The journey of discovery!

The Buddha, who had lived a luxurious life as the young prince Siddhartha, was called to his initiation when he was only 29, when he first left the palace and traveled countryside. In his journey, he witnessed hunger, diseases and death in the form of a rotting corpse. Siddhartha was confused and disturbed seeing the ‘ugly’ side of life that had been kept away from him during his youth. His innocence was shattered by the reality outside the palace walls, and that was the time he realized that he too would share the same fate as others.

The Buddha could not have attained his enlightenment sipping tea in the palace gardens. He had to step into the unknown dark world outside his palace. The king sent servants to entice the prince home with food and drink, but the young prince refused to oblige. Instead, he sat in silence under a fig tree and turned his attention inward and meditated until he found the answers for:

Why must we suffer?

Is there any way out?

At the end, the Buddha discovered that suffering could be eliminated altogether. He returned with a gift of wisdom that he shared with all who would listen to him after his illumination. The Four Noble Truths that remain at the core of Buddhism today are:

1. Life is suffering, birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, grief and despair are suffering.

2. Suffering is caused by craving and desire.

3. By giving up craving and desire, you attain freedom from suffering.

4. This path is achieved through right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.