Buddha was a monk, sage, teacher, and religious leader on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in the northeastern part of ancient India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He taught of a "Middle Way" between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism commonly found in his region. He later taught throughout other regions of eastern India.
While the general sequence of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" is widely accepted as originating from him, there is less consensus on the veracity of many details contained in traditional biographies.
Life[]
Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama, around 563 BCE on what is today the borderlands between Nepal and India to King Suddhodana and his wife Maya Devi. According to legend, a wise man, Asita, came to the palace with a prophecy that the prince would either be a great king or a great teacher.
Wanting his son to be a more conventional ruler, Suddhodana had his son sequestered inside his palace for the first twenty-nine years of his life, with all his desires catered to. But one day, Siddhartha decided to go for a ride, curious about life beyond the palace walls; the first sight he saw was an elderly man; his servant Channa explained that everyone will grow old in time. The next sight was a leper; Channa explained that everyone, rich or poor, old or young, can feel sick. The third sight was a corpse, and the prince learned that death comes for everyone. The fourth sight was a Hindu ascetic, who had given up everything he had.
With his worldview being shaken, Siddhartha left his wife and newborn son in the middle of the night.
Mythology[]
Buddha in Hinduism[]
Some Hindu schools think that Gautama Buddha could be in reality an avatar of Vishnu; however, Buddhism is primarily a nontheistic religion.
Buddha in Christianity[]
The Christian Saint Josaphat is based on Gautama, because the name Josaphat come from the Sanskrit Bodhisattva via the Arabic Būdhasaf and Georgian Iodasaph, some people have theorized Jesus could have visited India and got Buddhist knowledge.
Buddha in Qadianism (a follow-up religion of Islam)[]
The Islamic prophet Dhu l-Kifl was identified with Buddha based on Surah 95:1 of the Qur'an, this Surah shows some similitues between Buddha and Dhu l-Kifl.
Buddha in Manichaeism[]
In the Persian Gnostic sect, Manichaeism, Buddha is one of the four prophets who preached the word of God, in the Manichaen Buddha is shown as the Successor of Zoroaster and as the Predecessor of Jesus.
Buddha in Baháʼí Faith[]
In Baháʼí Faith, Buddha is one of the many manifestations of God in Baháʼí Faith.
Buddha as Adam[]
Some Mongolian Christians and Muslims identify Adam with Gautama Buddha.
Gallery[]
| Avatars of Viṣṇu | |
|---|---|
| Avatars | Matsya • Kurma • Varaha • Narasimha • Vamana • Parashurama • Rama • Krishna • Buddha or Balarama • Kalki |