as sadhus were common people in those days. People looked at them and did not like them much. So the king and queen wanted their son to become a successful Maharaja. So they asked the astrologers to suggest a solution so that our son would become a king and not a sadhu. They replied that if you want to put him on the throne, do not let him go out of his comfort zone. If he sees the pains and troubles of the world, he will rebel against the life of the palace. The king and queen took this advice to heart, and the Raja did it even more firmly. A few days after this dream, Rani Maya Devi was expecting a child. When the time for the child's birth approached, Maya Devi set out for her hometown, Devdaha. But it was in the gardens of Lumbini, a short distance from "Kapilvastu," that she gave birth to the child. This occurred around 480 BCE. Buddhist legends say that as soon as the baby Buddha was born, he stood on his feet, took seven steps in all directions, raised his head high and said, "I am the supreme, this is my last birth. I will never be born again." Maya Devi and others were stunned and fell helplessly before him, worshipping him. This prince was named "Siddhartha Gautama". Siddhartha meant a person who had achieved a goal. While Gautama was his ancestral name. Siddhartha Gautama belonged to the Shakya clan, who were called Kshatriyas in the Hindu caste system. That is, it was the second-highest caste after the Brahmins. These people were considered the warrior class, a martial race. Siddhartha's father, Saddhodan, was the king of the Shakya tribe. Now, according to tradition, Siddhartha's upbringing in the king's palace began with great luxury. Little Siddhartha lost his mother, Maya Devi, at a very young age. A week after giving him birth, she passed away. After this, Siddhartha was raised by his aunt, "Mahaprajapati" who, according to one tradition, was the second wife of the king. That is, along with being an aunt, she was also Siddhartha's stepmother. This seems to indicate that 2,500 years ago, India had a tradition of marrying two sisters in India. Mahaparjapati never made little Siddhartha feel the lack of a mother. She loved him just like her own son. On the other hand, King Saddhodon never forgot the old prediction of the astrologers. He did everything possible to ensure that his son did not face any trouble that would make him think of leaving the palace. When Siddhartha grew up, he always lived in the cluster of maids. Music, wine, and dancing were his life. Even when he went out into the palace courtyard, a servant would walk with an umbrella over his head. It is said that Saddhonon went to the extent of building three palaces at different places for his son for the three seasons. One for summer, one for winter, and one for the rainy season. There were complete arrangements for rest in these three palaces. But it was not that the king was making his son restless and weak. Rather, he was also giving him war training to make him a successful king and warrior. The king hired excellent teachers and military trainers for him. Who gave him a lot of tough time and trained him well. Siddhartha also proved to be an excellent student. He had such skills in swordsmanship, archery, and horse riding that even the great champions would surrender before him. Then one day, the day of testing this skill also came when some princes competed for a life partner. Curious Fellows, as you know, the hometown of Siddhartha's mother, Maya Devi, was Devdaha, which was a neighbouring kingdom of Kapilavastu. The king of Devdaha, Suppabuddha, was a relative of Siddhartha on his mother's side. He had a beautiful daughter, Yashodhara. In the time and geography in which this story is told, the custom of Swayamvara was still alive that in a fair, a girl likes a boy in front of everyone and chooses a life partner. So when Yashodhara turned 16, Suppabuddha also arranged for a Swayamvara. So that the princes of the surrounding kingdoms would be invited and the princess would be given the opportunity to choose her partner. When Siddhartha's king father, Saddhorana, came to know about this, he sent Siddhartha to Swimbar as well. According to Ahmad Faraz, "It is heard, she has revived that custom of swimber...You should also go there to test your luck." So he went. On a certain day, all the princes passed in turn in front of Yashodhara. The princess had a garland in her hand, which she was to wear on the young man of her choice. When she saw Siddhartha, it was as if she had found her swayamber. She involuntarily put the garland around Siddhartha's neck. Yashodhara's father, Suppabuddha, who was watching all this, got an alarm. Suppabuddha did not like Siddhartha. Because it was known about him that he was a prince of very delicate habits and raised in luxury. He did