Exploring Buddha

“Hatred does not cease in the world by hating, but by not hating; this is an eternal truth.” This philosophy quoted from Buddha is only one of his many great teachings that inspire people all over the world to live their lives in a loving and respectful manner. The Buddha influences so much because he was such a great man. He sacrificed a kingdom, wife, and child in order to pursue Nirvana and find enlightenment. HE invoked the Dhamma, and spread his ‘pro-life’ principals to all who would listen.

In the sixth century before the Christian era, shortly preceding the Buddha’s birth, religion had been forgotten in India. Priests of the time were irreligious, performing meaningless rituals of sacrifice and amassing great wealth for themselves. “At this needed time, when there was cruelty, degeneration and unrighteousness everywhere, reformer Buddha was born to put down priestcraft and animal sacrifices, to save the people and disseminate the message of equality, unity and cosmic love everywhere” (Sivananda 17).

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in B.C. 560 to Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas. His place of birth was a grove known as Lumbini, located at the foot of Mount Palpa in the Himalayan Mountains within Nepal. As Buddha’s birth drew near, the gods prepared a path for him with celestial portents and signs, such as flowers blooming, soft rains falling, heavenly music playing, and the air was filled with delicious scents. The birth of the child was followed by a prediction by the astrologers to the Buddha’s father. The prediction was that, “ The child on attaining manhood, would become either a universal monarch, or abandoning house and home, would assume the robe of a monk and become a Buddha, a perfectly enlightened soul...

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... his world. Looking at his example gives me courage to stand up against issues such as capital punishment and abortion, which are accepted practices in my world.

When Siddhartha went to visit his father on his deathbed; everyone came to pay Buddha his or her respects except his wife. She felt he would come to see her if he cared. His wife, when she lost her husband, gave up all her luxuries. She took simple food once a day and slept on a mat. She led a life of severe austerities. When Buddha heard of his wife’s actions he was very moved and went to visit her. When he arrived she wept at his feet. The Buddha at once started a order of female ascetics; his wife was the first of the Buddhistic nuns. This act of compassion was also one of equality and justice. I feel that people should not be judged on their sex, color, age, sexuality, or any other characteristic.