Birth: Lumbinī, Nepal The Buddha emerged from his mother’s side, as she stood leaning against a tree, in a painless and pure birth. He took seven steps and lotus flowers sprang up in his footsteps. His mother died shortly after his birth and he was brought up by his maternal aunt Mahāprajāpati.

Lumbini Province, Nepal

Buddhism arose in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the South Asian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia.

Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka are the major Buddhist countries (over 70% of population practicing) while Japan, Laos, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam have smaller but strong minority status.

Buddha, born with the name Siddhartha Gautama, was a teacher, philosopher and spiritual leader who is considered the founder of Buddhism. The name Buddha means “one who is awakened” or “the enlightened one.” While scholars agree that Buddha did in fact exist, the specific dates and events of his life are still debated.

Gautama Buddha

– The religious philosopher Siddhartha Gautama – better known as Buddha – once said, “The faults of others are easier to see than one’s own.” Some 500 years later, Jesus uttered these words: “Why do you see the splinter in someone else’s eye and never notice the log in your own?”

In Theosophical texts, Maitreya is said to have had numerous manifestations or incarnations: in the theorized ancient continent of Atlantis; as a Hierophant in Ancient Egypt; as the Hindu deity Krishna; as a high priest in Ancient India; and as Christ during the three years of the Ministry of Jesus.

Origin of suffering (Samudāya) The Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is desire, tanhā. This comes in three forms, which he described as the Three Roots of Evil, or the Three Fires, or the Three Poisons.

Maitreya, in Buddhist tradition, the future Buddha, presently a bodhisattva residing in the Tushita heaven, who will descend to earth to preach anew the dharma (“law”) when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have completely decayed. The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit maitrī (“friendliness”).

He saw that he had died many times before and that he had been reborn each time. He saw all his past lives. He saw all the things he had done in his lives—the good as well as the bad.

He spend six years in the forests of India practicing Hinduism and living as an ascetic, but he still was troubled by the reality of suffering. After spending 49 days sitting under a Bo-tree meditating, Siddhartha Gautama became Buddha Gautama; he had finally reached enlightenment.

He saw four sights: a man bent with old age, a person afflicted with sickness, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic. It was the fourth sight, that of a wandering ascetic, that filled Siddhartha with a sense of urgency to find out what lay at the root of human suffering. Siddhartha left the luxury of the palace.

1. The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi (‘meditative absorption or union’).
2. The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Buddhism, taught to lead to Arhatship.

In Buddhist traditions, the eight symbols are a white parasol, a conch shell, a treasure vase, a victory banner, a dharma wheel, a pair of golden fish, an endless knot, and a lotus flower. These symbols can be found and are used throughout the religion.

Drinking this kind of beverage whether one knows it as alcohol or not can be considered as transgression of vows. Despite the great variety of Buddhist traditions in different countries, Buddhism has generally not allowed alcohol intake since earliest times.