The Story of the Buddha (in brief)

The Story of the Buddha – Prince Siddhartha Gautama | complete

The Buddha brown and gold resin statue

(See U in History / Mythology) Gandharan (Afghan) Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who became "the Buddha" -- a title that means "the Awakened One," was born into a royal family in Central Asia.

This was in the 5th century BCE in what is now Afghanistan (not Nepal). That region was the northwestern frontier of the future Empire of India forged together by the Buddhist King Ashoka and may have been part of ancient Maha Bharatha in Vedic times.

After confronting the fact of human suffering (dukkha, "disappointment," susceptibility to aging, sickness, death, loss, separation from all that is loved, and rebirth in samsara), he renounced his princely life and set off on a quest for enlightenment to answer the question "Why do we suffer?" so that he could find a way to the end of all suffering.

• 00:00 - The Origin of the Buddha
• 04:05 - The Enlightenment of the Buddha
• 09:03 - The Teachings of the Buddha

The ascetic Siddhartha became "the Buddha."

With an introduction to absorption meditation (jhanas) from his two yogi teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, he set off on his own to undertake severe ascetic practices. Five other yogis followed him, certain that if anyone was going to become enlightened, it was the wandering ascetic Siddhartha. He disappointed them by pushing austerities to the extreme then accepting food and nurturing from a woman named Sujata and her maid. They left him.

Restored in body and realizing that he had been punishing the body with penances (tapas) for what was mind/heart was actually doing, he changed his strategy and tried something new. It was what his yogi teacher originally taught him but taken further.

For he remembered that at the age of 7 (when he was now 35), he had been placed under a banyan tree and fallen spontaneously into a deep "trance" (a profound meditative absorption or jhana that turned his inward focus completely on a single thing rather than the diffuse and distracted attention of daily living). He realized that these blissful absorptions, not the painful penances he had undertaken for so long, were the way to enlightenment.

Helped by the women, he regained his physical strength and senses. He bathed and with renewed determination went into a new forest grove. There he found a sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa), which came to be called the "Enlightenment (Bodhi) Tree," the oldest and most famous documented tree in history.

Under it, he realized the answer to his question by tracing back the suffering experienced now through the twelve-causal links of Dependent Origination. He achieved awakening, glimpsed nirvana, and now understood the causes and conditions behind suffering and the path to freedom by undoing those causes.

Now he was ready to teach the world and return home to save his relatives and friends from the endless suffering of the ocean of samsara they were drowning in without realizing the nature of their plight. But if he were going to establish this path of practice, the Dharma, in the world, he had to find disciples capable of understanding its subtleties, an impossible task in a world sunk in the pursuit of sensual pleasures.

There are four things to realize here and now...

He realized there were two people who could quickly understand, his former teachers, the yogis A. Kalama and U. Ramaputta. But with his psychic powers, he quickly realized they had already passed away and been reborn in worlds where they could not be reached. Next, he thought of his five former companions on the path. Realizing where they were, he set off to find them.

The First Sermon of the Buddha

He taught them, they understood, and they awakened, establishing a monastic spiritual community or sangha in the world to preserve this Dharma for many future generations. It was meant to last at least 1,000 years. That was approximately 2,600 years ago.

See U in History Art: Marcus Aquino. Color: Rod Fernandes #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #mythologyexplained

Here are two tagged products "See U in History / Mythology" earns a commission on, the lowes.com/pd/Red-Lantern-32-Pack-Brown-Resin-Oriental-Statue and wayfair.com Mistana...Eslinger-Meditating-Buddha-Garden-Statue.

• See U in History / Mythology (video); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Theravada: 'What the Buddha Taught'

[Ego (buddhism podcast)] Theravada Buddhism: Here's what the historical Buddha actually taught

• Theravada: "Teaching" (vada) of the [Enlightened] "Elders" (theras). How old were these elders? They were of all ages because it has to do with seniority (how many rains retreats as a monastic). They were the first disciples of the historical Buddha, the theris (nuns) and theras (monks).
• Buddhist canons: Tipitaka ("Three Baskets")
• Pali canon: Pali language collection of texts
• Theravada Abhidhamma ("Higher Doctrine")

British Buddhist monk explains

(English Buddhist Monk) Mahayana or Theravada Buddhism?

