Some Glimpses of the Life of Buddha - The Enlightened One

Buddhism started around 2500 years ago. Buddhism is considered one of the largely followed religions. Buddhism was founded by sage Siddharta Gautama in the ancient Indian subcontinent. He was born and brought up in a royal family in Himalayan territory. He used to live with his wife ( Yashodhra) and son (Rahul) in a palace with a lavish lifestyle. Once, he went outside the castle, he witnessed three things that changed his mind. He saw a sick man, an old man and a corpse being carried to burning grounds in the market. He was moved by the idea of suffering, old age and death. When he returned to the palace, he was restless and wanted to search for answers to the problems of suffering he was having in his mind. On the same night, he left everything behind and bid a farewell to his sleeping wife and child. He went to the forests in search of awakening. He left Indian society and its norms for liberation. He investigated many atheist ideologies, materialistic opinions and dialects. He worked under two teachers. His first teacher, Arada Kalam taught him how to discipline the mind and to enter the stage of nothingness. His second teacher taught him the power of concentration. He learned to have concentration beyond the conscious and unconscious mind. For six years, Siddharta Gautama practiced a state of austerity with his five followers. He used to have only a single grain of rice the whole day. His idea of having substantial food was a way to abstain from worldly things. During this course, his five companions also left him. Once, he entered a village for food. There was a woman named Sujata, who offered him kheer (a dish made of milk). This food made him gain his strength back. He took a bath in the Niranjana river and then sat under a Pipal tree. This tree was later named as Bodhi tree. He sat on a kusha grass mat and sat unmoved for six days there only. All his past experience, lessons, studied text, and knowledge were there in his mind. He got enlightened there. For the next seven days, he was in a blissful freedom and tranquillity of liberation. From then on his journey of noble truth started. He was called Buddha. He delivered his first sermon, at Bodhgaya, where he talked about four noble truths. The truth of suffering, the truth of cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

At the age of 80 years, Buddha died in Kushinagar. He taught the world how to attain nirvana and the importance of being non-self and empty. How to mark the end to the cycle of birth, rebirth and death. To achieve this state of mind, one has to get rid of three evils Raga (greed and desires), dwesh (anger) and moha (delusions and attachments).

Buddhism

Contemporary world has devised many divisions of Buddhism according to different geographical locations and sets of followers. Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Navayana to name a few.

Lotus mantra, Zen Buddhism, Won Buddhism are modern day schools of Buddhism prevalent widely in Western part of Earth.

Buddha idol

Buddha idol is considered pious and auspicious to keep in home and workplaces. It brings peace, prosperity, positive energy and good health to the place. Vastu and Feng Shui recommend placement of Buddha idols at home and offices to bring harmony and success. One can feel the calmness and tranquility in the air where the statue is placed.

The laughing Buddha, shakyamuni i.e.the serene Buddha, Buddha face, Buddha in standing pose, Buddha in sleeping pose, Buddha in meditation and Buddha in prayer mode are some of the designs which are easily available online.

Tips to keep in mind while keeping Buddha idol

• The laughing Buddha idol is kept for financial gain, wealth and growth of the family members.

• Vastu recommends placing a reclining Buddha idol in the place where it faces east.

• Golden and yellow colour idols are quite popular these days.

• Buddha statues are placed in the entrance to bring prosperity and good luck in abundance.

• Always go for a smiling Buddha idol.

• It is believed that Buddha sitting on lotus flower in praying mode is always considered good to bring calmness and personal development in the place.

• Always keep the idol clean.

• Always place the idol above the eye level.

• Always pay respect to the Buddha idol by folding both of the hands in front of the idol.

• It is advised to keep the idol in the garden for best meditation practices.

• Avoid keeping Buddha idols adjacent to the wall of bathrooms and toilets.

One can easily find Buddha idols in different sizes and designs online.

Nitin Jain is a antique statue expert. He has been dealing with Hindu Gods statues, idols, sculptures for several years. You can find more information at statuestudio.com.