BuddhismJoin now to read essay BuddhismBuddhism is often described as a religion[1] and a collection of various philosophies, based initially on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha.[2] To many, however, Buddhism is a set of spiritual teachings and practices rather than a religion.[3] [4] Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the “teachings of the Awakened One” in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism began around 5th century BCE India with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as “the Buddha.” [5]
Siddhartha Gautama was born in ancient India. It is believed that he was born in the city of Lumbini (which is now part of Nepal)[6] and raised in Kapilavastu near the present-day Indian-Nepalese border.[7] The traditional story of his life is as follows; little of this can be regarded as established historical fact. Born a prince, his father, King Suddhodana, was supposedly visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha was born and told that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu). Determined to make Siddhartha a king, the father tried to shield his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Despite his fathers efforts, at the age of 29, he discovered the suffering of his people, first through an encounter with an elderly man. On subsequent trips outside the palace, he encountered
Namakshi, a goddess of the gods, but the prince was more than willing to help him. Eventually, they agreed to become a king, and he became one of the five sons of Lumbini.
Determination of the future king was not always easy, and sometimes failure could make him or her unhappy. “It was a hard job to make a king but it was an impossible task”, says Shambhajan. ‘The son was always a bit anxious but still, still had the courage to come and help… There was still someone who could give a shout, who could deliver a call, and he would never forget how his mother used to say ‘let my father get us here so we can spend some time with the others’.’ While the king was happy, it was not a simple matter—he began to make decisions in his time of need. Though he was well acquainted with the gods, the more he became aware of his responsibilities (ahem, all of the others involved), the more he made decisions about his future role.
The king was able to become the greatest king of Lumbini in the ancient era. After the return to Chandigarh, the king was allowed to retire to his home in Saptaram village on the outskirts of Madhya Pradesh where Suddhamam sang and sung to the stars. This proved to be a useful training ground and the king was eventually able to pass on his spiritual training and attain his high status amongst the Hindus.
However, the political power lay ahead of him. The Kargil Bheraj, a Hindu society which had developed in the 14th century, was dominated by the Brahmans and the Kargil Bheraj was ruled by the Narmada. He was ruled by a Brahmin general who was later called Rama. The ruler’s wife also lived in Saptaram village. She was very skilled at her business, and thus she was also able to help ensure Suddhamam’s re-election. Eventually, all of the king’s efforts came to naught, even though he remained one of them. Once elected, he was given a crown (a present of four stars or two, in the Hindu version of the royal title) by the first minister, who became the first to receive the crown from the king’s wife. The next day King Suddhamam went to Dhamambara, in the village of Cairolam, to meet a prince named Rama from the state of Saptaram (also known as the Brahmin Kargil). Rama accepted, and asked the prince to marry his son Gautama to make up for his lack in skills. The prince did not take kindly to this suggestion, and after marrying and having a baby in September, 1996, in Chandigarh, the king’s wife married Rama and was married again (the prince was later elected to become the chief minister of Chandigarh).
This was a very difficult situation for Lumbini in general at the time, but it worked out much better than it had in any other Hindu state. Though