The story of Buddha. Who was Buddha in ordinary life? Buddha's name. Buddha - short biography

From the age of seven, the prince studied literacy and martial arts. Only the most talented peers came to play at the palace with the prince, in whose circle Siddhartha received an excellent education and mastered the basic martial arts, excelling among his comrades in everything.

When Siddhartha turned 19 years old, at the insistence of the king, he chose as his wife Yasodhara (Gopa), the daughter of Shakya Dandapati (according to other sources, this was the daughter of King Suprabuddha, the elder brother of the prince’s mother, who lived in the castle of Devadaha).

Biography of Buddha (page 1 of 2)

From Yasodhara, Siddhartha had a son, whom he named Rahula.

Until the age of 29, the prince lived in his father's palaces. Later, the Buddha told his disciples about these days: “Monks, I lived in luxury, in utmost luxury, in complete luxury. My father even had lotus ponds in our palace: in one of them red lotuses bloomed, in another there were white lotuses, in the third there were blue lotuses, all for my sake.

I used sandalwood only from Benares. My turban was from Benares, my tunic, my undergarment, and my cape too. A white umbrella was held over me day and night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, and dew.

I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the hot season, and one for the rainy season. During the four months of the rainy season, I was entertained in the rainy season palace by musicians, among whom there was not a single man, and I never left the palace.

In other houses, servants, workers and butlers were fed lentil soup and crushed rice, and in my father's house the servants, workers and butlers were fed wheat, rice and meat.

Buddha Shakyamuni - biography, information, personal life

Buddha Shakyamuni

Shakyamuni Buddha (Skt.

Vietnamese, Vietnamese Thích-ca Mâu-ni; 563 BC e. - 483 BC e.; literally “Awakened sage from the Shakya (Sakya) clan”) - spiritual teacher, legendary founder of Buddhism.

Given at birth the name Siddhattha Gotama (Pali) / Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit) (“descendant of Gotama, successful in achieving goals”), he later came to be called Buddha (literally “Awakened One”) and even the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha).

He is also called: Tathāgata (“one who thus came”), Bhagavan (“God”), Sugata (Right Walker), Jina (Winner), Lokajyeshtha (World Honored One).

Siddhartha Gautama is a key figure in Buddhism. Stories about his life, his sayings, dialogues with his disciples and monastic precepts were summarized by his followers after his death and formed the basis of the Buddhist canon - the Tripitaka. Buddha is also a character in many dharmic religions, in particular Bon (late Bon) and Hinduism.

In the Middle Ages, in the later Indian Puranas (for example, in the Bhagavata Purana), he was included among the avatars of Vishnu instead of Balarama.

The birthday of Buddha Shakyamuni is a national holiday of the Republic of Kalmykia.

Material for the scientific reconstruction of the biography of Buddha modern science not enough.

Therefore, traditionally the biography of the Buddha is given on the basis of a number of Buddhist texts (“Life of the Buddha” by Ashvaghosa, “Lalitavistara”).

However, it should be borne in mind that the first texts relating to the Buddha appeared only four hundred years after his death.

By this time, changes had been made to the stories about him by the monks themselves, in particular, to exaggerate the figure of Buddha.

In addition, the works of the ancient Indians did not cover chronological aspects, concentrating more on philosophical aspects.

This is well reflected in Buddhist texts, in which the description of Shakyamuni's thoughts prevails over the description of the time when all this happened.

The path of the future Buddha Shakyamuni to enlightenment began hundreds and hundreds of lives before his complete exit from the “wheel of alternating lives and deaths.” It began with the meeting of the rich and learned brahman Sumedha with the Buddha Dipankara.

Sumedha was amazed by the serenity of the Buddha and promised himself to achieve the same state. Therefore, they began to call him “Bodhisattva.”

After Sumedha's death, the strength of his desire for Enlightenment determined his birth in different bodies, both human and animal. During these lives, the bodhisattva perfected wisdom and mercy and was born for the penultimate time among the gods, where he could choose an auspicious place for his last birth on earth.

And he chose the family of the venerable Shakya king so that people would have more confidence in his future sermons.

According to traditional biography, the father of the future Buddha was Raja Shuddhodana, the head of the Shakya tribe of a small principality with the capital of Kapilavatthu (Kapilavastu).

Gautama is his gotra, the equivalent of a modern surname.

Although the Buddhist tradition calls it “raja,” judging by a number of different sources, the government in the Shakya country was built on a republican type. Therefore, most likely, he was a member of the ruling assembly of kshatriyas (sabha), which consisted of representatives of the military aristocracy.

Siddhartha's mother, Queen Maha Maya, wife of Shuddhodana, was a princess from the Koliya kingdom.

On the night of Siddhartha's conception, the queen dreamed that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her.

According to the long-standing Shakya tradition, Mahamaya went to her parents’ house to give birth. However, she gave birth along the way, in the Lumbini grove (20 km from the border of modern Nepal and India, 160 km from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu), under an Ashoka tree. The baby immediately rose to his feet and proclaimed himself a being superior to men and gods.

In Lumbini itself there was a house of the king, in modern sources called "palace".

IN real life The entire foundation of this palace, excavated by archaeologists, was placed under an 8x8 meter shed-shed. The queen did not go anywhere, but calmly gave birth at home. Even the Buddha himself did not know that the baby was superior to people and gods, who lived calmly in that palace-house, first as a boy, then married as a husband and crown prince, indulging in idleness and entertainment.

The birthday of Siddhartha Gautama, the May full moon, is widely celebrated in Buddhist countries (Vesak), and the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries and Japan have recently built their representative temples in Lumbini.

There is a museum at the birthplace, and foundation excavations and wall fragments are available for viewing.

Most sources claim that Mahamaya died a few days after giving birth.

Invited to bless the baby, the hermit-seer Asita, who lived in a mountain monastery, discovered 32 signs of a great man on his body.

Based on them, he declared that the baby would become either a great king (cakravartin) or a great saint (Buddha).

Shuddhodana performed a naming ceremony for the child on the fifth day of his birth, calling him Siddhartha, which means “one who has achieved his goal.” Eight learned Brahmins were invited to predict the future child. They also confirmed Siddhartha's dual future.

Siddhartha was raised by his mother's younger sister, Maha Pajapati.

Wanting Siddhartha to become a great king, his father in every possible way protected his son from religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering. Three palaces were specially built for the boy. In his development, he was ahead of all his peers in science and sports, but showed a tendency to think.

As soon as the son turned 16, his father arranged a wedding with Princess Yashodhara, a cousin who also turned 16.

A few years later she gave birth to his son Rahula. Siddhartha spent 29 years of his life as the prince of Kapilavastu. Although the father gave his son everything he might need in life, Siddhartha felt that material goods is not the ultimate goal of life.

One day, when the prince was 29 years old, he, accompanied by the charioteer Channa, got out of the palace.

There he saw “four sights” that changed his entire subsequent life: an old beggar, a sick man, a decomposing corpse and a hermit. Gautama then realized the harsh reality of life - that illness, suffering, aging and death are inevitable and neither wealth nor nobility can protect against them, and that the path of self-knowledge is the only way to understand the causes of suffering. This prompted Gautama, at the age of 29, to leave his home, family and property and go in search of a way to get rid of suffering.

Siddhartha left his palace accompanied by his servant Channa.

