Siddhartha Gautama Essay

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Who is Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)? Siddhartha Gautama was born in the sixth century B.C 563 B.C.E around in what is now known as modern day Nepal. His father was Suddhondana the king of the Sakyas and his mother was Maya she died while giving birth to Siddhartha. After his mother’s death Siddhartha father married his deceased wife’s sister Mahaprajapati who helped raise Siddhartha. Despite his mother’s passing Gautama lived an luxurious life. His father, King Suddhondana made it his business that his son never met with the unpleasant circumstances in life. A wandering ascetic once told the King that his son was going to be a great and powerful ruler or a great spiritual leader (Irons). Siddhartha’s father wanted him to become his successor but Siddhartha had other plans. As Gautama engaged in his high quality education, and martial arts he often got his charioteer to take him through the streets to where he witnessed extreme misery in pain. Particularly the feeble old people and the sick. In his mind what he saw did not reflect what his father showed him to be true reality, and that everything in the world wasn’t as luxurious as he knew it to be. In that moment he came to a revelation that he wanted to find the truth by himself, thus beginning his journey into enlightenment. Siddhartha married a beautiful young women by the name of Yasondra who bore him a son. It was then during the birth that Siddhartha decided to further in his impediment to practice spiritual discipline. Shortly after the birth at the age of 29 he left his wife and newborn son Rahula (Irons). After riding his horse along with his charioteer he then ordered him to turn back around and return to the city then began to wonder alone. He soon wandered into five wandering ascetics (people who give up all attachments both physical and social). He attempted to gain insight and wisdom in his quest for
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