By: Kayla Falcinelli
The founder of Buddhism named Siddhartha Guatama was born into a life of extravagance in Northern India. He was the son of a warrior king who was the ruler of a kingdom located in Sakyas. A wise man predicted to the king, upon Guatama’s birth, that if Guatama did not become a great ruler he would become a religious leader. The King was not happy with this, and as a result of this prediction Guatama led a very sheltered life hidden away from the outside world.
After Guatama’s marriage he finally begged to be taken into a small town he had never visited. Since Guatama had never been outside his palace grounds, he was only aware of privileges and riches, and not of sickness and death. In total he made four trips to this town, and on the first trip he witnessed an old man dying of sickness. Guatama felt helpless, and suddenly his riches seemed insignificant.
The fourth and final trip to the town Guatama met a holy man who had given his life to pursue his religious beliefs. This influenced Guatama to sneak away from his kingdom. He set off on his great search to find enlightenment, and ways to end suffering that plague our world. This man’s journey led him to become the great Buddha.
Come see a follower of Buddhism, his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at Western Connecticut State University October 18th and 19th 2012. The public is invited to a free showing (video simulcast) in the Ives Concert Hall, 181 White St. To help promote this opportunity, WCSU students in the Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process Department's Advertising, Copywriting and Promotions class are writing this blog and they created a Twitter page.
