Who is Shakyamuni Buddha?
He could no longer repress the resolve he felt to go out in search of a solution to the four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical founder of Buddhism, was born in India approximately 2500 years ago. Shakyamuni Buddha was the son of Shuddhodana, the king of the Shakyas, a small tribe whose kingdom was located in the foothills of the Himalayas south of what is now central Nepal fifteen miles from Kapilavastu. Shakya of Shakyamuni is taken from the name of this tribe and muni means sage or saint. His family name was Gautama (Best Cow) and his given name was Siddhartha (Goal Achieved). Seven days after his birth, his mother, Maya, died and he was raised by his mother’s younger sister Mahaprajapati. His mother’s death may have been a great influence upon the delicate youth who later became very perplexed by the question of mortality. His father took good care of his introspective, quiet-mannered son, and gave him special training in literature
