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On the fifth day of his birth, the young prince received the name of Siddhartha, which means 'wish fulfilled'. In the naming ceremonies, the eight distinguished Brahmins of that time predicted that the newly born would be either a universal monarch or a Buddha- the supreme enlightened one. On 7th day of the birth, his mother Maya died and the responsibility of his bringing was given to her sister.
When Siddhartha was in his twelfth year, the king called a Brahmins council for future predictions of the prince and it was predicted that the prince would devote himself to asceticism if he sees the "Four signs"- a man worn by age, a sick man, a dead body and a meeting with hermit. The king wanting him to be a great monarch was shocked by this prediction. The King provided his son with all luxuries and provided him with the best education. He took special care to protect him from any negative sight. At the age of 16, Prince Siddhartha got married to the most beautiful Princess and his cousin Yasodhara, who soon gave birth to a beautiful son. But all these worldly pleasures and emotional ties couldn't provide him the real meaning of the life and he was always impatient.
Once Siddhartha was traveling in a chariot and he saw four things, which were predicted by the priests. He first saw an old man suffering from the frailties of age and then a sick man suffering from a severe disease and a beggar suffering from hunger and lastly he saw a dead body. These events affected him immensely and opened his eyes towards the harsh realities of life and prince Siddhartha decided to search the truth and real meaning of the life. At the age of 29, the prince left his home in search of truth, forsaking his wife, son, his father and a crown that held the promises of power and glory. Siddhartha started his way to the hermitage of renowned sages of that time. But found these teachers' range of knowledge was not sufficient to satisfy his queries. He followed the path of self-mortification for six years but could not attain his desired goal. He gave up self-torture, extreme fasting and began to take nourishing food. Gradually, he regained strength and his original appearance. Thereafter, he started traveling towards south and began to practice intense meditations in his pursuit to know the truth of the life. While mediating one night, under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, Siddhartha attained the enlightenment (528 BC) and became the Buddha - the awakened one. Now, he knew about all his previous lives and the truth about cycle of birth and how to end the cycle of infinite sorrow. After two months of his enlightenment, the Buddha decided to preach and impart knowledge to others. The first sermon of Buddha was held at the Deer Garden in Sarnath (near Varanasi). The Buddha called his teachings "the Middle Way" because it was midway between asceticism and indulgence. The "Four Noble Truths" propounded by lord Buddha, which are the foundation of all Buddhist beliefs are
I. All human life is suffering.
II. All suffering is caused by human desire
III. An end of human desire is the end of human sufferings.
IV. An end to all the desire can be achieved by following the "Eightfold Noble Path".
The 'Eightfold Noble Path' identified by Lord Buddha, which ultimately lead to liberation from the source of suffering are
I. Right Understanding
II. Right Thought
III. Right Speech
IV. Right Action
V. Right Livelihood
VI. Right Effort
VII. Right Mindfulness
VIII. Right Concentration
For the next 45 years till his parinirvana (passing away) in Kushinagar, Buddha traveled extensively all across the plain of the Ganges River, preaching sermons to enlighten the people. He performed many miracles and made thousands of followers. During his life the Buddha had taught that no one was to succeed him as leader of the Sangha. Instead, his followers were to take his teaching and rule as their sole guides. By the time he reached the age of 80, he began to feel old and sick. He visited all of the monasteries he had founded and prepared to meet his end. After consuming a meal (possibly a wild boar's meat) from a blacksmith near Kushinagar, Buddha became severely sick. But, along with his disciples he continued traveling to Kushinagar, which was about 10 km. he reached Kushinagar and attained Parinirvana (freedom from the cycle of birth and death) at the age of 80 in 483 BC on a full moon day in the month of May.
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