Life of Siddhartha Gautama

Study Notes

Siddhartha Gautama was born in the ancient kingdom of Sakya (modern Nepal) in 563-483 BCE.
His father was an Indian chieftain of the Sakya clan and a member of the Hindu Kshatriya (warrior) caste.
Siddhartha was later known as the Buddha, which is a title meaning "awakened one" or "enlightened one".
The traditional story of Buddha's life and teachings was transmitted orally for over four centuries before being documented between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE.

According to traditional accounts, Siddhartha's mother dreamed of a white elephant entering her womb through her side before he was born.
Hindu priests predicted that Siddhartha would become either a universal monarch or a universal teacher.
Siddhartha was brought up in luxury and comfort, married a cousin at the age of 16 or 19, and had a son.
Despite his comfortable life, Siddhartha was dissatisfied and concerned about human suffering.
The Four Passing Sights, which he saw in his late twenties, motivated his spiritual quest:
- A decrepit old man leaning on a staff
- A sick man suffering in pain and incontinence
- A human corpse being carried to a funeral pyre
- A calm, ascetic monk with a clean-shaven head and yellow robe
These sights led Siddhartha to understand that all humans are subject to suffering.

Siddhartha renounced his princely life and became a wandering ascetic in search of a solution to human suffering.
He met his five ascetic Hindu companions in Benares (modern Varanasi) and offered to share his new-found insight into dharma with them, but they rejected him.
Buddha delivered his First Sermon, known as "Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth", which emphasized the Middle Way between self-indulgence and self-mortification.

According to tradition, a council was called after Buddha's death, where five hundred monks formulated an authorized canon and rules governing early Buddhist monasteries.
A second council was held a century later, resulting in a schism between the Mahasanghika (Great Sangha) and the Theravadins (Adherents of the Teachings of the Elders).
A third council was held in the third century BCE, where the Buddhist canon, the Tripitaka, was completed.
A fourth council, dealing with commentaries, was held in the first century CE, but its ecumenical nature is disputed.

The Tripitaka (Three Baskets) is the most basic and possibly the earliest body of sacred writings, consisting of:
- Vinaya Pitaka (rules of the Buddhist order)
- Sutta Pitaka (dialogues between Buddha and his disciples)
- Abidhamma Pitaka (metaphysical instruction)
Other sacred texts include the Dhammapada, the Itivuttaka, the Udana, the Sutta Nipata, the Theratherigatha, and others.
Sanskrit and Tibetan sources include the Mahavastu, the Lalita Vistara, the Prajnaparamitas, and others.