Introduction

Every explanation of Buddhism cannot avoid starting from the historical and mythical dimension of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, because it is the most recognized sacred narratives in Buddhism. Many doctrinal elements of Buddhism are already contained in this myth.

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni and its socio-religious context

Siddhartha Gautama was born in Kapilavastu (now southern Nepal) in the second half of the 5th century, as a member of the Shakya Clan, from which his epithet Shakyamuni (sage of the Shakya).

He lived in an age characterized by deep changes occurring in the predominant Indian religious context, ruled by the Brahmins (Hindu priests). Multiple factors, such as increasing urbanization, the emergence of the lay people, brought on a religious renewal. From a previous optimistic view on life, there was a shift towards a pessimistic one: life in this world is conceived as a painful existence, which has to be overcome, renouncing to social life and carrying on ascetic practices (meditation, feasting). This is the worldview of the so called Shramana (renunciants) whose movements challenged the previous orthodoxy of Vedic rituals of the Brahmins' class.

This is the context in which Siddhartha, who  belonged to the Ksatrya (warriors) class, started his spiritual quest. In fact, he is moved by motivation similar to other coeval traditions of renunciants, that is, to overcome the bondage of the cycle of rebirth (Samsara). Moreover, in his teachings as well in his hagiographies, reference to coeval religious topics, such as the Hindu gods, are common. His doctrine, though, features different methods and contents.

For more information on the social-religious context of Siddhartha Gautama, see the Introductory Module on Hinduism, especially sections 2 and 3.

Foundational myth: the life of the Buddha

Many of the teachings of Buddhism are implicit within the story of Siddhartha Gautama, for example the acknowledgment of the fundamental painful aspect of life, the renunciation attitude towards the mundane world, the fundamental hindrance of ego and desire. But, above all, the fundamental message of this story is that liberation from suffering is possible thanks to the teachings of the Buddha.

The importance of this story is evinced by the numerous carvings and paintings of scenes from his life story often placed in temples, caves, and other monuments.

No written records about Siddhartha Gautama have been found from his lifetime or several centuries thereafter. The sources for this are a variety of different, and sometimes conflicting, traditional biographies.The earliest full biography date around the beginning of the 2nd century CE. There are nonetheless some common episodes, which number from four to twelve.

Sources' Analysis

These images represent eight fundamental episodes of the Buddha's life.

• Conception: the traditional hagiography of the Buddha actually starts incalculable numbers of aeons before his birth, in which the future-Buddha spent countless previous lives as religious seeker of liberation. Shortly before his final rebirth, the future Buddha was as a god in Tushita (a heaven present also in Hindu cosmology) from which he saw that time had come for him to take his last human birth and to become a Buddha. His descent in the womb of his mother Maya, who dreamed an elephant entering into his side, as is depicted in Image 1.
• Miraculous Birth: the miraculous birth of the Buddha from the side of his Mother, while she is holding on the branch of a tree which miraculously bend to aid her (image 2).
• The four encounters and the decision of renunciation: soon after his birth the infant was examined by elder swho foresaw that either he will become a great "wheel-turning king" (Chakravartin, an epithet signifying an all-mighty lord) ruling the four quarters of the earth), or he will become a wandering ascetic, a savior of humanity known as a Buddha. On hearing that his father, Shuddhodana, determined that his son should become a "Wheel-turning king". To this end he arranged matters that Siddhartha should have no occasion to become unhappy and disillusioned with his life at home. Anyway, Siddhartha, curious towards the external world, once decided to go out of his palace. By doing so he encountered for the first time a decrepit old man, a severely ill man (image 3), and a corpse. The experience was so traumatic, that when he afterward saw a peaceful wandering ascetic, Siddhartha resolved that he will leave his home and become a wandering ascetic himself (image 4).
• The austerities: Siddhartha first practiced the systems of meditation taught by two leading ascetics of the time. Nonetheless he felt that here he had not found the answer to the problem of human suffering. So next, in the company of other wandering ascetics, he turned to the practice of extreme austerities, as can be seen in image 5.
• Enlightenment or conquer of Mara: despite his efforts, he felt he had not found what he was searching for. So he came to realize that self-mortification (and its opposite, the life of ease and indulgence) was not the answer. The answer was the Middle Way. This required that he nourish his body and regain his strength. Nourished, he seated himself beneath a pipal tree, henceforth to be known as "the tree of awakening" or Bodhi Tree, and finally became enlightened. The oldest accounts describe the awakening in technical terms, most often by reference to the successive practice of four stages of meditation culminating in the knowledge of suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. The cessation of suffering and the resulting peaceful state is what is called Nirvana,the goal of Buddhism. However, perhaps because this technical account does not exactly make for a good story, the later stories recount the awakening through a much more accessible description of Siddhartha’s encounter with demon Mara. Mara is not so much a personification of evil as of the power of all kinds of experience to seduce and ensnare the unwary mind, namely, ego-driven desires towards the world. Image 6 shows the army of Mara, shown as innumerable demons surrounding Siddhartha, who successfully avoids the temptations and seductions. He calls upon the earth goddess to act as a witness to his right to attain enlightenment, conveyed through the earth-touching gesture.
• The first sermon: after attaining enlightenment he faced the last, more subtle temptation for a holy man: he doubt whether human beings could understand such profound teachings. At this point some texts argue that the Hindu god Brahma came and requested him to teach his doctrine. The presence in this story of a Hindu god asking the Buddha to share his insight was meant to state the superiority of Buddhism over other religious traditions. In a deer park outside Benares the Buddha approached his former companions when he practiced austerities and gave them the first sermon. This episode represents  the beginning of the Buddhist Community (the Sangha) and the diffusion of his teachings. In this way he set in motion the "Wheel of the Dharma (Skt. the "Law')", as can be seen in image 7. The expression "setting in motion the Wheel of the Dharma" is a reference to the former "Wheel turning King" prophecy of the time of his birth, but in a different, not military sense: "Wheel turning King"  means in this context the universal monarch whose teachings will spread in every corner of the world. 
• The Parinirvana: after a life of preaching, the Buddha, at the age of 80, became ill and passed away. The traditional representations show Buddha reclined on his side, surrounded in the mourning not only by his disciples, but also Hindu gods, animals and withering trees. This episode is called  Parinirvana (complete Nirvana), meaning that once attained enlightenment, there will be no future rebirth. From a doctrinal viewpoint, this episode have two meanings: in the first place his passing from earthly life represents the ultimate goal of an enlightened being: release from the bonds of existence. In a second, much later, interpretation of this episode, the Buddha returns to an original transcendental state, readyfor rebirth as a future Buddha when time will come or to appear to devoted practitioners.

Intercultural and interdisciplinary information

A comparison to the temptation of Mara and the subsequent preaching of Buddha can be found in Christianity: the famous Temptation of Christ in the desert has similar elements. As narrated in the synoptic Gospels (Mark 1:12-13, Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13)  after being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tempted him. After refusing his temptation, Jesus returned back and started preaching to his first disciples. 

On a more general level, also the life of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, is of pivotal importance, because it represents the ideal life of the perfect Muslim. That's why deeds and speeches of Muhammad are collected in the scriptures called Hadith.

Link to other modules:

- Hinduism sec. 2 and 3
- Islam I.History sec. 1 and 4