Legend says that "the sound of his horse's hooves was muffled by the gods" to keep his departure secret. Having left the city, the prince changed into simple clothes, exchanged clothes with the first beggar he met, and dismissed the servant. This event is called the "Great Departure".

Siddhartha began his ascetic life in Rajagriha, where he begged on the streets. After King Bimbisara learned of his journey, he offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha refused the offer, but promised to visit the kingdom of Magadha immediately after he achieved enlightenment.

Siddhartha left Rajagaha and began to learn yogic meditation from two brahmin hermits.

After he mastered the teachings of Alara (Arada) Kalama, Kalama himself asked Siddhartha to join him, but Siddhartha left him after some time.

Then Siddhartha became a student of Udaka Ramaputa (Udraka Ramaputra), but after achieving top level meditative concentration he also left the teacher.

Siddhartha then headed to southeast India. There he, along with five companions under the leadership of Kaundinya (Kondanna), tried to achieve enlightenment through severe austerity and mortification.

Six years later, on the verge of death, he discovered that harsh ascetic methods did not lead to greater understanding, but simply clouded the mind and exhausted the body. After this, Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. He remembered a moment from his childhood when, during the plowing holiday, he experienced a immersion in a trance.

This brought him into a state of concentration that he found blissful and refreshing, a state of dhyana.

His four companions, believing that Gautama had abandoned further searches, left him. Therefore, he went on to wander further alone, until he reached a grove not far from Gaia.

Here he accepted some milk and rice from a village woman named Sujatu, who mistook him for a tree spirit, such was his haggard appearance.

Life of Buddha

After this, Siddhartha sat down under the ficus tree, which is now called the Bodhi tree, and swore that he would not rise until he found the Truth.

Not wanting to let Siddhartha out from under his power, the demon Mara tried to break his concentration, but Gautama remained unshaken - and Mara retreated.

After 49 days of meditation on the full moon of the month of Vaisakha, the same night on which he was born, at the age of 35, Gautama achieved Awakening and a full understanding of the nature and cause of human suffering - ignorance - and the steps that are necessary to eliminate this cause.

This knowledge was later called the “Four Noble Truths”, and the state of the Highest Awakening, which is available to any being, was called nibbana (Pali) or nirvana (Sanskrit). After this, Gautama began to be called Buddha or “the Awakened One.”

The Buddha remained in a state of samadhi for several days, deciding whether to teach the Dharma to other people. He was not sure that people, filled with greed, hatred and deception, would be able to see the true Dharma, the ideas of which were very deep, subtle and difficult to understand.

However, Brahma Sahampati stood up for the people and asked the Buddha to bring the Dharma to the world, since “there will always be those who understand the Dharma.” Eventually, with his great compassion for all beings on earth, the Buddha agreed to become a teacher.

The first disciples of the Buddha were two merchants he met - Tapussa and Bhallika.

Buddha gave them a pair of hairs from his head, which, according to legend, are kept in the Shwedagon Pagoda.

After this, the Buddha went to Varanasi, intending to tell his former teachers, Kalama and Ramaputta, what he had achieved. But the gods told him that they were already dead.

Then the Buddha went to Deer Grove (Sarnath), where he read his first sermon, “The First Turn of the Wheel of Dharma,” to his former ascetic comrades. This sermon described the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Thus, the Buddha set into motion the Wheel of Dharma. His first listeners became the first members of the Buddhist sangha, completing the formation of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).

All five soon became arhats.

Later, Yasa with his 54 companions and three Kassapa brothers with their disciples (1000 people) joined the sangha, who then brought the Dharma to the people.

For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha traveled along the Ganges River valley in central India in the company of his disciples, teaching his Teaching to a wide variety of people, regardless of their religious and philosophical views and caste - from warriors to cleaners, murderers (Angulimala) and cannibals (Alavaka ).

At the same time, he performed many supernatural acts.

The Sangha, led by the Buddha, traveled annually for eight months. During the remaining four months of the rainy season it was quite difficult to walk, so the monks spent them in some monastery, park or forest. People from nearby villages themselves came to them to listen to instructions.

King Bimbisara, who became a proponent of Buddhism after meeting the Buddha, donated a monastery to the sangha near his capital Rajagriha. And the rich merchant Anathapindada donated a grove near the city of Shravasti.

The first Vasana was held in Varanasi when the Sangha was first formed. After this, they went to Rajagaha (Rajagriha), the capital of Magadha, in order to honor with their visit King Bimbisara, whom the Buddha promised to visit after his Enlightenment.

It was during this visit that the initiation of Sariputta (Shariputra) and Mahamoggallana (Mahamaudgalyayana) took place - they were to become two of the most important disciples of the Buddha. The Buddha spent the next three vassanas at the Veluvana monastery in Bamboo Grove, in Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha. This monastery was maintained at the expense of Bimbisara, although it was quite remote from the city center.

Having learned about Enlightenment, Shuddhodana sent a royal delegation to the Buddha to return to Kapilavastu.

A total of nine delegations were sent to the Buddha, but all the delegates joined the Sangha and became arhats. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludaiya (Kalodayin), a childhood friend, was received by the Buddha and he agreed to go to Kapilavastu.

Since it was too early for Vassana, the Buddha set out on a two-month journey to Kapilavastu on foot, preaching the Dharma along the way.

In the fifth Vasana, the Buddha lived in Mahavana near Vesali (Vaishali).

Having learned about the impending death of his father, Buddha went to Shuddhodana and preached the Dharma to him. Shuddhodana became an arhat just before his death. After his father's death, his adoptive mother Maha Pajapati asked permission to join the Sangha, but the Buddha refused and decided to return to Rajagaha. Maha Pajapati did not accept refusal and led a group of noble women of the Shakya and Kolya clans, which followed the Sangha.

Ultimately, the Buddha accepted them into the Sangha on the basis that their capacity for enlightenment was equal to that of men, but gave them additional Vinaya rules to follow.

The Buddha was also the target of assassination attempts by opposition religious groups, including repeated assassination attempts.

According to the Pali Mahaparinibbana Sutta, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon achieve Parinirvana, or the final stage of immortality, by liberating his earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate the last food he received from the blacksmith Kunda.

The exact composition of the Buddha's last meal is unknown; the Theravada tradition suggests it was pork, while the Mahayana tradition says it was truffles or some other mushroom.

The Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra states that the Buddha did not get sick or grow old, but deliberately took on this form in order to show those born in samsara the pain that offensive words cause, thereby encouraging their desire for Nirvana.

According to one legend, before his death, the Buddha asked his disciples to find out if they had any doubts or questions.

There weren't any. Then he entered Parinirvana; his last words were: “All composite things are short-lived. Strive for your own liberation with special diligence.” Buddha Gautama was cremated in accordance with the ritual for the Universal Lord (chakravartina). His remains (relics) were divided into eight parts and lie at the base of specially erected stupas. Some of the monuments are believed to have survived to this day. For example, Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka is the place where the tooth of Buddha is kept.

Buddha also instructed his disciples not to follow the leader, but to follow the teaching, the Dharma.

However, at the First Buddhist Council, Mahakashyapa was proclaimed the head of the Sangha, along with the Buddha's two main disciples - Mahamoggallana and Sariputta, who died shortly before the Buddha.

