Buddha

Gotama Siddhattha was born a Sakyan prince to Suddhodana as his father and Mahamaya as the mother. He led a luxurious life as a child. Not enjoy with material comfort, he renounced the world at the age of twenty-nine in quest of an answer to the human suffering. He practised severe austerities for six years. But realising their futility and adopting instead the Middle Way, he finally attained Buddhahood at the age of thirty-five. Since then, he continued propagating his doctrines for the next forty-five years until his death at the age of eighty.During this period as Buddha, he not only exemplified his teachings. but also endeavoured to show people the way leading to the emancipation from the cycle of births and to the attainment of the supreme bliss of Nibbana. The life of the Buddha is therefore the exemplar of the Dhamma he preached. The Buddha once said: "One who sees the Dhamma sees me. One who sees me sees the Dhamma." (Yo dhammam passati so mam passati. Yo mam passati so dhammam passati).

Buddha rediscovered the path of Dhamma leading to the eradication of universal suffering. Practicing Vipassana, he penetrated the veils of ignorance, delusion, and illusion. He discovered the Law of Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppad), the chain of cause and effect conditioning the universe. Whatever arises, arises due to a cause; when the cause is eradicated there can be no resulting effect. Therefore, by totally eliminating the cause of suffering, one can attain real happiness, real liberation from all misery.

With this realization, he penetrated the illusion of solidity in mind and matter, dissolved the tendency of his mind to cling and crave, and realized the unconditioned truth. The subtlest defilement of his mind were washed away. All the shackles were broken. No craving remained for the future; his mind became free from all attachments. Siddhattha Gotama attained Supreme Enlightenment, experiencing the ultimate truth in all its purity, and became a Sammasambuddha.

With great compassion he spent forty-five years showing the path of Dhamma and thus helped millions of people to come out of their misery.