Mencius wrote that, “the great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute – he simply speaks and does what is right.” I do believe this quote succinctly rounds up the events of Siddhartha Gautama’s life and innovative philosophies that gave way to the fourth most popular religion as of this year, with over 375 million members. (Infoplease.com, 2014) As the first man to reach enlightenment, the Buddha or the “Awakened One”, revolutionised India’s belief system in both his own time and subsequent ages. His new-found path to enlightenment was forged through his earnest belief and morals – not through his former social standing and reputation to effectuate reformation. Siddhartha …show more content…
It is told in numerous sources that a “beautiful white elephant offered the queen a lotus flower, and then, entered the side of her body.” (PBS.org, 2014) Upon waking from the strange dream, sages were called to interpret it; it was predicted that the queen would give birth to a son “destined to become either a great ruler or a holy man” who would one day “either conquer the world, or become an enlightened being—the Buddha.” (PBS.org, 2014) It is said that upon his birth, Siddhartha Gautama took seven steps, with a lotus blooming on the grass where his feet touched, then pointed one hand to heaven and the other to earth, displaying his medium placement between the two. (Biography.com, 2014) With his father being the shakyamuni, or the leader of the Shakya tribe, it was expected of Siddhartha Gautama to succeed him when the time came, many years afterwards, but to the disappointment of his father, Gautama was transfixed on “seemingly morbid preoccupation with the great spiritual enigmas of life: the problems of suffering, death and the inequities of human existence.” (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 1998) His father attempted to distract Gautama from the realties by arranging marriage for him, which led to the birth of his child …show more content…
His compassionate, patient, innovative and ameliorative tendencies created the religion of Buddhism, which is based solely on human kindness and the search for the end of mortal suffering. His simple, yet original idea of living in a state of well-being between the extremes of self-mortification and over-indulgence revolutionised India’s belief system in both his own time and subsequent ages. His new-found path to enlightenment was forged through his earnest belief and morals – not through his former social standing and reputation to effectuate reformation, despite being from a royal upbringing. Buddha also influenced the Hindu teachings of Yoga, where the Eight Fold Path was integrated to their own teachings, allowing emphasis upon spiritual development including “ethical disciplines, postures, breathing exercises, control of the senses, concentration… and meditation.” (American Institute of Vedic Studies, 2012) Mark Epstein, an American psychiatrist and author who has written about Buddhism extensively, claims that: "Buddha said that 'we’ve turned this world into a painful place, but this world does not have to be a painful place, this world can be a world inhabited by Buddhas. But it’s up to each one of us to turn ourselves into a Buddha. That’s the work.'"