Over 2,000 years ago, in the peaceful land surrounding the Himalayas, the Buddha was born.  Before he was born, his mother, who was the Queen of a small Indian kingdom,  had a dream.

In her dream, a white elephant offered her a beautiful lotus flower and then touched her side.  Not knowing what the dream meant, she went to wise and holy men called sages.  The sages told the Queen that she would give birth to a son who would be a great ruler or a holy man.  One day, the sages said, the Queen’s son would either conquer the world or become the Buddha…the enlightened one…!

The Queen’s son was born near a tree located near the border of India and Nepal.  His name was Siddhartha Gautama, though by the time he died he would be known by another name.

Siddhartha was a prince and his life was full of luxuries.  He lived in a palace with his father, a King.  Wanting his son to one day become king and conquer the world as the sages predicted, Siddhartha’s father wanted to protect him from every bad thing in the world.  He did not let Siddhartha leave the palace.

At age 16, Siddhartha fell in love and married.  He never experienced loss, pain, suffering, or sickness.  Everything he ever wanted, he had right there at the palace.

But finally, after 29 years of living happily in his father’s palace, Siddhartha went outside.  He was shocked and amazed by what he saw.

For the first time, he saw sick people.  For the first time, he saw old people.  For the first time, he saw people who were truly suffering — and he had never known before that anybody suffered.  He had no idea.

Though it was very difficult to do, Siddhartha decided he had to leave his incredible life at the palace.  In the middle of the night, he abandoned his wife and their newborn son. He was on a mission to discover the cause of all of the suffering in the world, and he couldn’t accomplish his mission if he stayed in the palace, protected from all of the bad things in the world.  

Siddhartha dedicated himself to finding a way to end suffering.  It troubled him so much that there was so much suffering in the world.  He spent years searching for answers.

One day, after many years of searching for the truth, he sat under a Bodhi tree to meditate. While he meditated, he became enlightened, that is, he received a special understanding of the truth. This enlightenment awarded him the name of Buddha, which means the Enlightened One. The special insights he received were called the Four Noble Truths…

1. There is suffering in the world

2. Suffering comes from desire (wanting things)

3. To stop suffering, stop desiring things

4. To stop desiring things, follow the Eight-fold Path.

1. Right Viewpoint – Buddhists must look at life the right way.

2. Right Thought – Buddhists should care about others and not think only about themselves.

3. Right Speech – Buddhists should be kind and helpful, not spreading lies or gossip.

4. Right Action – Buddhists should not kill, steal, or be dishonest. 

5. Right Living – Buddhists should always put their best effort into their work, and their work should not be harmful to others in any way.

6. Right Effort – Buddhists should avoid bad situations and work hard.

7. Right Awareness – Buddhists should control their minds, thereby increasing their wisdom.

8. Right Concentration – Buddhists should not let their mind wander. They should be peaceful and calm, and these qualities can be obtained through meditation.

Nirvana is the state of mind that a Buddhist can achieve when he/she stops desiring things.  The Buddha taught that to reach Nirvana and stop the cycle of reincarnation, one had to follow the Eight-Fold Path.

After discovering these truths, the Buddha did not worship Hindu gods anymore, and today Buddhists still do not believe in a single, all-powerful deity. The Buddha also stopped believing that one caste was better than the others.  Anyone, Buddha claimed, could end their suffering and reach nirvana.

After achieving enlightenment, Siddhartha traveled around South Asia spreading his knowledge to others.  As he traveled spreading his wisdom, he became known as “The Buddha,” which means “The Enlightened One.”  

The religion that developed because of Siddhartha and based on his teachings is known as Buddhism.  A person who follows Buddhism is called a Buddhist.