THE FIGURE WE KNOW as the Buddha was a T real person, Siddhartha Gautama. He lived and he died, as all humans do. He was not a god or born of a god. But his discoveries about how we experience reality are practical, profound, and groundbreaking, and over the ages, people have felt compelled to share his discoveries with others. People have also told and retold the intriguing story of how he came to make those discoveries.
It’s important to keep in mind as we explore the Buddha’s biography that, as with all stories, the person telling it tends to emphasize the aspects that speak to him or her and disregard aspects that don’t. In this way, over time, the Buddha’s story has become more myth than fact. Yet this doesn’t mean we can’t be inspired and moved by his life and discoveries. Myth can contain powerful spiritual truths.
There are aspects of the Buddha’s biography that highlight his humanness, and for many people it’s these aspects that fuel their devotion to following in his footsteps. After all, if the Buddha was an ordinary human being, that surely means other ordinary humans can attain liberation. Ultimately, the Buddha taught that everyone has the inherent potential to become a buddha, regardless of their race, class, social standing, or gender.
The Buddha’s life story and teachings can inspire us to look deep within our own minds and remove the perceptions clouding and distorting how we experience the world. Whether we regard it as a religion,