Life of Buddha

BUDDHA (in Sanskrit - the one who has received his sight, the Enlightened One, the One who has known the transcendental light). In Buddhism, the highest state of spiritual perfection and the name given to the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (623-544 BC).

According to traditional Buddhist dating, Shakyamuni Buddha (Shakya thub-pa), also known as Gautama Buddha (Gau-ta-ma), lived from 566 to 485 BC.

in central northern India. Buddhist sources contain numerous differing biographies of the Buddha's life, with additional details that emerged gradually over time. Since the first Buddhist literature was not written down until three centuries after the passing of the Buddha, difficulty arises in attempting to ascertain the accuracy of any detail found in these biographies. However, the reliability of some details in relation to others cannot be discounted simply on the grounds that they appeared in written form later.

Many descriptions may have been passed down orally for a long time, while others were written down.

Moreover, traditional biographies of great Buddhist masters, including the Buddha himself, were primarily compiled for didactic purposes rather than for the preservation of historical facts.

This is especially true of the biographies of great masters, which were structured in such a way as to teach and inspire followers of Buddhist teachings in their pursuit of the spiritual path to achieve liberation and enlightenment.

Lives of the Buddha were compiled several centuries later; they report that he was born in royal family Shakya tribe in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the south of modern Nepal and received the name Siddhartha (literally - the One who achieves the goal, the one who succeeds). The father's name was Shuddhodana (literally - Having rice), the mother was Maya (Illusion).

The boy's father gave him the name Siddhartha, which means "fulfillment of desires."

After many years, his followers began to call him Buddha - the Enlightened One. From childhood, Siddhartha was raised in luxury. He lived in three different palaces depending on the time of year, dressed in expensive clothes, ate the rarest dishes, and was served by beautiful dancers.

As befits a prince, he received an excellent education in Indian classical literature. He belonged to the warrior caste, so he was also taught everything that a man of noble rank should know: to ride a horse, climb an elephant, drive a chariot and command an army.

He was probably very handsome, because there are many references to the "perfection of his visible body." When he turned 16, he married a princess from a neighboring principality named Yasodhara. Soon they had a son, Rahula. Life in the palace was rich and carefree, but Gautama soon became fed up with sensual joys.

He was endowed with a sensitive soul. Gradually, the habit of unbridled indulgence in all desires was replaced in the heir to the throne and warrior by boundless compassion for people.

Such a change was predicted at the birth of the boy. When his father gathered famous sages in the palace to determine the fate of the prince, they all agreed that this was a completely extraordinary child. His life could go in two directions: by choosing the secular path, he could unite the fragmented lands and become the greatest of the rulers of India; if he left the world, the path of a great thinker was prepared for him. The soothsayers warned the prince that as soon as his son faced old age, illness and death, he would leave his home.

The prince made every effort to protect his son from real life for as long as possible in the luxury of the palace, and did everything to ensure that the boy’s thoughts were chained to momentary pleasures. The prince never faced illness, grief, or death. Even the roads along which he had to pass were cleared by the prince's fast walkers so that he would not see anything like that.

Four Signs

Only at the age of 29 did Gautama really think about life.

Four events completely changed him life path. One day he noticed a decrepit, gray-haired and toothless old man who was trembling, huddled in his old rags. Another time, he came across a terminally ill man, and the prince was shocked by the sight of his suffering - the tragedy of human existence began to penetrate Gautama's soul. He also had to face funeral procession, and he realized that all people die sooner or later.

And when, finally, on the way he met an ascetic monk, dressed in rags and shaved bald, the idea of ​​withdrawing from the world first occurred to him. Thus Gautama experienced pain and death, and carnal pleasures lost all value for him.

The singing of the dancers, the sounds of lutes and cymbals, luxurious feasts and processions now seemed to him a mockery. Flowers swaying in the wind and snow melting in the Himalayas spoke even louder to him about the fragility of everything earthly. He decided to follow his inner call and give up social life. The parents were horrified to learn about their son's intentions. But when they tried to prevent the prince from carrying out his decision, Gautama said to his father: “Father, if you can forever free me from the sufferings of birth, illness, old age and death, I will remain in the palace; if not, I must go and make my earthly life meaningful."

The prince's determination to leave the palace and take up meditation was unshakable.

On the very night that his wife gave birth to his son, he secretly left his young family and went into the forest. Thus began the search for truth in his life.

Gautama became a wandering mendicant ascetic.

Briefly about the life story of Buddha - from birth to final departure to nirvana

He shaved his hair and began wearing clothes made from scraps. Branches covered with thorns served as his bed; he almost refused food. Gautama sought out two of the most revered teachers in India at that time to learn wisdom and meditation from them. However, over time, he realized that they taught him everything they could, but he never achieved the complete liberation he desired.

Then he joined a group of extreme ascetics who believed that harsh treatment of the body would lead to the liberation of the soul. For the next six years, Gautama experienced all kinds of material deprivation.

He spent long hours without moving in uncomfortable positions. He lived either in deep forests full of wild animals, sometimes in cold snow, sometimes in a hot desert, sometimes completely alone. He tried to slow or stop his breathing, fasted, and finally stopped eating altogether. Describing his condition during one of his fasts, Gautama said: “Thinking of touching the skin of my stomach, I actually touched the spine.”

A man of unbending will, he significantly surpassed others in self-restraint. But, despite the fact that he curbed his body, learned to restrain his emotions and control his thoughts, the former prince felt that his ascetic life did not bring him closer to the truth.

Almost exhausted from his last fast, he ate a plate of rice with milk, abandoned the ascetic life and decided to take up meditation. His fellow ascetics turned away from him in disgust, considering it weakness. However, this experience formed the basis of Gautama's first commandment - the principle of the Middle Path between the extremes of asceticism and unlimited self-indulgence. People should live warm, clean and eat well, but if your life is subordinated only to satisfying these needs, then happiness will be short-lived.

If you're full, no amount of food will make you happier. Neither the possession of wealth nor the satisfaction of physical desires will save you.

Physical needs are not difficult to satisfy, but greed cannot be satisfied. But, on the other hand, one should not completely reject the material side of life - this also does not bring happiness. Thus, self-restraint is good, but meaningless suffering is useless; It's good to help others and strive to improve the world and yourself, but complete loneliness is not necessary.

Moreover, this experience helped Gautama understand that physical suffering affects people, that a person is not just a soul trapped in a body, but a being consisting of body and spirit.

Enlightenment

Eating rice with milk. Gautama fell asleep and that night he had five dreams. Waking up in the morning, he sat under a tree and began meditation, deciding not to move until he achieved enlightenment. He sat motionless for seven days, immersed in deep meditation, Mara, the leader of the demons, tried to distract him with beautiful women and frighten him with terrifying demons.

However, Gautama resisted all temptations, concentrating even deeper. That night he achieved enlightenment. His thought became calm and detached, and joy filled him. Soon the thoughts receded, and only joy remained. Finally, the joy disappeared, and his spirit became calm, peaceful and pure; it was a sharp weapon ready to penetrate to the core of reality. Thus prepared, Gautama gained insight into the nature of human existence and realized his goal - complete peace.

The state of nirvana he achieved cannot be described in words. For forty-nine days he sat, overwhelmed with delight, under the tree that his followers had found, the Bodhi Tree (tree of enlightenment).

I have conquered everything; I know everything and my life is clean.

I have left everything and am free from desires.

