Who was the Buddha?

 

***The word 'Buddha' means 'enlightened one' or 'awakened one'. The person who became a Buddha was Siddhattha Gotama who was born in what was then a part of Northern India (present -day Nepal) in or around the sixth century BCE. The traditional story describes him as a prince who became discontented with his life of pleasure when he began to realize that it would pass and that life was subject to old age, sickness and death. Consequently, he left his home and family and spent six years searching for enlightenment. To achieve this, he starved his body and undertook other activities hoping that he would find an ultimate answer to the mysteries of life. At the end of these six years, he realized that the methods he was using were not working. So, he went back to eating properly again, thinking that it was important that he looked after his body enough to maintain health and vigor. And then, one day, he sat under a tree and began to meditate, determined to win enlightenment or die. Before he arose once again from that spot, Gotama Siddhattha had become an enlightened being - a Buddha.
Someone once asked the Buddha, 'Are you a God?". He replied "No, I'm awake!"