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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-how-the-west-discovered-the-buddha-182140>
"Buddhism is the third largest (and fastest growing) religion in Australia with
approximately half a million adherents.
The celebration of the Buddha’s birthday here (on or around May 15) has become
a major cultural event and the Buddhist doctrine of “mindfulness” is now a part
of mainstream culture. But how and when did the West discover the Buddha?
The facts about the Buddha’s life are opaque but we can assume he was born no
earlier than 500 BCE and died no later than 400 BCE. He was said to be the son
of an Indian king, so distressed by the sight of suffering that he spent years
searching for the answer to it, finally attaining enlightenment while sitting
under a bodhi (sacred fig) tree.
The Buddha’s family name was Gotama (in the Pali language) or Gautama (in
Sanskrit). Although it does not appear in the earliest traditions, his personal
name was later said to be Siddhartha, which means “one who has achieved his
purpose”. (This name was retrofitted by later believers.)
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha spent 45 years teaching the path to
enlightenment, gathering followers, and creating the Buddhist monastic
community. According to the legend, upon his death at the age of 80, he entered
Nirvana."
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