I found the way myself. Whom shall I call Teacher?

Who will I teach?

Gautama became Buddha - the one who found the truth on his own, without the support of a guru (teacher).

After enlightenment, Mara again came to tempt Gautama. He said that no one would understand the deep truth that he had discovered, so why teach anyone? Why not simply leave the world and, renouncing the body, remain in a state of nirvana forever?

But Buddha decided that he would devote the rest of his life to saving others.

Preacher

He found his former ascetic comrades and preached to them his first sermon, known as the “Sermon in Deer Park.” In it, he explained to them the "Four Noble Truths" (which we will look at in the next chapter). The monks became his first followers. Buddha spent the last 45 years of his life preaching the message bringing people liberation from the shackles of egoism.

His teaching was a very radical challenge to the then established institutions. He preached in the colloquial vernacular and not in the Sanskrit of the Indian scriptures.

He destroyed the monopoly of the Brahmins (Indian teachers) on religious knowledge, calling each person to personal religious quest.

“Don’t accept everything you hear, don’t accept tradition, don’t accept just because it’s written in books, or because it coincides with your faith, or because your teacher says so.

Be your own lamps. Those who, now or after my death, rely on themselves and do not look for outside help other than themselves, they will reach the top."

The Buddha also laughed at the meticulous observance of ancient rituals, since all this had nothing to do with the difficult path of self-improvement. He did not attach importance to speculative reasoning about God and the soul - he considered this pointless. Repeatedly performing miracles, he nevertheless said that truth surpasses the greatest miracle.

The Buddha believed that in external rituals or miracles, people sometimes look for simple paths that do not exist in reality, instead of striving for their own salvation. Rejecting fatalism, he encouraged everyone to make the efforts necessary for enlightenment.

It is not surprising that such attacks on familiar shrines provoked resistance. Hindus considered Buddha the greatest heretic, and for many centuries Hinduism and Buddhism were at enmity. Despite the tough caste system, Buddha preached to everyone who would listen.

A Buddhist community, or sangha, emerged, consisting of four layers: monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. His entire family, including his father, became his followers.

In his sermons, he often used parables, such as the famous parable of the blind men and the elephant. Many episodes from his life also became instructive stories, such as the story of Kisagotami. For the next 45 years of his life, the Buddha preached the Law he established in the state of Enlightenment - the Dharma. All these years, Buddha and his disciples walked (almost in a circle) through the cities of 6 states in the middle reaches of the Ganges Valley.

He delivered his first sermon in Sarnath near Varanasi, and his last in Kushinagar.

The places of birth, enlightenment, first and last sermons are the four shrines most revered by all Buddhists of the world.

Buddha did not leave behind a successor, but declared as such the Law, which everyone has the right to follow according to their own understanding. Buddha Dharma is one of the principles that unites Buddhism.

Buddha Shakyamuni (Sanskrit Sākyamuni, Pali Sakyamuni / Sakyamuni, Tib. Shakya Tupa / Shakya Tupa) is the tathagata of our time. According to some estimates, his life dates back to 624-544 BC. e. Buddha is often called Shakyamuni - “sage of the Shakyas”, because he was born into a family that belonged to the large Shakya clan.

Today, most researchers agree that Buddha lived approximately at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th century BC.

It is likely that in the future the exact time will be established scientifically. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has already proposed analyzing the surviving relics using modern technologies to establish the time of Buddha's life.

Shakyamuni was born into a royal family belonging to the Shakya clan.

Father - King Shuddhodana Gautama - ruled small state with its center in the city of Kapilavastu, located on the banks of the Rohini River, flowing at the southern foot of the Himalayas (now the territory of Nepal in its southern part).

Mother - Queen Maya - was the daughter of the king's uncle, who also reigned in one of the neighboring states.

The couple had no children for more than twenty years. But one night the queen had a dream in which a white elephant entered her through her right side, and she conceived. The king, the courtiers and all the people eagerly awaited the birth of the child.

When the time for childbirth began to approach, the queen, according to the custom of her people, went to her home to give birth.

On the way, she sat down to rest in the Lumbini garden (the place is located in the western part of Nepal).

It was a fine spring day and Ashoka trees were blooming in the garden. The queen stretched right hand to rip flowering branch, grabbed her, and at that moment labor began.

The life story of the Buddha says that Mahamaya's birth was painless and miraculously: The baby came out from the left side of the mother, who at that time was standing, grasping a tree branch.

Having been born, the prince took seven steps forward. Where he stepped, lotuses appeared under his feet. The future Buddha proclaimed that he came to free humanity from suffering.

The king, having learned that he had a boy, was delighted. He named his son Siddhartha, which means "Fulfillment of all desires."

But after the king’s joy, grief awaited him: Queen Maya soon died. The prince began to raise her younger sister Mahaprajapati.

Not far away in the mountains lived a holy hermit named Asita.

They showed him the newborn, and Asita discovered on the baby's body thirty-two great signs and eighty minor signs, by which he predicted that when the prince grew up, he would either become a universal ruler (chakravartin), who was capable of uniting the whole world; or, if he leaves the palace, he will take the path of hermitage and soon become a Buddha who will save beings from suffering.

The king was at first delighted, then worried: in his only son he wanted to see an outstanding royal heir, but not an ascetic hermit.

Then Siddhartha’s father decided: in order not to push his son into philosophical reflections about the meaning of life, the king would create for him a completely heavenly atmosphere, full of nothing but joys.

From the age of seven, the prince studied literacy and martial arts.

Only the most talented peers came to play at the palace with the prince, in whose circle Siddhartha received an excellent education and mastered the basic martial arts, excelling among his comrades in everything.

When Siddhartha turned 19 years old, at the insistence of the king, he chose as his wife Yasodhara (Gopa), the daughter of Shakya Dandapati (according to other sources, this was the daughter of King Suprabuddha, the elder brother of the prince’s mother, who lived in the castle of Devadaha). From Yasodhara, Siddhartha had a son, whom he named Rahula.

Until the age of 29, the prince lived in his father's palaces.

Later, the Buddha told his disciples about these days: “Monks, I lived in luxury, in utmost luxury, in complete luxury. My father even had lotus ponds in our palace: in one of them red lotuses bloomed, in another there were white lotuses, in the third there were blue lotuses, all for my sake.

I used sandalwood only from Benares. My turban was from Benares, my tunic, my undergarment, and my cape too.

A white umbrella was held over me day and night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, and dew.

I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the hot season, and one for the rainy season. During the four months of the rainy season, I was entertained in the rainy season palace by musicians, among whom there was not a single man, and I never left the palace. In other houses the servants, workers and butlers were fed lentil soup and broken rice, but in my father's house the servants, workers and butlers were fed wheat, rice and meat.

Although I was gifted with such wealth, such complete luxury, a thought came to me: “When an uneducated, ordinary person, who is himself subject to aging, has not overcome aging, sees another person who is old, he feels fear, contempt and disgust, forgetting about that he himself is subject to aging, has not overcome aging.

If I, who am subject to aging and have not overcome aging, should experience fear, contempt and disgust at the sight of another old person, this will be unbecoming for me.” When I noticed this, the intoxication of youth characteristic of young people completely disappeared.”

The discovery of the impermanence of youth, the impermanence of health, the impermanence of life led the prince to rethink his life, and he realized that no palaces would protect him from old age, illness, and death.

