Buddha
The Indian prince who walked away from a palace, sat under a tree until he understood why people suffer, and founded one of the world's major religions.
Origin
Siddhārtha Gautama (c. 563–483 BCE) was raised inside the walls of a royal compound in what is now Nepal, was shielded from sickness and death, and at twenty-nine slipped out, encountered them, and left his wife and son to seek the cause of suffering. After six years of extreme asceticism he sat under a Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya and reached enlightenment — the recognition that attachment causes suffering, and that the path out is the Eightfold Path. He spent the next forty-five years teaching across northern India. Buddhism spread along Indian trade routes to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and now globally — about 500 million practitioners.
Modern usage
In the West, 'very Buddha' or 'so zen' is the casual compliment for anyone radiating calm. Sitting cross-legged with eyes closed is the universal cartoon shorthand for meditation. Real Buddhist concepts — karma, mindfulness, the middle way, nirvana — have all entered ordinary English, usually drained of religious content.
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