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by HasntBeen on November 23rd, 2009
According to the story, he was protected by his father the king, because dad didn't want him to be disturbed or upset by anything which might make him seek a spiritual path. Dad wanted him to be king, not a spiritual teacher.
Although the Buddha's insights are quite real, all of these old stories about those days should be taken as apocryphal legends.
by Miss Madge on November 24th, 2009
He led a very sheltered life. Also, it's my personal belief that the guy was a ditz. Without any exposure to suffering, he could not be compassionate; without any compassion, he could not have understanding; without any understanding, he was kind of thick. Probably naive. He had the potential from the get-go, but without the impetus of the four sights he wasn't meeting it.
by jin jang on November 23rd, 2009
With being brought up with royalty he was sheilded from these things.He was kept within the walls of the palace grounds as a child so did not know these things existed.
One day he left the confines of the palace and saw first hand the poverty,disease and lives of the less fortunate.
He then vowed to find out the deeper meaning of life and went to meditate under a bodhi tree.He stayed there until he reached enlightenment.
by itinary on November 23rd, 2009
He understood much more than that I would imagine. Also it requires a lot of effort even to pass it on to others.
by dhymax on December 23rd, 2009
Once exposed to the reality of suffering, the Buddha understood the cause, not just the obvious fact that there is suffering. He understood the cause after exhausting all resources available to the question-and-answer mind. His was a higher reasoning which has proved effective over the years even though it requires a re ordering of conscious awareness and a kind of courage that defies conventional understanding. In this way he added considerable wealth to the "Facts of Life".
What is your opinion of Buddhism?
by Masaharu on July 7th, 2011
| 2 people like this
If someone reachs Nirvana in the buddhist belief and becomes free from rebirth what happens to the energy if the person can't be reborn.
by jmb516 on October 27th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!" Why do the Buddhists say this?
by anil m on October 6th, 2011
| 3 people like this
Why do Buddhists shave their heads? Rather than being a sign of humility, is this not MORE image-conscious, because of the effort required?
by mumpsimus on November 7th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
Buddha teaches that we should free ourselves from ill feeling towards others - but does that include loathing of truly evil people, too?
by mumpsimus on November 12th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
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Comments
Hah. My boyfriend is Tibetan Buddhist, and when he talks about spiritual leaders being born inside of lotus flowers I always have to stop him and ask, "Really?"
by quack is whack on November 23rd, 2009
Yeah, the Tibetans sometimes take the mythical stuff rather seriously, even though the Dalai Lama has said quite regularly that things which are out of sync with science should be considered doubtful.
by HasntBeen on November 23rd, 2009
We'll the boyfriend isn't from Tibet - it's just the flavor of Buddhist that he is. I still get into arguments with him over literal vs figurative interpretations, lol.
by quack is whack on November 23rd, 2009
I can imagine :)
by HasntBeen on November 23rd, 2009