Religious Studies 1022A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Gautama Buddha, Sannyasa, Middle Way
1 Apr 2019
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Document Summary
Developed as an alternative to the ritual-bound brahmanism of india in the 6th century bce. Salvation from suffering lies in our own efforts. In understanding how we create suffering for ourselves we can become free. Only founder religion (of the five we"ve learned) Born c. 563 bce as siddhartha gautama. Prince - son of wealthy landowner, a kshatriya chief, who tried to protect his son from the world. According to birth legends, born of miraculous conception. Sage foretold siddhartha would become either an ascetic or supreme monarch. An elephant approaches his mother and that is when she conceives of him, flowers fell from heaven, angels place him in golden net, and he begins walking and starts saying that he was born to be enlightened, etc. He lives very isolated but in luxury, he leaves palace for first time at 29 years old. At age of 29, siddhartha renounced life of wealth to become a wandering ascetic.
