Life of Gautama Buddha

When we speak of Buddhism, we’re not just referring to a religion — we’re referring to a philosophical revolution that transformed Indian society during the 6th century BCE. And at the centre of this revolution was a man named Siddhartha, who came to be known as the Buddha — the “Enlightened One”.

Let us now understand his life, teachings, and legacy — not merely as facts, but as a sequence of deep internal transformations, grounded in the socio-political reality of his time.

👶 Early Life of Gautama Buddha (563–483 BCE)

• Name at birth: Siddhartha
• Born in: Lumbini Garden, near Kapilavastu (present-day Nepal)
• Year: 563 BCE (though exact date disputed)
• Father: Shuddhodana – chief of the Shakya Gana, a republican oligarchy, not a monarchy.
• Mother: Mayadevi, princess of the Koliya clan
• Foster mother: Prajapati Gautami (his aunt), as Mayadevi died shortly after his birth.

✳️ Did you know? A Brahmin astrologer predicted at Siddhartha’s birth that he would become either a Universal Monarch (chakravartin) or a Great Sage (Mahamuni) — depending on whether he chose the worldly path or renunciation.

That prophecy haunted King Shuddhodana, who then decided to shield Siddhartha from all sorrow and suffering, hoping he would choose kingship over asceticism.

👑 Palace Life and the Four Sights

• Siddhartha was married at 16 to Yashodhara, and had a son, Rahula.
• But by the time he turned 29, a turning point arrived.

One day, he persuaded his charioteer to take him beyond the palace gates. What he saw shattered his illusion of worldly happiness:

1. An old man – Realisation of ageing
2. A sick man – Realisation of disease
3. A dead man – Realisation of mortality
4. An ascetic – Symbol of renunciation and hope

🧠 Insight: These “Four Sights” led to an existential crisis. Siddhartha now realised that suffering (dukkha) was universal and inevitable.

🐎 Mahabhinishkramana – The Great Departure

• At age 29, Siddhartha renounced the world, in what is called Mahabhinishkramana.
• He left the palace silently at night on his horse Kanthaka, accompanied by his charioteer Chhandaka.
• This was not just physical departure — it was a spiritual quest to discover a path beyond birth, suffering, and death.

🧘‍♂️ Ascetic Years and Enlightenment

• For six years, Siddhartha roamed as a wandering ascetic, practising:
  • Fasting
  • Severe self-denial
  • Yogic meditation

He even studied under two renowned teachers:

🧙‍♂️ His Meditation Teachers:

1. Alara Kalama
   • Taught him the “sphere of nothingness” (akimcanna-ayatana)
   • Siddhartha mastered this but found no final liberation.
2. Udraka Ramaputra
   • Taught a more advanced meditative state, but again, no enlightenment.

➡️ Eventually, Siddhartha realised that extreme austerity was futile.

🌳 Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya (Age 35)

• He sat in deep meditation under a Peepal tree in Bodh Gaya (Bihar).
• After 49 days, he attained nirvana (enlightenment), realising the truth of existence, the cause of suffering, and the path to liberation.

🔔 He now became the Buddha — “The Enlightened One”.

From here, his mission began: to teach, not to convert; to liberate, not dominate.

🕉️ First Sermon at Sarnath – Dhammachakrapravartana

• Place: Sarnath, near Varanasi
• Event: First Sermon (called Dhammachakrapravartana – “Turning the Wheel of Dharma”)
• Audience: His five former companions —
  Kaundinya, Bhardika, Vashpa, Mahanama, and Ashvajit

🧘 Kaundinya: The first to grasp the teaching fully and attain arahant status.

🏞️ Buddha’s Missionary Travels (45 Years)

For the next 45 years, Buddha travelled extensively on foot, spreading dhamma (righteous living) and establishing Sanghas (monastic communities).

Key regions he visited:

• Magadha: Rajgir, Pataliputra, Bodh Gaya
• Kosala: Shravasti, Ayodhya
• Vajji: Vaishali
• Vatsa: Kausambi
• Avanti: Ujjain
• Malla: Kushinagar
• Shurasena: Mathura

His monastic community travelled 8 months a year, resting in caves during monsoon — partly to avoid damaging young crops, reflecting economic sensitivity of his teachings.

👥 Inclusivity of Buddha’s Teachings

Unlike Vedic orthodoxy, Buddha welcomed:

• All varnas and castes
• Men and women
• Poor and rich

This universal appeal made his movement truly democratic and revolutionary.

➡️ Major rulers such as:

• Bimbisara and Ajatashatru (Magadha)
• Prasenjit (Kosala)
• Udayana (Vatsa)
• Chanda Pradyota (Avanti)

…became his followers, giving both political legitimacy and protection to his teachings.

⚰️ Mahaparinirvana (483 BCE)

• Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (final liberation from the cycle of birth and death) at Kushinagar (U.P.) at the age of 80.
• The Mallas of Kushinagara conducted his cremation with royal honours, as if for a chakravartin (universal monarch).

🔥 Distribution of Relics

• His remains were divided into 8 parts among kingdoms like:
  • Magadha (Ajatashatru)
  • Vaishali (Licchavis)
  • Kapilavastu (Sakyas)
  • Kushinagar (Mallas)
  • Pava (Mallas)
  • Ramagrama (Koliyas)
  • Allakappa (Bullis)
  • Vethadipa (Brahmana)

🪶 Later, two more stupas were built:

• One over the ashes
• Another over the urn that held the ashes

🛕 These were known as Saririka Stupas — the earliest Buddhist shrines commemorating Buddha’s physical relics.

🕊️ Ashoka and the Spread of Stupa Worship

Centuries later, Emperor Ashoka (272–232 BCE), a devout Buddhist, opened 7 of these stupas and redistributed the relics across 84,000 stupas — spreading Buddhism throughout India and beyond.

🧾 Buddha’s Names and Epithets

1. Siddhartha – His childhood name
2. Shakyamuni – Sage of the Shakya clan
3. Tathagata – “The one who has thus gone (enlightened)”
4. Mahamuni – The Great Sage
5. Buddha – The Enlightened/Awakened One

🌙 Queen Maya’s Dream

Before his birth, Queen Maya dreamt of a white elephant entering her womb — interpreted by sages to mean that her child would be either a chakravartin or a Mahamuni.

🔚 Summary

From prince to renunciate, from seeker to teacher, Gautama Buddha’s journey is the story of a universal quest for meaning.

In a world torn by ritualism, inequality, and materialism, he offered:

• Simplicity over complexity
• Compassion over cruelty
• Wisdom over blind faith

He never claimed divinity, only humanity perfected through insight. That is why Buddhism is not just a religion — it’s a path, a Dhamma.