Siddhartha Gautama began his life in royalty and lacking nothing. He was born in the 6th century BC. He was born a prince near what is current day Nepal. He married at the age of sixteen and he and his wife were to live a life of seclusion within the palace walls. When Siddhartha was 29 and had a newborn son he ventured out of the palace and was overwhelmed with the suffering he saw around him. He decided to leave his royal life the next day and search for answers to end the suffering that perplexed him so greatly.
He left his life of luxury and lived a life of asceticism, which means a life of self-denial. He lived a life with few possessions, no permanent home, and little food. He studied different religions and practiced various methods of meditation. After many years of searching for answers, Siddhartha felt frustrated that he had not come up with more answers and he went and meditated under a Bodhi tree until dawn. It was at that point that Gautama became the Buddha which means "Enlightened One." It was his time of meditation where he realized that if people stop living life in search of satisfying their needs there will be less suffering.
Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching others how to reach the point of Enlightenment, like he had done. Buddha had been invited for a meal by a good friend. After the meal, he became violently ill and died. Many people think it was food poisoning while others say it was of old age. It is ironic that he died of something he ate when he spent so much of his life hungry.
Follow Up Activity
How do you think the Buddha would view American culture today? Think about things such as fast food, drive-through windows, overnight shipping, the lottery... All of these things are about people getting instant gratification. Discuss with your classmates how Buddha would address each of these things that are listed above. Do you think these things help us or hurt as a society?