And in this life, as in many of his past lives, he chose the path of hermitage in search of Liberation.

He came to his father and said:

The time has come for me to leave. I ask you not to interfere with me and not to be sad.

The king replied:

I will give you everything you could want if you will only stay in the palace.

To this Siddhartha said:

Give me eternal youth, health and immortality.

“I am powerless to give this to you,” the king replied, and that same night Siddhartha secretly left the palace.

Having cut his hair as a sign of renunciation of the world, he joined the wandering monks.

He was 29 years old at that time.

At first, Siddhartha went to the hermits who lived around the brahman Raivata, but quickly left this place and moved to Vaishali, to the famous contemplator Arada-Kalama, who, in his views, apparently belonged to the ancient Indian philosophical school of Sankhya.

Arad-Kalama had 300 students whom he taught meditation on the Sphere of Nothingness (the World of the Complete Absence of Everything, belongs to the World Without Forms). After a short training, the Bodhisattva managed to achieve a state of absorption in the Realm of Nothingness and asked the teacher: “Have you reached only this stage of concentration?” “Yes,” answered Arada, “now what I know, you know.” Then the Bodhisattva thought: “So we need to look for something more effective.” And went to Central India.

There, after some time, he met Udrak Ramaputra, who taught 700 students to concentrate the mind in the Sphere of neither consciousness nor non-consciousness (the World of Neither Presence [cognition], nor Absence [cognition], belongs to the World Without Forms) and began to learn from him. In a short time having reached the Sphere of neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, the Bodhisattva, having talked with Udraka, as well as with Arada, left him, saying to himself: “No, this also does not lead to Nirvana!” Five of Udraka's students followed him.

Arriving at the bank of the Nairanjana River, Siddhartha decided to indulge in asceticism on his own.

He spent six years in deep concentration, all this time he did not eat. more than three grains per day and greatly weakened.

Feeling that such asceticism was extreme, and in order to continue his spiritual feat it was necessary to refresh himself, he walked along the river towards Bodhgaya and, meeting a peasant girl Sujata, accepted a donation of food from her - a bowl of curdled milk or milk with honey and rice.

Five ascetic companions, seeing that Siddhartha had returned to normal food, perceived this as a fall, lost faith in him, left him, and went towards Varanasi. The Bodhisattva washed himself, cut his hair and beard, which had grown over the years of hermitage, and, having regained his strength with food, crossed the river and sat down under a spreading tree, which has since been called the Bodhi tree (in botany this species is now called ficus religiosa).

Siddhartha promised himself: “Let my blood dry, let my flesh rot, let my bones rot, but I will not move from this place until I reach it.”

Unfazed by Mara's devilish intimidations and temptations, he entered into deep meditative absorption (samadhi) and, without leaving his seat, soon realized the unsurpassed state of Buddha. At this time he was 35 years old.

From this time on, the Buddha began to work to save living beings from the shackles of Samsara.

His first students were those five companions who thought that he could not stand it.

To them Buddha read his first sermon, which later became known as “The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma” (“Sutra on the Turning of the Wheel of the Law”).

In it, the Buddha outlined the foundations of the teaching of the Four Noble Truths. This happened in the Deer Park of Sarnath (near Varanasi).

At Rajagriha, Buddha converted King Bimbisara.

Staying in his palace, he began to preach the Teaching throughout the country. Soon more than two thousand people became his disciples, including his two main disciples Shariputra and Maudgalyayana.

King Shuddhodana, who did not want his son to leave worldly life, and was deeply saddened by his departure from the palace, Mahaprajapati, who nursed the prince, Princess Yasodhara and others from the Shakya family also became his followers and disciples.

Having preached the Teaching for 45 years, Shakyamuni reached the age of 80 years.

In Vaisali, on the way from Rajagriha to Shravasti, in a conversation with Ananda he predicts that he will go to Nirvana in three months. Continuing his journey and preaching the Dharma, the Buddha reached Pava, where he tasted the food brought to him by the blacksmith Chunda, dried pork, the cause of his physical ailment.

Knowing what he eats, Buddha forbids the disciples who accompanied Buddha to eat it.

At the age of 80, on the outskirts of the city of Kushinagara, the Buddha left this World of Suffering, entering Parinirvana.

The legend calls the father of the Buddha the king of the Shakya tribe Shuddhodana, who lived in his capital Kapilavastu (this is her Sanskrit title, in a language closely related to Buddhist literature Pali it is pronounced "Kapilawatthu"). Shuddhodana was married to two daughters of the neighboring king of the Koliyas, a people who lived on the opposite bank of the Rohini River from the Shakyas. For a long time, both marriages of Buddha's father remained childless. Only in the 45th year of marriage did the eldest of his two wives, Maya, become pregnant. When she, as the custom of that time required, and her social status, wanted to retire to her parents’ house to wait there for the birth, she unexpectedly gave birth to a child in the Lumbini grove (present-day Siddharthanagar district, Uttar Pradesh, one and a half kilometers from the border with Nepal). Maya gave birth to a son, named Siddhartha. This is the real name of the Buddha, who is more often called by his family name - Gautama (Gotama). All other nicknames of the Buddha are only epithets, and their number corresponds to the reverence and veneration that his disciples had for him. All these nicknames, like those given to Jesus - Savior, Deliverer, Christ, etc., are nothing more than an expression of his qualities; So, Shakya Muni means a sage from the Shakya family, Shakya Singha means Shakya the lion, Bhagavat means worthy, Sattha means teacher, Jina means winner, etc.; The name Buddha is also only a nickname and means “The Knower.”

Birth of Buddha by Queen Maya

The birth of Siddhartha can with some probability be attributed to 560 - 557. BC e., the year of his death was 480 - 477 BC. e. The future Buddha's mother died on the seventh day after his birth, and his upbringing was taken over by the deceased's sister, Prajpati, who raised him with great love. According to the custom of that time, young Siddhartha, already in his nineteenth year, was married to cousin by his Yazodhara, daughter of the king of stakes; in the tenth year of this marriage his son Rahula was born. Another in Siddhartha’s place would have been happy and contented: everything that constituted the ideal of a noble kshatriya fell to his lot. But he, a 29-year-old husband, was not satisfied with all this: amid the external luxury with which he was surrounded, his serious and sublime mind turned away with disgust from worldly vanity. The thoughts of the future Buddha about world misfortune and about liberation from this misfortune are embodied in legend in an objective, humanized form: the deity appears before him first in the form of a decrepit old man, then in the form of a seriously ill person, even later in the form of a decaying corpse, and finally in the form of a venerable hermit. The birth of his son was the last impetus that forced him to bring to life a long-overdue decision - in the child he saw only new ties that connected him with the world. The story of Siddhartha's flight is the most touching episode of the entire Buddhist legend about his life. Just one more time he wants to see the most precious thing he has in the world and hold his newborn son to his heart. He quietly creeps into the bedchamber where his wife and son are sleeping. But the mother’s hand rests on the child’s head, and Siddhartha, afraid of waking the mother, does not dare to hug him.

