Oriental Paintings :: Jungle Buddha

All things have a story...

Not many people know the story of the Buddha. He was originally a prince, and a wealthy aristocrat trained in the art of war and well educated. At the age of 29, disillusioned with the life of royalty, the Buddha renounced his kingdom and set off on what became a seven-year quest to gain enlightenment. The word or name “Buddha” in Sanskrit means “the enlightened or awakened one.”

The Buddha’s real name was Siddhartha Gautama. When he left his kingdom, he sought the wisest religious teachers he could find. He lived in the wilderness and tried out their methods for achieving insight into the true nature of reality. Among Siddharha’s most probing questions to himself and the universe were, “What is the cause or origin of human suffering?” If Siddhartha could figure out the answer, he might be able to put an end to suffering and help not just himself, but everyone as well. This is the thinking of a Bodhidsattva, a Buddhist who vows to help other people before leaving the material plane.

Of the religious pundits he met, some taught that continual fasting and every little taking in of food was the way to enlightenment. Others urged Gautama to practice self-torture, undertake long periods of meditation and perform yogic exercises. He tried them all, but to no avail. One day, after he had fasted for a long time and felt very tired, he almost drowned in a river. It is said that a woman saved him and gave him nourishment. At that point five ascetics were following him. When they saw him take food, they scorned Gautama. This left him alone with time to think back on the last seven years of his life. None of the experiences he went through brought him any closer to enlightenment and the wisdom he sought. It was at that point the Buddha vowed to sit under a pipal tree and meditate.

He was in a part of India called Bodh Gaya and the tree he sat under was also known as a bodhi tree. Gautama decided that he would stay in meditation until he either died or discovered the wisdom he sought. He sat on a patch of grass in the lotus position. After several days of effort and overcoming temptations that arose in his mind, he finally made a breakthrough and found the wisdom he was seeking for so long. It was at that point Gautama became the Buddha.