HouseOfBuddha.com
Title
HOUSE OF BUDDHA, Buddha Statues, Buddha Images
Description
According to the Buddhist theory a ‘Buddha’ appears from time to time in the world and preaches the true doctrine. After a certain lapse of time this teaching is corrupted and lost, and is not restored till a new Buddha appears. Indeed, the Buddha was not a single historical individual. There are innumerable Buddhas, both in the past and in the future.
In Europe, Buddha is used to designate the last historical Buddha, whose family name was Gautama, and who was the son of Suddhodana, a chief of the tribe of the Sakyas, one of the republican clans then still existent in India. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, northern India, now located in Nepal, in the year 563 B.C. Married at 19 to his cousin Yasodhara, daughter of a Koliyan chief who was to bear him one son, Siddhartha gave himself up to a life of luxury.
This was the solitary record of his youth and we hear nothing more until attaining the age of 29, he was out riding one day when he witnessed the suffering caused by old age, disease and death. His mind was clearly stirred at this time, by this and perhaps other events, and he came to the conclusion that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness. Returning to his home and seeing his sleeping wife and child surrounded by other members of his family, he tore himself away promising himself to come back to them as soon as his mind had become clear, as soon as he had become a Buddha – i.e. Enlightened. And then he could return to his family not only as husband and father, but as teacher and saviour. Thus Siddhartha abandoned his family and his life of luxury and went into the wilderness to become a penniless and despised student, a homeless wanderer, exploring the different teachings, religions and philosophies of the day, in order to find the key to human happiness and spiritual contentment.
