Buddha means the
awakened one. As he fully comprehends the four noble truths, and arises from
the allays of ignorance, he becomes a Buddha. Buddha is not a god, he is not an
human, he is not some person who is born as one. Buddha is not born, a person
becomes Bodhisattva first. And then with his own efforts, through spiritual
ablution and development of basic virtues as, discipline, generosity, wisdom,
endurance, truthfulness, selflessness, benevolence etc. a mortal attains
Buddhahood. Enlightenment is a fully awakened state of vast wisdom through
which reality in all its complexity can be fully understood and enjoyed. Any
human being who is awakened to the fundamental truth about life can be called a
Buddha. Buddhahood is a dynamic process, and achieving it is as arduous as it
can be.
Siddhartha Gautama
was a compassionate man who rejected the joys of being a prince, both
asceticism and attachment, and set foot to the path for attainment of
Buddhahood. Siddhartha Gautama attained Buddhahood at the age of 35, after 49
days of meditation (which was a middle way adopted by him after many efforts of
attaining Buddhahood through finding guru, abstaining ascetics and abnegation
failed), in a place called Bodhgaya under tree shade (Bodhi tree), presently in
Uttar-Pradesh, India(?). Siddhartha Gautama, hence become Buddha, Gautama
Buddha or Shakyamuni as many refer today.
After becoming
Buddha, he first gave his sermon to 5 companions in Banarasi, thus forming
first sangha; company of Buddhist monks. For the remaining 45 years of his
live, he travelled throughout the Indian Subcontinent, perching and teaching
people of all caste and origin, people of all profession, even the cannibals;
what it is now called as four noble truth and noble eight fold path. His
teachings and disciples formed a religion now called as Buddhism. (oh! And yes
Gautama Buddha was an iconoclast, funny enough, the largest number of idols in
the word today are his.)
So, where was Buddha
born? He wasn't, in-fact it's not "him". There are many Buddha,
anyone who attains Buddhahood is a
Buddha.
However, it is
common practice that it is Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama whom we regard as
Buddha generally. And there is no denying the fact that Siddhartha Gautama was
born in ancient Kapilvasthu kingdom (which lies in Present day Nepal).
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