| Buddhism is quite unique on the religious landscape. Its | | | | Realizing that this didn't solve the problem of |
| founder, a man named Siddharta Gautama, didn't claim | | | | suffering, he tried to find another way. He |
| to be a god or to be sent by god, he was simply a | | | | discovered the Middle Path. This |
| man. Who was this person who set this incredibly | | | | is one of the most important concepts of |
| influential tradition in motion? Why did he | | | | Buddhism. The Middle Path is one that avoids the |
| influence so many people in Asia and | | | | extremes. The extremes can vary, but they are the |
| around the world? He got the attention of | | | | extreme of self-indulgence and the extreme of |
| people because he addressed real problems of | | | | self-denial. He lived in the extreme of self-indulgence |
| human life. | | | | as a prince and in the extreme of self-denial as |
| First, I want to talk about him as a historical figure. We | | | | a monk. He know started to walk the path of the |
| don't have many historical facts that we can hold on | | | | Middle, and everything became clearer, but not |
| to study his life. We know, or we think we know, that | | | | easier. |
| he was born in Northern India around the year 500 B.C. | | | | He sat down under a tree and started to find the |
| He was a prince of the Shakya tribe. Because of this, | | | | solution to human suffering. After some time, |
| it is common to call him Shakyamuni, this means "the | | | | he became enlightened. He was tempted to stay |
| sage of the Shakya". | | | | there, enjoying his own awakening, but he decided |
| This is all we have about him historically. To learn | | | | to get up and talk about it to other people. What did |
| about how he lived and what he | | | | he discover? |
| mean to his followers, we have to look at him | | | | The Buddha said to his followers that everything |
| through Buddhist eyes. Now, we are going to talk | | | | in life is suffering. This is quite pessimistic, isn't it? Well, |
| about him as Buddhists describe him. | | | | he didn't say only that. That was only the beginning. |
| According to tradition, he lived in the palace as a | | | | After that, he explained the origin of our suffering, and |
| prince until the age of 29. At that point in his life, he | | | | then, a message of hope. He explained |
| saw for the first time suffering. He was protected by | | | | how we can get rid of that suffering. He gave us |
| his father and wasn't allowed to see any kind of pain | | | | the only solution. |
| or suffering. Here, he saw a sick person, an old man | | | | So, this is the simple and profound teaching of the |
| and a death body. He realized that this was the | | | | Buddha. Suffering. The basic problem of human life. |
| destiny of every human being, and he decided to | | | | I think that that is why Buddhism is so appealing to |
| spend his life looking for a solution. | | | | many people, because it addresses a problem that |
| He first became a monk. He shaved his head and | | | | is thoroughly human. |
| started fasting. He starved himself to death. | | | | |