Gautama Buddha is a legendary example of Self-abnegation. Buddha was born into an aristocratic family but he preferred to live a life of wanderer and sought for nirvana.
King Suddhodana, father of Siddhartha Gautama tried to confine him in palatial palace, shrouded with intricate Earthy pleasures. Exquisite jewellery, garish clothes, delicious cuisines, royal servants were available to disposal of Siddhartha but the young prince was least interested in illusions. Siddhartha was appalled to learn about harsh realities of life such as consequences of ageing, body’s vulnerability to diseases and devastated to learn about eternal truth of life – the death. However, the young prince was smitten to note divine radiance present on the face of an ascetic who had renounced public life. Subsequently, Gautama discarded comfort and grandeur to attain salvation; he adopted the path of penance and meditation in his quest of eternal peace.
After attaining enlightenment, Gautama emphasized in one of his sermon – “This materialistic world is comparable to a prison; most of us are trapped in the vicious circle of joy, happiness, lust, grief and sorrow.” Buddha further said – desire and bonding debilitate human capacities; human beings pursue joy and prosperity but it is their attempt to get rid of sorrow.
People from all walks of life began approaching Buddha and begged for his patronage. The enlightened Gautama was an ocean of compassion; he was a preacher of nonviolence, peace and emphasised that luxury is momentary. The aura of divine Buddha was evident when he successfully transformed the personality of Angulimala, a cold-blooded serial killer. Buddha stressed upon spiritual progress and urged his followers to recognise the significance of life.
Lord Gautama Buddha is appropriately referred as the “Light of Asia”. For prolonged period, almost forty-five years, Buddha travelled in the plains of Ganges propagating spiritualism. He suggested the divine path of nirvana to humans, still relevant in the twenty-first century. Nirvana means extinguishing the fire of desire, hatred, vengeance and ignorance which allows human soul to get independence from the endless cycle of rebirth and suffering. Buddha always taught his disciplines to adhere with principle of nonviolence and sanctify mind from evil thoughts.
The mortal body of Siddhartha Gautama does not exist today but the vibrant doctrine left behind by this spiritual guru in the form of colossal legacy continue to enlighten us. He is rightly regarded and revered as the savior of the human race. Buddha served the entire mankind without an iota of selfishness and offered panacea for treating miseries of life.