In the Sixth century in 426 BC in Northern India, the part which in the present times is known as Nepal, Siddhartha Buddha was born to a Royal Family
At the time of his birth, an astrologer predicted that he would either become an emperor or a spiritual guide! If his father desired to see him a great king he should keep him away from two Unseemly sights: one of Death and the other of Suffering!With a longing to see his son as a great emperor in the coming years, his father provided him not only the comforts and luxuries of a palace with education by renowned teachers but also maneuvered festivities (with music, dance and beautiful women in attendance)that would keep him confined to the walls of the palace enslaved to a life of opulence and indulgence, thereby blocking the desire to see the outside world and have acquaintance with the bitter realities of Suffering and Death.
Buddha”s involvement in such activities was half-hearted as he always appeared to be in a pensive mood. Sometimes, he seemed to be in a state of trance as if in meditation — indifferent to the mood of the palace. There seemed to be a force in him which was pulling him away from the superficial atmosphere and pass times of Royal life.
One day, he managed to escape the walls of the palace and roam about in town with his servant Channa. There he witnessed the sight of an old man, a crippled body, and decaying corpse. In the market, he also met an ascetic who appeared more serene and composed than anyone Buddha had ever witnessed.
He returned home totally disillusioned with life; it was shocking to know that despite all the Sensual and Material pleasures of the world which benumb us, we end up being old, frail and meet death. There is no escape from suffering for anyone — be it king or a pauper. The Mortality of man, his Suffering and the fleeting nature of joy all persuaded him to renounce the hum drum world like the ascetic and seek peace elsewhere. From the princely robes he changed into rags and set off to unknown lands in his Pursuit of Truth .
For six years, Buddha moved from one place to another and learnt about life from different teachers but none of them could provide a solution to banish suffering. He left the teachers and began on his own. His deeper pondering revealed to him that everything in the world was Mortal, Transitory, Impermanent and Illusory. He learned that everything has a Beginning and an End has already been created. Nothing was Abiding, Everlasting, Immortal, Deathless and Absolute. Due to his encounter with Death and Suffering, there was in him an innate knowledge of a Being that was Everlasting, Indestructible, Unchanging, and Deathless. It was never created and had no Beginning or an End. He wanted to discover that Being and feel His presence. A Being that was above Suffering and Death and was in reality the Ultimate truth.
He knew that man was composed of the Soul and Body and of these the more superior was the former. To subjugate the inferior part of the being, that is, Body he subjected himself to rigorous practices by starving for days. The result was unbelievable. The more he suppressed the body, the more it pressed itself. This led him to the belief that body should be nourished as it too had its rights and the Mid Way was better than any extreme.
When he realized the importance of the body he nourished his body well by means of a bowl of rice given by a passing girl. Once it was nourished properly, he could get into concentrated meditation. Sitting under a Bo Tree, he went into deep meditation. Firstly, he encountered some evil forces which were pulling him away and fought against them; then he had a Vision in which he became One with the Supreme Being, the Absolute, the Immortal and Everlasting. His efforts to discover Him were accepted and he emerged victorious after this Vision. For seven days and nights after this experience, Buddha remained in a state of ecstasy and danced around the tree. On returning to sobriety, he had the desire to share his Enlightenment with people. He declared “I have seen The Light.” He had an experience of Oneness with the Divine Being. His long journey in the urge to find Reality and “The Vision’ endowed him with Wisdom of the highest grade
The body had its right but to give all the rights to the body and none to the Soul was disastrous. It was the development of his spiritual Self that led him to his spiritual union with the Divine Being. The body perishes but the Soul is Eternal, Indestructible and Everlasting. He learned that it had a direct affiliation with the Supreme Being.
If moments of Oneness with the ONE Supreme Being can give us so much, then a permanent relation with Him is the key to a happy life. All the problems of life are provided with a solution if this relation is taken care of.
Since Suffering and Death were the two characteristics of life which shook Buddha and moved him to his quest of truth, after the Vision he found ways to reconcile to them.
He accepted Suffering as a part of human existence. He also realized that Happiness also does have its share. Suffering cannot be banished completely, but happiness in life acts as its balancing wheel.
Moreover, Suffering could be lessened by denying the Egoistic Self and developing compassion for others, thus helping them come out of their suffering.
Desires which constitute a major part of human life also play a vital part in causing suffering, so Desires should be curbed and controlled to avoid suffering.
Death is as a big a Reality as is life itself. It is inevitable and unavoidable. It should be faced bravely. Remembering Death during our life also helps to accept it easily. It keeps a check on our actions and it should be embraced with calm and serenity.
Finding keys to good living, he returned to the world to share his enlightenment with people and benefit people of his particular era.
In today’s world, we spend most of our time and energy in improving external conditions and adorning the outer self. Due to this shallow approach, our suffering has increased. The idea of a happy and successful life is just the acquisition of wealth which brings luxuries. Rarely do we take out time to peep inside our Soul and make efforts to improve conditions within us. Improving internal conditions i.e. developing concern for others denying our own egoistic self and feeling contend with whatever little we have can give us profounder happiness .
Our spiritual self is a neglected part of our existence. It demands and deserves more time and importance than we are giving it; because the potential of the Soul is immeasurable.