Who Was the Buddha?
Not much is known for certain about, Siddhartha Gotama, the man who would became the Buddha. His story is more myth than history. The Buddha didn’t write a memoir, post status updates on Facebook, or have a publicist. He made a number of cryptic comments about his early life that can be summarized as follows: he was born into wealth and lived a privileged life. Even though he had the best of everything, he felt dissatisfied, anxious, and uncertain. He longed to find a way beyond these feelings. At the age of 29, he embarked on a seven year journey that culminated in enlightenment or, more accurately, awakening. From that experience he began to teach others what he had experienced and encouraged them to see if they could replicate those insights for themselves.