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In vedic language 'sanskrit', Lumbini means 'The lovely'. It is a holy Buddhist pilgrimage situated in kapilvastu district of western Terai region of Nepal. "Siddhartha Gautama" The Lord Buddha was born in May of 642 B.C. in this place. He took birth as the prince of the kingdom ruled by his father King Suddhodhana and mother, queen Mayadevi. Buddha was born when Mayadevi was on the way to her parents home at Devdaha. "Siddhartha Gautama" later in his youth left the palace along with his wife and son and went away in search of knowledge.





 He visited several places of India including Bodh gaya, Kushinagar and Sarnath. He is believed to have gained 'The light of Knowledge' after a long and continuous meditation under a Bodhi tree at Bodh gaya. His principles and thoughts about life gave rise to a different religion, Buddhism which is one of the great religion of present world. 
Considering the importance of Lumbini, it has been listed under the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. It is now been conserved and developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage.
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The birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini is a garden situated at the bases of Himalayas forming the Northern fence of Nepal. The garden mainly consists of a number of temples including the Mayadevi temple and The Holy pond(Puskarini), the Ashoka pillar and garden consisting mainly Peepal trees (Ficus religiosa) and Bar(Ficus bengalensis) trees. 
It is located at Kapilvastu district of Lumbini zone of western Terai.
Its position on the globe is:
N27 28 08 E83 16 34. It lies about 25 km east to Municipality of Kapilvastu. The location is not extremely easy to reach. For pilgrims it is more convenient to reach the Gautam Buddha Airport at Bhairahawa directly from capital city Kathmandu from where 22 km west makes the way to Lumbini







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At the ages of Buddha Lumbini was a park situated between Devdaha and Kapilvastu and was owned by Shakyans and Kolia dynasties. The park was then known as "Rummindei". 
According to 'Sutta Nipata'(vs.683) Siddhartha Gautama "Buddha" was born in a village of Shakyans in Lumbineyya Janapada. He was born on the way of his mother's visit to her parents home Devdaha in the month of May of 563 B.C. There on the way, Mayadevi feeling the intense labour pains, grabbed on a hold of branches of a peepal tree and gave birth to child Siddhartha Gautam, is been shown in carvings in Lumbini, which still persists. The future Buddha borned is said to have announced "This birth is my final rebirth" as he entered the world. It is believed that he walked immediately after his birth and took seven steps, and under each step bloomed a lotus flower. The Buddha stayed in Lumbini Vana during his visit to Devdaha later and there preached the Devdaha Sutta.
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The Indian Buddhist Emperor Ashoka visited lumbini in about 249 B.C. and constructed four stupas and a stone pillar which still stands today near the Mayadevi Temple. Ashoka's pillar has inscriptions written in ancient 'pali' script which on transliteration states:
"King Piyadasi (Ashoka) beloved of the devas(Gods) in the 20 year coronation himself made a Royal visit, Buddha Shakyamuni having been born here, A stone railing was built and stone pillar erected to the Bhagavan(Blessed one or god) having been born here. Lumbini village was taxed reduced and entitled to the eight part(only)".



A huge complex of monastries & stupas were erected on the site by followers of Buddha and Ashoka. This building series of monastries and temples continued long time, almost until the 9th century. Later than it Buddhism declined due to the disturbances and influence of Islam and Hinduism. The ancient great garden of Lumbini then slowly started to sink onto the depth of dust and soil and almost disappeared for centuries though was still being visited by few great pilgrims.
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The grounded site of Lumbini was uncovered from earth's crust almost after 10 centuries of being dismantled or buried. It was re-discovered in 1895, when a German Archaeologist, Feuhrer come upon The Ashoka's pillar, identified by its inscriptions. Soon after that Nepali Archaeologists started excavation and research. 
But this visit of the German Archaeologist is not the only basis for the re-discovery of Lumbini Garden. Many of the Chinese and Nepali pilgrims had visited and had made an attempt for rediscovering and revealing the ancient Land of Buddha being buried in the past time.
Chinese pilgrim Fa Hsien (Fa Xian) visited Lumbini in 403 A.D., he found the monastries abandoned and the city of Kapilvastu in ruins. After 200 years of his visit another chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang described 1000 derelict monastries and Ashoka's pillar had been shattered by thunders and lightening and were dismantled on ground.
In spite of being buried the Holy Land Lumbini was not entirely forgotten. The Nepali King, Ripu Malla made a pilgrimage here in 1312, he possibly left a nativity statue that is still worshipped in Mayadevi Temple. 
   






