HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
इतिहास — 2,500+ Years of the Dharma
From a prince's renunciation in ancient India to a global tradition with over 500 million practitioners, the history of Buddhism is a story of awakening, adaptation, and an enduring quest for peace and wisdom.
THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
बुद्धचरित — Buddhacarita
Siddhartha Gautama — सिद्धार्थ गौतम
- Birth Born in Lumbini (~563 BCE) to King Śuddhodana and Queen Māyā of the Śākya clan. Seers predicted he would become either a great king or a great spiritual teacher.
- Age 16 Married Princess Yasodharā. Lived a life of sheltered luxury in the palace. His father kept him from witnessing suffering.
- Age 29 The Four Sights: old age, sickness, death, and a peaceful renunciant. Shocked by the reality of suffering, he left the palace — the Great Renunciation (Mahābhinishkramaṇa).
- 6 Years Studied under teachers Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta. Practiced extreme asceticism until near death. Found neither led to liberation.
- Age 35 Sat beneath the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. On the night of the full moon of Vesak, he attained complete, perfect enlightenment — Bodhi.
- First Sermon At Deer Park in Sarnath, he delivered the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta — setting the Wheel of Dharma in motion. The Five Ascetics became his first disciples.
- 45 Years Walked across the Gangetic plain teaching the Dharma to kings and commoners, establishing the Sangha of monks, nuns, and lay followers.
- Age 80 Parinibbāna at Kuśinagara. Last words: "All conditioned things are impermanent. Strive on with diligence." (Vayadhammā saṅkhārā, appamādena sampādetha.)
MAJOR SCHOOLS
The Living Traditions
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
From Bodh Gaya to the World
"All conditioned things are impermanent. Strive on with diligence."