not have the qualities of a tough person that were the heritage of the Shakya dynasty. Suppabuddha did not want to make such an incompetent and extravagant young man his son-in-law. Therefore, he first tried to convince Yashodhara to change her decision. But when she did not agree, Suppaduddha agreed to make Siddhartha his son-in-law on one condition. That condition was that the prince had to contend with other members of the family. Only if he proved himself a successful warrior, only then would Yashodhara's swayamvara be completed. So a day was set for the competition. Every young man in the royal family was invited to participate in this competition for Yashodhara. At this invitation, many young men came to try their luck once again. Among them, two young men, Devadatta and Sundarananda, were especially formidable warriors. On the appointed day, a huge arena was decorated, the entire city was invited , and everyone watched the fierce competition. In Buddhist mythological traditions, especially in Sri Lankan Buddhist traditions, this competition is presented in such an exaggerated way that it is obviously not real at all, but symbolic. In it, Devadatta killed an elephant with a single blow. Then Sundarananda stepped forward and lifted the elephant in his hands and threw it over the palace wall. Then it was Siddhartha's turn. He picked up the dead elephant by the feet and threw it with such force that it fell over the seven walls of the city and the moats outside it into the wilderness. Siddhartha had clearly outclassed both of them. He was declared the winner in this contest. Then there was a scuffle, a wrestling match. First, Siddhartha and Devadatta faced each other. Siddhartha lifted Devadatta and spun him in the air and threw him to the ground. Then he defeated all the Shakya youths in turn in such a way that they would collapse at his mere touch. The third important competition was archery. In it, a large iron drum was placed as a target. Siddhartha's half-brother, Ananda, successfully shot at it from two miles away. Devadatta hit the drum from four miles and Sundarananda from six miles. After all this, Siddhartha had the drum placed 10 miles away in such a way that there was a row of seven trees behind it, and an iron statue of a pig was placed behind them. Then Gautama shot an arrow and it hit the iron drum, the row of seven trees behind it , and the pig, and hit the ground and also became embedded in the ground and disappeared somewhere inside. Siddhartha had proven himself a man of the field in all the competitions. Now, Yashodhara was his, and he married her and brought her to the Kapilavastu palace. Curious fellows, you must be thinking, can this even happen? Obviously not, but as we have said, all these stories were later written in the form of poems and epics as spiritual greatness, as is the case in all religions. Modern Buddhist scholars give an apology for this mythical story by saying that it was the spiritual power of the Buddha, not his physical one. According to him, this tradition shows that what muscles cannot do, what human strength cannot do, spirituality can do. They explain hitting the thinnest target with an arrow 10 miles away means that Buddha is very far-sighted, so far-sighted that he can see where no one else can with his spiritual power. So, friends, Siddhartha's marriage to Yashodhara added exorbitantly to his luxurious life. After some time, his son Rahul was also born in this extravagant set-up. His charm grew even more. Now, apparently, Siddhartha had everything, but his heart was not satisfied with this dazzling charm. Every moment he felt that he was in a beautiful prison. Guards and servants were always on his right and left. He wanted freedom. He should know what is around him. But his father obviously wanted to protect him from the outside world. But the more he tried to keep him away from the common people, the more Siddhartha's heart was drawn outside the palace. He wanted to see and experience the world like a free man. He wanted to know what the truth was. So one day he planned to go beyond the palace wall, hiding from his father. He took his charioteer, "Channa" into confidence. The charioteer Channa lived up to his trust and one day hid him in the chariot and took him out of the palace. Now it was so that both the charioteer and Siddhartha did not know that the king had come to know about their plan. However, instead of stopping his son, Saddhodana Raja made a plan. On his orders, everything that showed poverty and human suffering was removed from the streets of the city. Wherever Siddhartha went, he saw only happiness and peace. But still, on this first journey, he saw a scene that was not possible inside the palace. He saw an old man who was very frail and emaciated. He walked with a bent