Most scholars are in agreement that Buddha was an actual historical figure who lived in northern India around the 5th century BCE. The events of the Buddha's life are recorded in Buddhist tradition and are a favorite subject of Buddhist art.
Some Interesting Facts :
Buddha as a Teacher and Not God : Practicing Buddhists view Buddha as a teacher and not a god or avatar. Buddha’s spot of enlightenment underneath the bodhi tree is still preserved to this day.
A Reluctant Teacher : It is so unbelieveable that a great teacher like him, who taught the whole world about Buddhism, could be hesitant to teach at the first place. He considered that the thing he knows is very difficult not only for the people to understand but it is also difficult for him to express what he knows into words. But later his compassion swayed over him and he finally decided to teach the people about the doctrines of enlightenment.
Buddha Re-united his family : During his journey throughout the world to spread their teachings, Buddha visited his son, father, his devoted wife and his foster mother. Eventually his family joined the Sangha, which is the Buddhist monastic community. His cousin Ananda also became his disciple and joined the community and became a monk. His son, Rahula was the youngest monk in the community and he became monk when he was just seven years old.
The truth about His Chubby appearance : Buddha was not as chubby as many depictions of him would make it appear- he was mainly portrayed this way because it was symbolic of happiness in the east. He practiced moderation in all things, fasted regularly, and spent most of his time walking hundreds of miles spreading the philosophy of enlightenment.
Invented the middle way to enlightenment : At the time of Buddha’s quest for enlightenment, there were many religious practices that called for either intense overindulgence in the senses, or strict deprivation such as weeks of fasting. Realizing that neither was truly beneficial, he devised what would later be known as “The Middle Way” to enlightenment…a balanced approach that emphasized inward rather than outward renunciation.
Buddhism, Fourth largest religion worldwide : One of the top ten facts about Buddhism is that it is the 4th largest religion. Today there are over 360 million followers of Buddhism worldwide, after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The countries with the largest Buddhist populations are China, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Five precepts of Buddhism : The Five Precepts are: Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not engage in sexual misconduct. Do not lie. Do not use intoxicants.
Four Noble Truths by Buddha : Suffering exists; Suffering arises from attachment to desires; Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases; Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path.
Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: Right View – Seeing the world and life as it is; Right Thought – Similar to emotional intelligence; Right Speech – Clear, truthful, compassionate; Right Conduct – Not exploiting one’s self or others; Right Livelihood – Ethical occupation that does not harm others; Right Effort – Directing one’s energies towards good ends; Right Mindfulness – To be in the present moment and Right Meditational Attainment –Unity of action and intention.
3 Major Tenents : 3 Major Tenents Buddha taught his followers were not to be ignorant, hate others, or get angry.
Buddhism, One of a kind : Unlike most religions or spiritual beliefs, Buddha’s teachings were spread by nonviolent methods such as word of mouth or carvings on prominent stone buildings.
The word of wisdom from Buddha : He died in Kushinagar and according to the sources it is said that he died in the 483 BCE. He encouraged his followers to work for their deliverance and he told them that happiness is in learning that nothing in the world is permanent.
Types of Buddhism : There are two different types of Buddhism, there is Mahayana and Theravada. Theravada are the original teachings of the original Buddha. Buddha gave long speeches to a group of people called the Arhats. The Arhats are the original disciples of Buddha, they had all reached enlightenment and were basically perfect beings. Theravada Buddhists commonly live in Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos etc. They believe that people reach enlightenment over many lifetimes, and it takes eons to reach nirvana.
Mahayana Buddhists live in Tibet, China, Korea and Japan, they do not follow the original teachings, they believe that the Buddha went to outer space and spoke to angels called Devas, Buddha taught them a secret teaching. Then the Devas told monks this secret teaching, then the monks wrote it down. Mahayana Buddhism basically believes that everyone alive possesses the ability to get enlightenment at anytime.
Buddha taught and traveled his entire life until the age of 80 when he passed away. His final request of his followers was this: “All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”