Buddha was around 560 BC. The son of a royal family on the southern edge of today’s Nepal of the city at that time Kapilavastu born near. The family belonged to the family of the Shakya clan, and to the line of Gautama, Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni where his name is.

His birth in a full moon day in May was accompanied by special signs, and his parents received the following prophecy: “When the boy was not with the suffering of the world comes in contact, he will become a great ruler and your wishes to meet all the case. But he afflictive all conditioned states perceive, he will leave everything and completely new dimension to bring the world one. ”

The parents then decided it inside the palace in an artificial world of rising, in which it is youth, beauty, fun and joyful experiences were only. He enjoyed an extensive education in all the sciences, arts and sports – as a member of the warrior caste in the martial arts. And in all disciplines, he was conspicuous by great talent. He was subtle, courageous and strong. In his few excursions into the “normal” world, everything was prepared so that he young, healthy and happy people just saw. It grew, the young prince approached in his luxury world, enjoying life, married and had a son.

This lasted until his 29th Year, when he tours the dark side of life met in secret. On three consecutive days, he saw a very sick man, an old man and a dead man. What you might otherwise be used very gradually, quite unprepared to meet him and shook him deeply. He suddenly had to understand that worldly pleasures, beauty, strength, youth and transient caused. He then went back to his palace, but nothing could please him more, and he was looking for a way out.

The next day he made another experience that should shape his life. He saw a man with a happy, contented face sitting in deep meditation and realized that real freedom is found in his own mind only. To penetrate this insight, he seemed in his social life impossible, and he decided to leave his life Prince. He cut his long hair, the sign of his noble descent, moved out into the woods and studied with many teachers of his time. Although he learned quickly and often surpassed his teacher, it was beyond their methods of limited, transient experiences lead no. For six years he devoted himself to asceticism.

Carried by the deep desire for enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, he had no possibility that could bring him closer to the goal. He concluded it with a group of five ascetics in the forests at present living in Bodhgaya. After all the pleasures of the body and senses had experienced as a prince, he now believed, sensory impressions are an obstacle and its suppression leads to greater mental clarity. He practiced in complete denial and would have starved to death almost here. Finally, he saw, however, that asceticism is not only the body but also his spirit weakened and brought him no closer to the goal. This experience was another turning point in his life – his move away from the extremes.

After Siddhartha had to come back forces, he sat in the shadow of the famous Bodhi tree and vowed not to leave again until this point he realized level of experience would have an absolute. He sat for six days and nights in deep meditation. His burial was so unshakable that neither external nor internal distractions could disturb him. In the dawn of the seventh day, the full moon in May, he became at the age of 35 years, the enlightenment and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. Tibetan Sangye called on, it means that complete cleaning of all the veils of ignorance (Sang) and complete development of all the spirit inherent properties (Gye). The Earth “as a witness for the setting of the causes of his enlightenment” call, he touched with the fingertips of his right hand the ground. As a statue, it is often this Erdberuhrungsgeste shown in, the symbol for the Buddha’s compassion, and wisdom based activities for the benefit of living beings and complete enlightenment – the experience of fearless, joyful and loving space of the mind.

Only seven weeks Buddha remained in meditation under the Bodhi tree. For him it was either give up something to gain something. “The highest pleasure is the highest truth,” it says in the Diamond Way teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.

In the forest near Benares (Varanasi) he met his former fellow practitioners, the five ascetics. They did not like him more and insulted him that he would become secular. As she approached, but were attracted by his charisma and understood that something special was happening with him. They were curious, asked him for explanations, and Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths as the basis, path and goal of liberation and enlightenment.

More and more developed the Buddha Dharma, Buddhist teaching. Already in the first three months while he was staying in the forest of Benares, the community grew to its students, the Sangha, approaching rapidly. Unusually for the period was its composition across all levels of the people, ‘merchants and beggars were kings of the Buddha’s disciples. The caste system had no meaning in the Sangha.

From now on, Buddha took 45 years teaching through northern India, usually surrounded by accompanying students. Several centers, it became obvious where he frequently stayed and teachings were special. The forest of Varanasi is especially with the lessons of the “first cycle” connected, from which emerged the historical schools of the Theravada. At the “vulture hill” in Rajgir, he was above all the teachings of the Great Way of Compassion and Wisdom (second cycle), in Shravasti (in the Kingdom of Magadha) and Vaishali finally the Diamond with the statements about the nature of the Spirit (third cycle).

Although Buddha and his disciples never did missionary work, teaching the new spread rapidly in northern India. The spread was the picture: Where is one that trip, the swans “in the sense of supply and demand freedom.” Of course, the new movement of religious hostility and envious as well as by those who feared social revolution. Finally, the Buddha accepted the caste system and took no women nuns in the religious community than, and he also corresponded with his statements about cause and effect (karma) for many means the claim of “political correctness”.

The rainy seasons spent Buddha and his disciples in seclusion with intensive meditation practice, while the other times of the year and teaching activities were used for travel. In 45 years he was teaching 84 000, in 108 volumes of Kanjur are delivered today. When the Buddha at the age of 80 years in the small village Kushinagara-not far from his birthplace – night of full moon in May, one died, to food poisoning his last words were to be in, “Now happy I die can instruction. I have not a single kept in a closed hand. All that will profit you, I have already given. “And last of all: “nothing to me, because I only Buddha, but I shall consider your equal. Experience Believe be your own light.”

After Buddha’s death his teachings were collected in the Council of Rajgir.

Realized 500 practitioners gathered to the previously recalled often in verse and teachings write powers. Sun Sutra begins each with the words “Thus have I heard it …” and called the place of introduction, the audience, occasion and circumstances of the instruction.

In this way, the Buddha was preserved for the future of teaching. The teachings of the Great Way of the Diamond Way and at that time were not yet published, because they were advanced students destined for. They were largely orally transmitted by the practitioner.