Buddha Shakyamuni: Life Before The Industrial Revolution

Before Christ, before the industrial revolution, before any revolution at all there was a prince. He lived in a grand castle with all the jewels that one could ever want. Somehow that wasn’t enough for him and he left. Instead, He thought his days were better spent in the woods trying to find himself, trying to find spiritual peace. Once he did he spread the news to others that true happiness and satisfaction was obtainable. While spreading the news he gained followers who helped reach more and more people. Causing peace and harmony, fighting for injustice, fairness in all aspects of life. This man was Buddha Shakyamuni. When exactly was he around and who did he help, what did he teach and how do these teaching compare to Christianity, what
First, Buddhism and its history. Buddha’s full name is Buddha Shakyamuni. He is not a God. He was however a royal prince in Lumbini now known as Nepal, India around 624 B.C.. At the age of 29, he chose to live in solitude for six years. Buddha stayed in solitude until reaching nirvana also referred to as everlasting peace of the mind and body. Then began to teach it to others so that they too could become enlightened and peaceful. Through meditation, self knowledge and their own experiences more and more people became enlightened in Buddha’s way. Buddha not only taught others to become enlightened and peaceful but he also taught others about why religion started and continues. Religion by Buddha’s definition is to go from suffering to non-suffering (Budhipsaka). In Buddha’s lifetime he was able to help 85 thousand people and convert most of them to Buddhists from Hinduism while also showing them the way to enlightenment and to end suffering and if not end but postpone. Buddha and his people over the years have helped convert Untouchables from the caste system in India to practicing Buddhists. Buddhists have protested peacefully in other areas of the world due to the current and previous social injustices. There were times of
Contrary to belief, Buddhists do not have a God that they worship nor do they have a creation story as said by the Agganna Sutta. The Agganna Sutta is the Buddhists bible per say. Actually Buddha did not even contemplate the origin of the earth for according to him it was not what religion is about and should not concern others. People with no knowledge about the religion attempt to understand Buddhism believe that Buddha is their God because Buddhist temples have a statue of Buddha in them, however this is not the case. They are in fact idolizing him but not as a God, merely an inspiration. Compared to the Buddhists not having a creation story Christians believe that there is an almighty being they call God who created the whole world in one week, seven days. Compared to the Christian religion and it’s views they are almost polar opposites. Due to the Christians belief in their God only a mere 58% believe in the theory of evolution while 81% of Buddhists believe in the theory. Buddha states “Conjecture about the origin of the world is an un-conjectured that is not to be conjectured about. That would bring madness and vexation to anyone who conjectured about it” [Agganna Sutta]. Bertrand Russell supports this statement with, “There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to poverty of our thoughts.” Darwin’s theory consist of three key ideas. First, All living