Sakyamuni and Buddhist Art -Sequel I
He bathed in the Nairan River, resumed normal meals and went to sit in meditation under a bodhi tree. After four years of strenuous contemplation he finally felt enlightened, realizing the cause of human sufferings and how to eliminate them. Thus, he became the completely self-awakened Buddha and a saint. He began to preach to his companions at the Deer Park near Benares. Then he traveled around India sharing his insights with people, organizing groups of monks to help spread Buddhism. Since his ideas suited the needs of the slave owners in ancient Indian society, Sakyamuni was accepted and warmly echoed wherever he went. His influence continued to grow until he was worshipped as the supreme Buddha (Illuminatus). He was about 80 when he died in Kusinara City.
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Buddhism emerged in ancient India between the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. Its founder was Sakyamuni. It is said that Sakyamuni was the son of King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu in ancient northern India (near Dilolaket in southern Nepal). He was educated in strict Brahminism from childhood, but at the age of 29, dissatisfied with the Brahmin faith and confused about human life, the prince left his father's palace, underwent many hardships and went to practice austerity by the Nairan River in Magadha. He wore sackcloth to let the prickly fabric scratch his skin. By eating just one grain of rice a day, he tried to deny worldly pleasure in the hope that physical torture would purify his mind. After a period of such self-denial, Sakyamuni was starved to the bone and almost died. Still dissatisfied with what he found, Sakyamuni decided to abandon extreme asceticism.