back and leaning on a stick. This scene gave him a deep sense of the suffering of a human being. He tried to find out why he was in pain? What had he done that he was making so much effort? He also kept questioning the charioteer but did not reach any conclusion. He returned to the palace. He was understanding that there were some secrets of life that he would have to leave the silver shell to understand. Gautama often left the palace secretly, each time his father found out and each time he tried his best to make his son see everything well and he failed every time. Siddhartha saw a very sick, emaciated leper on his second journey. On the third journey, he saw a dead man, who was being taken for the last rites. Siddhartha had seen three terrible forms of man in the form of old age, illness and death. But why is this the fate of man? How is it possible to escape from it?... This question had become a snare in his breath. He went out for the fourth time. This time he saw a sadhu. He was relatively calm. Siddhartha chatted with him. He told him that if he wanted to find a cure for human suffering, then become a sadhu. Meditate in solitude. And for that, there is no palace, but the forest, the mountain or the cave are the best places. Siddhartha decided that he would leave the palace. Even if he had to travel through the deserts. He would not stay to rest without finding the real truth, the cure for suffering. But before he left, he had to save someone else from grief. The reality was something else, and he had to tell her. He had to say goodbye to his wife, Yashodhara, and his beloved Rahul. This was not an easy task. He knew that Yashodhara would be hurt. Siddhartha did not know how many days he was in this dilemma, how could he talk to Yashodhara! He would intend, think and break this chain in a mix of thoughts. Maybe this or maybe not. Finally, one night, he got up with with heavy heart and woke up Yashodhara too. In one breath, he told his entire story and pent-up feelings. Yashodhara was quite upset. She grabbed him by the front clothes and did not want him to go anywhere. But 12 years ago, Yashodhara, over whose pride Siddhartha had lost his heart, even her tears could not stop his way. 29-year-old Siddhartha Gautama left Yashodhara crying and his son sleeping and left the palace. The one who had sought the cause and solution of human suffering had left his two closest relatives to grief and loneliness. It was a terribly painful thing. But in Buddhism, it is called "Mahabhinisha Karmana", a sacrifice made for the sake of the great truth. Modern Buddhist philosophers explain it as follows: sometimes, if the heart has to be broken for the sake of the great truth, then it should be broken for the sake of the truth. This is the lesson that Buddha was actually teaching through this seemingly painful act. This is one of the apologetics of Buddhism. Siddhartha left the palace and, with his faithful charioteer, rode a horse miles away to a forest by the river. Upon reaching here, Siddhartha changed his life. He cut off his hair and beard with a sword and took on the appearance of a monk. Then he took off this sword and all the precious jewellery that had adorned his body until that moment, and gave them to the charioteer Channa. He instructed the charioteer to take all this and give to my father and also to say that as long as the reality of the universe and the cause and cure of human suffering had dawned upon him, he would come back." The faithful Channa begged Siddhartha to change his mind, but finally he had to give up. He took all the things and the horse and returned to the palace of Kapilavastu. Then Siddhartha Gautama's lonely journey forever. On this journey, he first met a group of five sadhus. He became a part of them. These sadhus were against luxury and pleasure. They believed that pain and suffering were what led a person to reality. For some time, he stayed with them in their painful austerities and practices. But he did not like their ways and means much. These people remained hungry for long periods, kept themselves dirty, and kept in doubles and pain. Siddhartha learned from these five sadhus that they were also on the wrong path. Just as luxury and pleasure cannot help in the search for truth, likewise extreme pain cannot help in the search for truth. So he began to alienate himself from the painful practices of the sadhus. He began to eat more food than they did. He would also often take a rest. On this, the five sadhus turned against him. They began to say that Siddhartha had gone astray. This was the time when these five entered the geography of today's Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Upon reaching here, their paths diverged. Siddhartha's lonely journey began once again. On this journey, he also passed through