What the Buddha Taught

What the Buddha Taught

This comprehensive, compact, lucid, and very faithful account of the Buddha’s Teachings (Dhamma) persistently enjoys great popularity in colleges, universities, and theological schools both in America and abroad.

“An exposition of Buddhism conceived in a resolutely modern spirit.”—from the Foreword.

“For years,” says the Journal of the Buddhist Society, “the newcomer to Buddhism has lacked a simple and reliable introduction to the complexities of the subject. Dr. Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught fills the need as only could be done by one having a firm grasp of the vast material to be sifted. It is a model of what a book should be that is addressed first of all to ‘the educated and intelligent reader.’ Authoritative and clear, logical and sober, this study is as comprehensive as it is masterly.”

A classic introductory book to Buddhism, What the Buddha Taught, contains a selection of illustrative texts from the original Pali canon texts, including the suttas (discourses, sutras) and the Dhammapada ("Imprint of the Dhamma," specially translated by the author), 16 illustrations, and a bibliography, glossary, and index. More

• What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada by Walpola Rahula (author) and Paul Demieville (foreword)

PTS: The Pali Text Society (new website)

The Pali Text Society (PTS)

The British Pali Text Society was established in 1881 and gave us some of the very first translations of ancient Theravada Buddhist texts by such renowned and influential scholars as:

• Isaline Blew Horner
• T. W. Rhys Davids
• Mrs. Caroline A. F. Rhys Davids
• Christmas Humphreys
• R. C. Childers
• F. L. Woodward
• and others who so influenced our teacher
• American Bhikkhu Bodhi, student of
• Sri Lankan Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya
• German Ven. Nyanaponika
• German Ven. Nyanatiloka (author of the best Buddhist Dictionary)
• Sri Lankan Ven. Walpola Rahula (author of What the Buddha Taught)
• and the staff of the Buddhist Publication Society
• and British Maurice O'Connell Walshe (translator of The Long Discourses of the Buddha),
• who in turn had such a preponderant influence on Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal that, were it not for PTS and BPS, there would be no WQ in the English language.

Why Pali and not Sanskrit?

Pali [Magadhi or Magadhi Prakrit, a lingua franca similar to but simpler than Vedic Sanskrit, the exclusive liturgy language of elitist Brahmin priests who adhered to the Old Vedic Religion that preceded Hinduism by thousands of years] is the language of the most complete collection of early Buddhist texts, the Pali canon or Ti-pitaka (the collected Buddhist texts in "Three Baskets" of suttas, vinaya, and abhidhamma), which constitutes "the word of the historical Buddha" as handed down by the tradition of Theravada (the "Teachings of the Enlightened Elders of the Buddha") Buddhism for over 2,000 years.

Since 1881 the Pali Text Society has promoted the study of Pali texts by publishing editions, translations, and other works related to the study of Pali literature.

On the new website one can purchase PTS publications, download many PTS publications for FREE, and find other material and links related to the study of Pali Buddhist texts.

One can also support the Society by becoming a member, getting a 20% discount on all purchases: palitextsociety.org

• The official site of the Pali Text Society (PTS)
• Pali Text Society c/o Gravita Oxford LLP
• First Floor, Park Central 40 - 41 Park End Street
• Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 1JD
• UK Telephone: +44 (0)7436 534 179
• Skype: palitextsociety
• Email: info@palitextsociety.org

To the edge: Magadan (Eli from Russia)

(Eli from Russia) Nov. 8, 2025: Russia's region with darkest history: Magadan, Russian Far East

Visiting Russia's weirdest capital, meeting Mari people, Mari El Republic

Welcome to the Mari El Republic of Russia. The Mari are Finno-Ugric people, one of the most ancient peoples of Central Russia. For centuries, the Mari have preserved their original pagan religion and, in this regard, they can be considered the last true pagans in Europe.