So, without saying goodbye, the future Buddha leaves his wife and child and sets off alone with his driver into the night. Next, he gives the driver all his jewelry and instructs him to bring news of his decision to his relatives; after that, he cuts his hair short, exchanges rich clothes for the dress of a passing beggar and, alone, heads to the capital of the state Magadha, Rajagriha, near which hermits lived in rocky caves. He joined them in the hope of learning from them the meaning of the great riddle of existence. But brahmanical metaphysics could not satisfy his inquisitive mind: neither Alara Kalama nor Uddaka Ramaputta found what he was looking for - the path to salvation from world sorrow. He leaves both teachers and heads to the forests of Uruvela (under the modern Buddha-gaya), where, having devoted themselves to the strictest asceticism, five other hermits already lived. For six years, he who is soon destined to become a Buddha surpasses all his companions in the most merciless mortification of his flesh; of the former Siddhartha, full of beauty and strength, only a shadow remains. The fame of his inhuman self-flagellation spreads far; he himself, while others consider him already on the path to salvation, feels increasingly unhappy.

Finally, weakness brings him to fainting; after he comes to his senses, he decides to leave the false path he has chosen. But when he again begins to eat like all other people, he loses the faith and respect of his five companions; they do not want to remain any longer in his company and head to the holy city of Benares, so that there, in a purer environment, they can continue to indulge in mortification. Siddhartha, who remains alone, still faces the most difficult mental struggle. The Buddhist legend presents to us the spiritual and mental discord occurring within him as a struggle between light and dark spirits, which is waged with such ferocity that the whole world trembles and threatens to collapse. On the banks of Nairanjara, the grace of knowledge finally descends on him. Everything becomes clear to him - he receives a revelation that shows him the meaning of suffering and the path to salvation. Now he becomes Buddha - the “Knower”, who has achieved not only for himself, but also for the whole world, that knowledge that leads to salvation.

Buddha statue from Sarnath (a suburb of Varanasi - Benares). IV century AD e.

Seven days of Buddha in sublime clarity of spirit, in blissful enlightenment under the sacred fig tree (ficus religiosa; in Sinhalese: bo tree - tree of knowledge; in Sanskrit: bodhi). There are two kind people who bring him rice cakes and honey. He gives them in return the highest thing he has - his teaching; and both Tapusa and Bhallika become his first followers, they "come under the protection of the Buddha and his teachings." The enlightened Buddha doubts whether the narrow-minded minds of the masses will be able to embrace the great truth. But the god of the world Brahma forces him to proclaim his teaching to the world, and Buddha yields: he goes to the very forest where his former five comrades in repentance are, and expounds to them in the “Benares Sermon” the foundations of his teaching - Buddhism. Neither the joys of life nor the mortification of the flesh can lead to the goal; only the middle path leads to it. In broad terms he sets out to them the truth about suffering and the eightfold path to salvation.

From this moment on, the life of the Buddha is filled with teaching and converting the people: the small community quickly increases with the addition of six noble citizens from Benares; then another 50 students join in. The rumor of a new teaching spreads far; Nations flock from all sides to hear him. Buddha sends all his 60 disciples out into the world as apostles: “Go, O beggars, bring salvation and goodness to the nations, salvation, benefit and goodness to gods and people.” The Buddha did not have to remain alone for long after he sent out the apostles: soon another 30 rich young men, and then 1000 ascetic fire-worshippers, joined his teaching. But the most important thing was the accession to the teachings of Buddha Bimbisara, the king of the great kingdom of Magadha: in him Buddhism acquired a powerful patron, and immediately after his conversion the Buddha already counts tens of thousands of his spiritual brothers. Even more important was the addition of the Buddha's most eminent disciples, Sariputta and Mogallana.

With the accession of King Bimbisara to the teachings of the Buddha, the trait that characterizes the further development of this religion first appears: the tendency to acquire the favor of rulers and become under their protection. And so the wave of Buddhism in individual states ebbs and flows, depending on whether the ruling dynasty in them prospers or falls; We see this phenomenon, by the way, in Ceylon, where the Buddhist community is unusually prosperous under the auspices of strong and happy rulers, but with the political misfortunes that befell the country during the war with the Dravidians, it repeatedly declines and finally completely disappears. Buddhism has always shown, to a certain extent, pliability towards strong of the world: already his first high patron, Bimbisara, managed to ensure that monthly repentance (strict observance of the four lunar quarters) and uposadh days, which had already been accepted by many Brahman monks, were introduced into the monastic community. Another time, when the Buddha, in one of his later wanderings, returns to his hometown, and his own son, Rahula, joins his community, he, at the request of the old prince, adds a decree to the rules on admission to the community, according to which no son can become a monk without the consent of his father. It is unlikely that Buddha would have overcome his aversion to the organization of orders of nuns if his adoptive mother Prajapati, who wanted to found such an order, had not been of royal family. On the other hand, the new teaching, thanks to the patronage of the powerful, acquired not only the favor of the people, but also desirable support: poverty was obligatory only for the individual monk - the order from the very beginning gratefully accepted rich offerings. The first such gift was a bamboo grove at the capital of the kingdom of Magadha, and even during the life of the Buddha himself, kings and rich people competed with each other in such offerings; a number of extensive gardens and parks were bequeathed to the order during his lifetime; The garden at Jetavana under Savatthi was especially famous. In Ceylon, in relation to which the history of Buddhism is more clear, the largest and best part of all fertile lands was in the hands of the order.

Of the Buddha's disciples who stood especially close to him, the most sympathetic is his cousin Ananda; he was not very intelligent, but his gentle caring and devotion to his teacher won our hearts. The close circle of people who rallied around the Buddha was, however, not free from dark spots, just like the circle of Christ’s disciples: in the person of Devadatta, full of arrogance and indomitable ambition, the spirit of sectarianism appears to us already in the time of the Buddha, which subsequently repeatedly led to schism; many of the Buddha's followers fell away during the teacher's lifetime. And just as each sect later tried to denigrate the others, so here the legend even reproaches an ambitious student for attempting to kill his teacher.

Buddha's head. Indian National Museum, Delhi

For 45 years after the “illumination” descended on him, the Buddha wandered around the country teaching; and his followers already numbered many thousands when a serious illness first reminded him of the approach of death. The community is asking itself with concern who will be its leader after his death. Buddha points them to themselves: “Be your own light, your own refuge and do not look for another refuge; the teaching must be your light, your refuge, and do not seek another refuge.” By force of will, the patient recovers once again, but according to his own prediction, his death should occur in three months. The legend draws us last days Buddhas with such real details that here, in all likelihood, we are already dealing with historical memories. Buddha went with his beloved disciple Ananda to Pava; While visiting the blacksmith Kunda, in the company of other monks, Buddha eats spoiled boar meat during a meal, after which he falls ill. Nevertheless, he continues on his way. But already near Kusinara his strength betrays him. In the shade of the twin trees where he was laid, the Buddha awaits death. Once again he thanks his faithful Ananda for all his love and devotion and asks the monks gathered around him if any of them still have any doubts; when no one expresses them, the Buddha addresses those around him with his last words: “Truly, O monks, I say to you: everything that exists is perishable, strive tirelessly for perfection.” After this, his being entered Nirvana.

“As one does with the remains of the king of kings, so should one do with the remains of the Perfect One,” was Ananda’s answer when the Mallas of Kusinara asked him about the method of burial. Preparations continued for six days; and finally, with great solemnity, the funeral pyre of the Buddha was lit. The bones of the great deceased were collected; they began to demand relics from all sides in order to preserve them in worthy mausoleums (“stupas”). Then they decided to divide the remains into eight parts and distribute them to the main states in which the Buddha lived and taught.

