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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Enlightened One’ began his life as sheltered prince

Kate Taylor Religion News Service

The traditional Buddha – which actually is a word meaning “The Enlightened One,” rather than the name of a person – lived about 2,500 years ago on what is now the Indian-Nepalese border, according to most scholars.

He was named Siddhartha Gautama and born into a life of luxury as a prince. Hoping that Gautama would become happy as a great king, his father sheltered him from all knowledge of human suffering.

But as a teenager, Gautama managed to make four trips outside the palace, and there he learned about death, disease, age and pain. Inspired to find an end to suffering, he left the palace, abandoning his possessions and family to become a monk.

First he tried living the life of an ascetic, avoiding everything he desired. That, he soon found, brought him close to death but no closer to greater understanding.

He wandered on, finally settling beneath a fig tree – now known as the Bodhi tree – where he vowed to stay until he found “The Truth.”

At age 35 – after assaults and temptations under that tree from the demon Mara – he attained enlightenment. After that, he was known as Gautama Buddha, or simply “The Buddha.”

Up until his death in his 80s, he taught The Four Noble Truths – that life is full of suffering, suffering is caused by attachment, abandoning attachment brings release from suffering, and release can be achieved through practicing right conduct – to help others to enlightenment, or Nirvana.