Buddhism can be seen as one of the oldest religions still in existence, and simply put, can be described as a path to liberation ? a means for obtaining mental transformation and deep insight into the true nature of things. The longevity and timeless nature of Buddhism may be due to the fact that the teachings, known as the Dharma, are as relevant in today's society as they were centuries ago in ancient India. In the following essay I will discuss the life of the Buddha, outline his teachings and evaluate whether it is possible to separate his life from his teachings.
The central figure in the tradition of Buddhism is Gautama the Buddha. Historically speaking, it is difficult to separate the facts of Gautama's life from the legend as there are no birth records and his teaching were not recorded for centuries after his death. However, from the information that is available we know that he was born in Southern Nepal somewhere around ?480-400 BCE' (Friedlander 2002, p. 34), probably to a wealthy family and he lived for approximately 80 years, his life coming to an end in the village of Kusinara where he lay under a tree and passed away into Nibbana. Although there is little concrete evidence about the life of Gautama, Harvey (2004, p. 16) outlines the key events in Gautama's life as being; conception, birth, enlightenment, first sermon and death.
Gautama left his family at age 29 and began his quest for enlightenment. He travelled seeking out those who could teach him spiritual techniques to help him find the truth and liberation he was looking for. At age 35 he gained enlightenment while in deep meditation sitting under the Bodhi tree. It was only after his enlightenment that he became known as the Buddh ...