Of course, many people hear the words Buddhism and Buddhists. Everyone knows that these terms denote one of the world's religions and its immediate adherents, but few people know about the person who founded it. Who was he. And how he became a cult personality.

• Siddhartha
• Gautama
• Shakyamuni
• Tatha gata
• Gina
• Bhagavan

These are all names of the same person, better known as Buddha. All these names express either belonging to a worldly status and family, or to religious-mythological life. Let's try to figure out what all these numerous names mean:

• Siddhartha is a name given after birth.
• Gautama is a name symbolizing belonging to the clan.
• Shakyamuni - “a sage from the tribe is like this.”
• Buddha – “enlightened one”.
• Tatha-gata - “thus coming and thus going”
• Gina - "winner"
• Bhagavan means “triumphant”.

At the moment, there is data on five versions of biographies of the Buddha:

1. Mahavastu, written in the 2nd century AD.
2. “Lalitavistara”, created in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD.
3. "Buddhacarita", expounded by the poet Ashvaghosha around I-II centuries AD
4. "Nidanakatha", which appeared due to the work of unidentified authors sometime in the 1st century AD.
5. Abhinishkramanasutra, which came out from the pen of the Buddhist scholastic Dharmagupta relatively recently, in the early Middle Ages.

When was Buddha born

To this day, there is debate among historians regarding the date of Siddhartha's life. Some refer to the official Buddhist calendar and indicate the dates 623-544 BC. Others adhere to a different dating, according to which Buddha was born in 564 BC and died in 483 BC.

Inaccuracies and discrepancies can be traced not only in the dates of life and death, but also in the biography itself. Who is Buddha? In the descriptions of his life, real and mythological events are so closely intertwined that it becomes almost impossible to separate them from each other, so it is very difficult to judge where the truth is and where the fiction is.

Brief biography of Buddha

Still, let's try to understand at least a little about where this came from. mysterious person. He was born in the town of Lumbini near the city of Kapilavastu, located in the northeastern part of India, in the family of Shuddhodana, the king of the Shakya tribe, who lived in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. in the northern regions of the Ganges valley in India, and an heir, a prince, is born to Queen Maya. Moreover, as strange as it may sound, this is exactly what is written in the legend: he was born from his mother’s right side.

Apparently because of this unconventional way After birth, the gods paid attention to the baby and performed a ritual of worship before him. Being just a born baby, Buddha was able to speak and made a small speech addressed to the gods who came to him. His short speech talked about why he came into this world. And he came in order to become the ruler of the world who will put an end to death and old age, as well as the prenatal pangs of mothers.

The prince's parents, being very rich people, did everything so that the prince would not need anything. When Gautama grew up, he was assigned the best teacher, but he soon declared that his student had succeeded in all sciences and knew much more than his teacher.

Seeing Siddhartha's extraordinary intelligence and wisdom, the king's relatives advise him to marry their son so that he does not go traveling and leave the throne. The search for a worthy bride begins, and the girl Gopa from the Shakya clan, who considers herself an ideal candidate and possesses all the necessary virtues, acts as a volunteer.

The girl’s father is very afraid that the spoiled prince will not be able to become a worthy husband for his daughter, and organizes competitions for the right to own his daughter. Buddha easily wins a weight-lifting competition by lifting a dead elephant with one finger and throwing it far outside the city. He also emerges victorious in competitions in writing, arithmetic and archery.

Subsequently, Buddha marries Gopa and they have a son. They live happily surrounded by a harem of 84 thousand girls in the palace. But one day he learns about the existence of illness, old age and death on earth and immediately leaves the palace and goes in search of a way to save humanity from suffering.

It was not easy to find a saving way for humanity. to the prince during his long journey I had to understand and experience a lot of things different adventures. But in the end, he found the answer to the question that interested him and began to promote this knowledge to the masses. Buddha created the first monastic community (sangha). And together with his disciples, he wandered through populous settlements and remote corners of India for 40 years, preaching his teachings.

Buddha died in a place called Kushinagara at the age of 80. His body was traditionally cremated, and his ashes were distributed to eight of his followers, six of whom were envoys of the monastic communities. Everyone who received part of the ashes buried it and built a funerary pyramid (stupa) on this site.

There is another legend that says that one of Buddha’s students was able to snatch the teacher’s tooth right from the flames of the funeral pyre. Over time, the tooth became a relic that was worshiped, cherished and transported from country to country during the war for safety reasons. Eventually, the tooth found its permanent home in Sri Lanka in the city of Kandy, where the Temple of the Tooth Relic was built in its honor and temple celebrations have been held annually since the 5th century AD.

Rebirths of Buddha

Well, with the fact that we have sorted out what is more or less real in the biography of the Buddha, we can move on to the more interesting - the mythical component and find out who is Buddha? According to followers of the Buddha, he was reborn 550 times in the form of different beings:

• 83 he was a saint
• 58 times king
• 24 times a monk
• 18 times a monkey
• 13 times a merchant
• 12 times chicken
• 8 times goose
• 6 times an elephant

And there was also:

• Fish
• Rat
• Carpenter
• Blacksmith
• frog
• Hare, etc.

All these rebirths took place over many kalpas, where 1 kalpa is a period of time equal to 24,000 “divine” years or 8,640,000,000 human years.

It’s no wonder that during such a period of time on earth, having been reborn as a prince, Buddha surpassed any teachers in his knowledge. It is surprising why, for so many years, Buddha had never heard of the need of those living in this world and did not find a way to help.

Enlightenment and reincarnation of Buddha

One way or another, the meeting with the monk tells the prince the path he should take. However, discovering the truth required some more thought.

According to legend, Siddhartha sits under a tree and plunges into a state of contemplation for 49 days until he finally achieves enlightenment.

After the Buddha died, all his followers are waiting for his next rebirth on earth in the form of a man, and perhaps this event has already happened.

In 2008, hundreds of pilgrims visited the forests of Nepal to see with their own eyes the 17-year-old youth Rama Bahadur Banjana, unofficially announced back in 2005 as the next reincarnation of Buddha.

Still, not all Buddhists believe that this young man is exactly who he says he is. In 2008, he announced that he was going to retire from everyone for three years for contemplation and meditation, but a few months later it became clear that there was no talk of any solitude.

A rumor spread across Nepal that Ram was giving 45-minute sermons near the capital Kathmandu. Many ladles immediately flooded the capital’s airport, rushing to listen to what the mission was preaching. It turned out that during the sermons, considerable donations are collected from those who come, supposedly for the construction of the temple.

The Nepalese authorities have not yet taken any action, but they do not rule out that Ram Bahadur Banjan is an impostor and a fraudster. Sermons are still being preached today, but the temple has not been built. Where the money goes remains a mystery.

Nowadays, almost everyone has heard about Buddha as the founder of the ancient world religion of Buddhism, however, they can tell something about the life of the great philosopher, and about Buddhism itself, little. Buddha himself is a real historical figure.

Biography of Siddhartha Gautama

The thinker was born into the royal family of the Shakya people in Lumbini, now Nepal, in 563 BC. The prince was nicknamed Siddhartha Gautama, later he was called by his followers: Buddha (enlightened), Tathagata (who came) and Shakyamuni (sage from the Shakya family).

