One of the earliest instincts that people are instilled with is to avoid pain. It is just the nature of living things. People instinctively want to be happy. Some find this happiness temporarily through material goods and status, while others place more importance on being happy on the inside. The Buddhist teachings show this through its litany of mantras; that material wealth does no good and is not permanent. Being happy and content is far more important. These teachings begin with the history of Buddha.

Like any good story, the story of Buddha began long, long ago in a distant land. A prince named Siddhartha spent the majority of his life sheltered by the palace walls, as ordered by his father. But some things cannot be kept secret and eventually Siddhartha was exposed to the “Four Sights.” He witnessed human suffering in the form of an elderly man, a diseased man and a corpse. But he was also shown a holy man. This led Siddhartha to abandon his princely life and seek a way to end human suffering.

Buddhist studies teach that Siddhartha went on a spiritual journey. He spent forty-nine days in a state of meditation to discover enlightenment on ways to end human suffering and torment. His meditation retreat showed him the path to enlightenment and from that moment on he became the Buddha. The Buddhist practice began to spread as Buddha wanted more people to find happiness and joy in their lives, while also improving the lives of those around them.

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