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Gautama Buddha
Early years
In Lumbini, About 2600 years ago, a clan called the Shakyas ruled the city of Kapilavastu. Siddhartha Gautama was born just outside the city in Lumbini. He was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama in a Shakya clan. His father was a ruler named Shuddhodana, His mother was named Maya. Maya died when Siddhartha was about 7 days old. His father raised him in a very peaceful way. There were home tutors for him but he was not interested in the outward things that took place at that time. Siddhartha lived in luxury. His father kept trouble and hard work away from him. A seer said that if Siddhartha stayed inside his palace his whole life, he would become a great king. However, if he left the palace, then he would become a great religious leader. The king did not want his son to become a religious leader. He kept Siddhartha in the palace for his entire childhood.When Siddhartha turned 16 years old, his father found a woman for him to marry. Siddhartha married a woman named Yashodhara. They had a son named Rahula. Siddhartha had everything he could want, but he was not happy. He wanted to learn about life outside his palace.
Seeking
Many holy men at this time were ascetics. They hurt their bodies for religious reasons. They abstain from certain pleasures so they can get rid of desire. One group of ascetics were called the Jains. They practiced self-denial and made themselves suffer very much. They believed this would free the ātman (soul) from pain and sadness. There were many types of ascetic mendicants (wanderers) throughout the region which would become known as India. Siddhartha tried these ascetic practices and meditation techniques, and eventually became better than his teachers. He still found no answer, so he left his teachers and friends to discover another way. He decided to eat only six grains of rice a day. He tried holding his breath. His body became very thin, like skin and bones, and he nearly died. Still, he had no answer.
His life as a Buddha
When the Buddha became enlightened, he found the answer to suffering, and he knew how to defeat suffering. This answer was called the Four Noble Truths. He was not sure if he should teach his new ideas or not. He asked himself if the world was ready for such a deep teaching. But in the end, he decided to travel to a town called Sarnath to teach the people his new way. He taught about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The people listened to him.
When he taught, he did not pretend to be a god. He said he was just a man who had found the meaning of life (enlightenment), and that any person can also find the meaning of life. For the rest of his life, he walked all over what is now Southern Nepal and parts of India to teach people what he believed. He started a Sangha, which is a group of Buddhist monks and nuns. Many people became enlightened because of him. At the age of 80, after 45 years teaching the Four Noble Truths, Gautama Buddha died.