Buddha

Buddha (563-483 BCE)

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become."

Around 563 BCE, a baby named Siddhartha Gautama was born in Nepal. His father was a ruler, and as such Gautama lived a life with many luxuries. As a young student, he learned at an alarmingly fast rate which impressed his teachers greatly. This young prodigy would later be dubbed "Buddha, the Enlightened One," by his followers.

Gautama got married and had a child. At the age of twenty-nine he decided to seek enlightenment. He left his family and went forth to study with various spiritual leaders. Years passed, and still Gautama could not find enlightenment. Finally, while meditating under a tree, he began to understand the true nature of things. He knew now why suffering existed in the world and how to rise above it.

From that point on, Siddhartha Gautama was known as Buddha. He traveled spreading his message where he could. At present, Buddhism is found all over the world and is practiced in many different forms.

There are four central tenets of Buddhism, known as the "Four Noble Truths:"

• All human life is suffering.
• All suffering is caused by human desire.
• Human suffering can be ended by ending human desire.
• Desire can be ended by following the "Eight fold Noble Path:" right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.