Siddhartha the Life of a Prophet Essay - 1376 Words

Buddhism was brought to light about 500 BC by Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism has not been described as a religion as such but rather as philosophy. The story of Siddhartha Gautama and how he brought Buddhism to limelight is quite moving. In this essay the thoughts of Siddhartha Gautama are explained and how the society reacted to his arguments. Generally this essay will briefly describe the achievements of Siddhartha Gautama in his quest to attain enlightenment and how that impacted the society of his time and to some extent the current society. It is reported that Buddha was born in 563 B.C.E. It is also reported that Buddha was born with an ability to walk and talk; he walked about and cried, â€Å"I am supreme in the world. This is my last†¦show more content†¦He is said to have fasted for six years trying to understand the why suffering existed. It is recorded that he deprived his body so much that he could have easily died; He held his breath until his head roared, ate little food-and what he did eat was sickening-endured painful body positions for lengthy periods, became entrusted with filth, and lost weight until his bones protruded and he could feel his bones protruded and he could feel his spine by pressing on his abdomen. (Warren 107) It is said that he underwent such extreme measures that at one moment he almost died had Siddhartha not have come by and given him some food. It is said that the food he was given helped him to â€Å"regain the strength necessary to return to life† (Warren 107). Having risked death and not attained enlightenment Siddhartha decided to pick a different approach towards enlightenment. Moving away from the path of rigid asceticism, he engaged in meditation that had less bodily harm and succeeded in attaining enlightenment to become Buddha. Siddhartha’s experience of being enlightened has been described as thus: His mind cleansed and concentrated, Siddhartha remembered his former existence-his names, roles in life, and sufferings. Early in the in the night he found knowledge dispelling ignorance. Concentrating his powerful vision on the order of beings coming into existence and passing away, he interpreted the process in terms of their karma. In a third exploration, during the third watch, heShow MoreRelatedSpeical Spiritual Leaders Essay examples625 Words   |  3 Pagessuch as mass and salat, respectively; but these are two very unique rituals. In the same way, religious leaders among religions can vary. Religious leaders are one of the fundamental elements of religions today; however, through the lives of Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, and Muhammad one can see the differences among these famous religious leaders. For Christians, Jesus Christ is the most famous religious figure. 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Siddhartha or the Buddha found enlightenment under a tree, since then, he extended his wisdom and taught the Four Noble Truths, as life is suffering, desires causes suffering, end suffering by eliminating all desires, and following the Eightfold Path (Smith, 1991, P. 99)Read MoreAnalysis Of The Hero 1873 Words   |  8 PagesName: Siddhartha Gender: Male Caste: raised in the highest class of Hindu society Role in the story: the hero personality/morality: Born in India (presumably during the late nineteenth century), Siddhartha grew up in a middle-class home under the care of his parents and under the teaching of the Brahmins. His early years are spent learning to meditate and speak the Om. In his village a group of semanas past through. From this day Siddhartha left his family and became one of the poor, misunderstood