Siddhartha Gautama's Role In Achieving Happiness

The Buddha, also referred to throughout Revealing World Religions and The Life of The Buddha as “enlightened one” is Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama was born in Nepal as a prince, but realized very early in his existence that his status and experiences would be unable to protect him from suffering or provide him with lasting happiness. He is often pictured or depicted as being in a contemplative state as illustrated by 12:05 in The Life of The Buddha during which he is shown watching a farmer plowing. The intense struggling of manual labor was not something he had witnessed before and Gautama had to part from the festivities to comprehend what had happened. This is one of the many instances at which Gautama sought retreat after viewing shocking …show more content…
Desire is unquenchable or it ends in tears” (14:8). This falls into the ideology discussed previously about Buddha’s princedom. His worldly possessions could do nothing for his happiness and would not spare him of experiencing suffering. He realized that always wanting more and existing through status was not a beneficial approach to life, and instead chose to embrace his surroundings. Dharma is a key concept in Buddhism and can be used as a term to represent “protection” and by practising Buddha’s teachings one can protect themselves from the suffering created by status, possessions, and desire. This interrelation of Buddhist thought continues throughout sangha. Sangha is the metaphorical and physical sense of community formed through Siddhartha Gautama’s teachings. Consisting of monks, nuns, novices, and laity, sangha is a community in which dharma is practiced to maintain awareness of the universe. In our Revealing World Religions course work, sangha is obtainable through recognition of Buddha’s teachings and and overruling theme of love, happiness, hope, and