Buddhism 101 – Your Top 4 Buddhism Related Questions Demystified

You are about to learn the basics of Buddhism and discover the answers to the top 4 most common Buddhism related questions.

Who is Buddha?

A prince was born around 563 B.C. to King Suddhodana of the kingdom of Kapilavastu and Queen Maya, and it was known that the prince was predicted by a holy man to become a mighty conqueror or a holy spiritual leader. He was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who then became the founder of Buddhism, and is known as the Buddha.

Not long after Gautama’s birth his mother passed away. When the prince was but a few days old, it was said that he was unbelievably declaring that; He was supreme in the world, he was greatest in the world, he was the most noble in the world, and he was never to be re-born.

Since the founder of Buddhism was born, the King was alarmed by the prediction. He wanted his son to be a king and not a spiritual leader so he didn’t allow the prince to see the life outside the palace, by building three palaces for him to live in all luxuries all his life. But at the age of 29, he explored and discovered that life outside the palace were full of suffering.

It made him sad to realize that he was living his life with all the splendor of the rich palaces. Outside the majestic walls that protected him, he saw four kinds of people which lead him to denounce the worldly life he grew up with. He saw a very sick man, a very old man, a dead body, and a wandering monk who abstained from worldly life as a spiritual discipline (ascetic). Later teachings called Gautama’s experience as “The Four Sights” and the teachings from the prince was handed down from his followers to generations as Buddhism.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is the religious teaching spread by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his followers which reveals that the causes of suffering in life such as greed, desire and hatred can stop and people can achieve absolute enlightenment.

If Buddhism is a religion, is Buddha a God?

When Buddha was questioned if he was a God, he answered “No”. When he was questioned who he was, he answered “I AM AWAKE”. Buddha was just a man, who married and had a child. It has been an inspiration for his followers that enlightenment can be attained by a man, through thinking and not by beliefs of divine powers. Gautama’s renunciation of the worldly life lead to his enlightenment and he was named “The Awakened One” the Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Buddha’s spiritual teaching is very wide in scope but mostly patterned to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhism is learning and observing our own self, understanding our own life and how to handle our daily issues. Because Buddha knew the hearts of people, he wanted man to live happily and peacefully without suffering.

What were Buddha’s early teachings?

Buddha’s first followers were a group of five holy men who took a grasp of his teachings when he went to the holy city of Benares; which gave birth to the Buddhist religion. From then on until 45 years after they travel from one place to another in India teaching the Dharma. They had insurmountable compassion to help people they meet on the roads; poor, king or slaves alike. They took the night off wherever when the night falls and live from asking food when they needed to eat.

The teachings of Buddha made him champion of the masses; making people feel they were encouraged for their own wellness. He advised people to do their own work while he could only teach them the way how to do it. He always taught them about helping each other. He never showed any sign of anger, never said hurting words and had always been patient, even with his opponents.

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