the most powerful state of India, Magadha. Here an important incident happened. That is, one day, the king of Magadha, Bimbisara, saw him somewhere and he also saw through his abilities from his bearings that were unlike the ordinary sadhus. He also learned from Siddhartha Gautama in his conversations that he was a prince and a great warrior. He offered Gautama to become the army general of the state of Magadha. But Siddhartha considered the search for truth more important than any position. How could he accept any position, no matter even if it was of a general. He excused the offer gratefully and told the king that his real mission was something else. Bambisara was very impressed by Siddhartha's determination. He told the prince that if you find out the truth about man and the universe, and the reason for human suffering, then tell me too. I will also follow you. Siddhartha promised and moved forward. In an area of ​​the present state of Bihar, which is today called "Buddha Gaya" after him, here he saw a ficus religiosi tree (the Bodhi tree). Its shade was very dense and the surrounding area was also peaceful. Siddhartha found it very suitable for his purpose, namely contemplation. He made this tree a permanent stay. He immersed himself in thought to find the Eternal Truth, the real truth. For six years, he sat under this tree, meditating, about what is the relationship between man and the universe? What is all this? What is the truth of human suffering? What is hidden behind this and what is the real truth, that can set man free? It is said that due to constant hunger, he had become so thin that his stomach had shrunk and was touching his spine. While the vertebrae of the spine were also clearly visible from the outside. Siddhartha was close to knowing the truth when he had to face a challenge. This Satan was "Mara" who was an expert in seducing humans. According to a legend, a terrible fight began between Mara and Siddhartha. Mara first threw a tempting net at Siddhartha. According to Buddhist legends, Mara sent three beautiful girls to Siddhartha. These three represented endless desires, jealousy and sexual pleasure. They tried many tricks to seduce and harm the young Siddhartha, but they could not overcome Siddhartha's worship and will. The forces of the three worldly attractions failed and returned. When Mara saw that Siddhartha had thwarted his attack so easily, it became furious. He attacked Gautama with an entire army of demons. Burning coals were thrown at Siddhartha, but they turned into flowers before they reached him. Then he attacked Siddhartha with several beasts, but they too turned back in fear on the way. After this failure, Mara the demon rained down stones, but these stones also stopped in midair before they reached Siddhartha. Finally, exhausted, Mara stopped the attack and started arguing. He said to Gautama, "You leave this path because this is our province. That is, how to run the world is our domain, not yours." In response, Siddhartha Gautama said, "This abode is mine. Every Buddha, including me, has to sit on it on the day of his Nirvana." Mara said, "My army is my witness that I am better for humanity than you. That is, worldly life is better than the solitary life of worship to which you want to draw humanity. In response, Buddha touched the ground and said, "This earth is a witness that I am true. That is, the path I am following is better for humanity." The earth also testified that Siddhartha was telling the truth. " This pronouncement of the earth made Mara incomparable. It saved its face and went somewhere else. According to Buddhist legends, Siddhartha Gautama had defeated all suspicions, desires and torments. Now he was free from human weaknesses and had gained complete control over himself. He had left the palace at the age of 29, now he was 35. That is, six years had roamed about the forests and meditated under the ficus tree. But now his hard work was about to pay off. The time had come to find Nirvana... But what was this Nirvana that he found? What revolution did Siddhartha Gautama bring about in Indian society? Is modern yoga a legacy of Buddha? Which messiah are the followers of Buddhism waiting for? What were the last words of Gautama Buddha and what meaning is derived from it? We will show you all this in the second and final part of this story. Buddha had shown the world the path to freedom. But if Ashoka had not sat on the throne of India, perhaps this religion would not have been any more than the forgotten religions of the past. How did Ashoka the Great make Buddhism the religion of the whole of India? You can see this story here. See here the story of the era when ships sailed on the Ravi and here are the summary documentaries of these one hundred books that you must see once in your life.