2. Noble Birth: He was born into a royal family, with his father being King Suddhodana and his mother Queen Maya.
3. Early Life: Siddhartha lived a sheltered life in the palace, shielded from the outside world's suffering and hardships.
4. The Four Sights: At the age of 29, he encountered the "Four Sights" - an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a wandering ascetic. These
experiences led him to reflect on the nature of human existence.
5. The Great Departure: Siddhartha renounced his princely life and embarked on a spiritual quest to find the solution to human suffering.
6. The Enlightenment: After years of meditation and asceticism, Siddhartha achieved enlightenment, becoming the Buddha, which means "the
awakened one." This event is traditionally believed to have occurred under a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India.
7. The Middle Way: Buddha taught the Middle Way, a path between extreme asceticism and indulgence, as the way to attain enlightenment.
8. The Four Noble Truths: Buddha's teachings are summarized in the Four Noble Truths, which address the nature of suffering, its origin, its
cessation, and the path to end suffering.
9. The Eightfold Path: This path consists of ethical and mental guidelines that lead to spiritual awakening and liberation from suffering.
10. Spread of Buddhism: Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching his principles to followers known as monks and nuns, and Buddhism spread
throughout India and beyond.
11. Death: Buddha passed away at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, India. This event is known as his Parinirvana, representing his final liberation from the
cycle of birth and death (samsara).
12. Influence: Buddhism has had a profound impact on philosophy, ethics, and culture in Asia and beyond, with various schools and traditions
emerging over the centuries.
13. Symbols: The Dharma Wheel and the Lotus Flower are common symbols associated with Buddhism.
14. Three Jewels: Buddhists take refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Sangha (the community of monks and
nuns).
15. Secular Philosophy: Buddhism is often considered both a religion and a philosophical system, as it does not necessarily require belief in a deity.