NextNarration
by Ms. Mika TSUBOI The Buddha ... we Japanese should be familiar with temples and the Buddha. But if you were asked What kind of person was Buddha?, maybe you would be surprised at how little you really knew. In Hinduism, Buddha is the god Vishnu ninth incarnation. Maybe on hearing this you cannot help but feel that he is treated a little lightly. However, this is a result of the tendency of those spreading the Hindu religion to incorporate other gods they encountered into Hindusim as Reincarnations of Vishnu. "O shakusama" is known throughout the world by the name Buddha. But originally it was not a proper noun or name. It was an ordinary noun with the meaning of "person who found truth". However, Buddha is still thought to be the person who founded Buddhism. To be exact, the name "Gautama Buddha" indicates "That Buddha", the founder of Buddhism . Buddha was an actual person, of course. He was born as a prince of the Shakya tribe/family, who ruled a small country located in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains with as its main city.Kapilavastu. He is thought to have lived about the 5th century BC. The caste system, the system of fixed social status, that remains to this day in India, is based on the Veda, the sacred scriptures that were passed down from ancient Indian culture. Among the four main levels in the caste system, Buddha belonged to the class Kusahtoria, the class of the royal family and warriors. India at that time was comprised of two great kingdoms, the Kosala kingdom and the Magada kingdom, together with some other smaller countries under their respective dominion. The Shakya family/tribe ruled a dependency of the Kosala kingdom. Buddha's father was King Sddordana, and his mother Queen Maya. He was named Gautama Siddhartha. Now, let's start the Buddha story. Lumbini was the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha. Queen Maya and her squires were returning to give birth at her parent's house in Kosala kingdom. On the way, she stoped over the the garden at Lumbini. The air became filled with a beautiful light, flowers were blooming, birds were flying about. All of them welcomed Queen Maya. |
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