Gautama's father tried to protect him from external life so that he would grow up to be a great king, as prophesied. Siddhartha lived in three palaces, not seeing the life around him. He got married at 16 and later had a son. The prince received an excellent education and youth asked questions that his teachers could not answer. In the thirtieth year of his life, Gautama first found himself outside the palace grounds and saw the world: sick, old people and death. What he saw brought mental suffering to the prince; he decided to renounce his past and engage in self-knowledge.

Buddha went into the forest, where he lived as an ascetic for six years, learning from yogis, but bringing himself half to death. Siddhartha thus comprehended the truth, Buddha understood that excessive asceticism only clouds the head and kills the body. Under the Bodhi tree, Gautama entered a deep trance, in which he remained for 49 days, reflecting on the essence of human existence, and achieved enlightenment (nirvana) going beyond the circle of rebirths of the soul.

When Buddha understood the essence of human life, he began to explore his philosophy. Siddhartha himself did not consider himself to be a god or a supreme being, he considered himself a simple man to whom the truth had been revealed. Siddhartha believed that any person can achieve enlightenment through the good path, regardless of varna or nationality. Buddha also forbade the construction of temples in his honor and the creation of his statues. The great philosopher died at the age of eighty in Kushinagar. turned into a religion after the death of Gautama and finally took shape during the reign of King Ashoka, two centuries after the death of Siddhartha.

Fundamentals of Buddhism

Buddhism focuses on internal development people, denying the varna-caste system, magnificent ceremonies and large temples, Theravada Buddhism, believe that liberation from earthly suffering can be achieved through the knowledge of dukkha - worries, suffering and unsatisfied desires. It is a person’s knowledge of his dukkha, and the conscious renunciation of them, that should contribute to the achievement of nirvana.

To achieve spiritual liberation, one must achieve the purification of human karma . Karma, in general, is all the actions, speech and thoughts of a person that form an individual energy structure around him. Purification of karma is achieved through a good path lasting eight years. The good path is very simple, it consists of correct speech, way of life, thoughts, spiritual discipline, deep morality. Conscious renunciation of lies, foul language, vice, adultery, theft, envy and murder of living beings.

The path to achieving nirvana is different for each person; the Buddha himself took six years to become enlightened; for an ordinary person, the period of enlightenment can be much longer, at least eight years.

The significance of Gautama in world history

The great philosopher managed to create a new teaching, which is considered one of the most peaceful on earth. There are almost 500 million Buddhists in the world most of, of which live in India, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan.

Emperor Ashoka, the greatest ruler of the Mauryan Empire, played a major role in the spread of Buddhism.. Ashoka reigned from 268 to 232 BC. Under him, Buddhism became the state religion throughout Hindustan. Before converting to Buddhism, as sources say, the emperor was a cruel king and hatched plans to conquer the whole world, akin to Alexander the Great.

After gaining new faith, Ashoka abandoned violence as a means of achieving results. He began extensive missionary work; embassies with Buddhist preachers were sent to China, Tibet, Burma, Ceylon, and even Greece and Egypt. However, later Hinduism won in India and Buddhism did not spread there, although in neighboring Tibet and Sri Lanka Buddhism became the dominant religion.

Subsequently, Buddha was hailed by Hindus as one of the reincarnations of the god Vishnu. In the twentieth century, Buddhism began to gain its followers in Western Europe and the USA. There is also a large Buddhist community in Russia. According to the lunar calendar, on May 3, 2017, Buddhists celebrated the birthday of Gautama, and on May 11, Vesak, the day of Buddha’s enlightenment and his passing into nirvana, will be celebrated.

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Greetings, dear readers.

From this article you will learn about an extraordinary man - Siddhartha Gautama, who was able to enter a state of spiritual enlightenment. Here is information about how the activities of a mere mortal, albeit of royal blood, led him to a truth incomprehensible to others.

It is generally accepted that the Buddha was in our world from approximately 563 to 483 BC. Spiritual leader who noticeable influence on human civilization, was born in a small country. His homeland was located in the Himalayan foothills. Now this is the territory of southern Nepal.

early years

The boy received the name Siddhartha and bore the surname Gautama. According to one version, his father was an influential monarch. There is also an assumption that the parent of the future Enlightened One headed the council of elders.

The ancient texts, which briefly describe the life story of the Buddha, speak of various miracles. Unusual Events, which accompanied the birth of a child, attracted the attention of one of the sages. The respected man examined the newborn, saw signs of future greatness on his body and bowed to the boy.

The guy grew up in very comfortable conditions. This is not surprising, since we were talking about a prince. His father gave him the opportunity to live alternately in three palaces, each of which was built for a specific season. The young man invited his friends there and enjoyed life in their company.

When Siddharth turned 16 years old, he married his cousin. With a magnificent one he lived in. Researchers believe that then the prince comprehended the art of war and learned to govern the state.

Thoughts on liberation and ways to realize desires

Over time, the future Teacher began to think about the meaning of existence. In the process of thinking about the problems that people Everyday life They don’t pay attention, he began to withdraw into himself. It got to the point that he renounced social life, and his mother had to experience incredible suffering because of this.

In front of his shocked parents and wife, the young man cut his hair and beard, put on yellow clothes and left the palace. Moreover, this happened on the day his son was born.

In search of illumination by lordship, the future Buddha set out on a journey. His path lay in Magadha, located in northern India. There lived the same seekers of the meaning of life, like himself. The prince managed to find two outstanding gurus there - Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta.

The masters gave him lessons, and soon their ward was very successful in this matter. However, he did not stop there, because he was not closer to his main goal. The road to absolute enlightenment, liberation from all suffering and sensory existence has not yet ended.

Considering that he had taken everything he could from the teachers, the student parted with them. He decided to lead an ascetic life and adhered to extremely strict rules for six years: he ate very little, was exposed to the scorching sun during the day, and stood the test of cold at night.

In this way (the person seeking enlightenment) tried to achieve perfect liberation. His body was like a skeleton, and he was actually on the verge of death. Finally, the martyr realized that enlightenment could not be achieved through self-torture, and went to his goal in a different way - he threw aside asceticism and plunged headlong into the process of constant contemplation and deep study.

Making a wish come true

There was no longer talk of self-destruction; it was necessary to find a “middle path.” During the search new road the mentor lost five companions who believed in him. After their teacher began to eat again, they became disappointed and left him.

Left alone, the Bodhisattva was able to go towards his goal without being distracted by anything. He managed to find a secluded area on the banks of the Neranjara River, which seemed an ideal place to immerse himself in thoughts.

There grew a sacred Ashwattha tree (a type of Indian fig tree), under which there was a place for a straw mattress. Thirsting for enlightenment, Siddhartha sat on it, cross-legged, and before that he made a vow to himself to remain there until the bitter end.

The day passed, the evening ended, the night began. The Bodhisattva remained motionless, in a state of continuous meditation. At the very height of the night, he began to experience extraordinary visions, in particular, the processes of people leaving for another world and being reborn in a different capacity.

By the end of the darkness, he fully realized the truth of existence, thereby turning into a Buddha. He met the dawn as a self-awakened one who had achieved immortality in this life.

Buddha was in no hurry to leave the wonderful place, because he needed some time to realize the result. Several weeks passed before he decided to leave there. He faced a difficult choice:

• continue to remain alone, enjoying the long-awaited feeling of liberation;