Date of Birth: 8 April 563 BC, Lumbini, Nepal

About: According to the Tripitaka, Gautama Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha, s/o the king of the Sakya people. The kingdom of the Sakya’s was situated on the borders of India and Nepal. Siddhartha’s family was of the Gautama clan. His mother, Queen Mahamaya, gave birth to him in Lumbini, Nepal. A pillar placed there in commemoration of the event by an Indian emperor in the third century B.C. still stands.

The Buddha (also known as Siddhartha Gautama) was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in ancient India (c. 5th to 4th century BCE). He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He taught for around 45 years and built a large following, both monastic and lay. His teaching is based on his insight into duḥkha (typically translated as “suffering”) and the end of dukkha – the state called Nibbāna or Nirvana. Wikipedia

His Life

When the Buddha became enlightened, he found the answer to suffering, and he knew how to defeat suffering. This answer was called the Four Noble Truths. He was not sure if he should teach his new ideas or not. He asked himself if the world was ready for such a deep teaching. But in the end, he decided to travel to a town called Sarnath to teach the people his new way. He taught about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The people listened to him.

When he taught, he did not pretend to be a god. He said he was just a man who had found the meaning of life (enlightenment), and that any person can also find the meaning of life. For the rest of his life, he walked all over Southern Nepal and parts of India to teach people what he believed. He started a Sangha, which is a group of Buddhist monks and nuns. Many people became enlightened because of him. At the age of 80, after 45 years teaching the Four Noble Truths, Gautama Buddha died.