At the end of 14th century the Mughal invaders arrived the region and destroyed the remainings 'pagan' monuments both at Kapilvastu & Lumbini. The whole region now completely returned to wilderness and sites were lost to Humanity until the German Archaeologist arrived in 1895. 
Khadga Sumsher, the Governer of palpa began excavation of Ashoka pillar in 1896, with Nepali Archaeologists and discovered the great stone at the site attributed to Ashoka. Some scholars believed that the monuments were built above the old monuments, which still persists under them. The main attraction of Lumbini, the Mayadevi temple was discovered after this excavation which locates the exact birth place of Siddhartha Gautama. The records name by chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site.

Understanding the religious, cultural, architectural and traditional importance of Lumbini, being the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the sacred area of Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religion it has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997 under the criteria (iii) and (vi). Its remains contains evidence of the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from early period. Now its being conserved and developed according to a masterplan propounded by a Japanese monk by Nepal government , dozens of trusts, International Communities and the whole Buddhist community around the worl
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After the death of the Buddha Lumbini became an important site for Buddhist pilgrims near and far a continuous flow of who came with faith and devotion, seeking peace and the purification of their minds.
There is no evidence or records mentioning visits made by any high authorities before the 3rd century BC. The religious complex has yielded cultural deposits belonging to that century, while ample archaeological finds from the village mound of Lumbini date back to the 7 1h Wh century BC. 
The 3rd century BC is a landmark era in the history of Lumbini. The conversion of Emperor Asoka after the massacre and bloodshed in the devastating battle of Kalinga (present-day Orissa state in India) was a milestone in the history of Buddhism. 





The patronage of a great and powerful emperor provided a strong stimulus to the spread of Buddhism. Among many other things, Emperor Asoka, in exhibition of his intense devotion to the Buddhist faith, instituted dharma-yalras ('state pilgrimages to hallowed Buddhist places') to replace Whara-yatras ('pleasure tours'). Evidence of such pilgrimages can still be seen in the inscriptions on pillars in Lumbini, Niglihawa and Gotihawa (though the pillar in Gotihawa is now broken, and its upper part missing). 
Emperor Asoka took great interest in the well-being of the Buddhist Sangha and undertook measures to safeguard it against schisms. The Calcutta-Bairat rock edict (an inscription of Asoka) shows that he recommended the study of certain Buddhist texts to monks and laymen alike, and advised tolerance and understanding in matters of religion. He erected memorial columns in different parts of the land and inscribed on them simple rules of morality, such as loving-kindness to man and beast, truthfulness and respect towards elders, care for the destitute and nonacquisitiveness. He is also credited with having built throughout his vast empire stupas enshrining the relies -of the Buddha and with having appointed a special class of officers, called dharmamahamatras, to propagate righteousness among the people. 
Under the auspices of Asoka a third Buddhist council of Theravadins held in Pataliputra led to the compilation of the Kathavastu, and it is said that after this council ended Asoka sent missionaries in different directions as far as Macedonia, Syria and Egypt in the west and Ceylon in the south to propagate the Buddhist doctrines. It is even believed that his son and daughter (Mahindra and Sangharnitra) went to Ceylon to preach the law of the Buddha. 
Asoka's pious activities also led to the formation of schools of art, their main concern being in propagating and popularising the Buddhist religion through artwork. His noble examples were followed by the rulers who succeeded him. In fact, the history of Buddhism from the days of Asoka is intimately linked with that of Buddhist art (P.D., 308:1956).

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About Ashoka Pillar
During his pilgrimages, Indian Emperor Asoka left behind monuments to propagate Dharma at every place he visited from north to south and east to west. According to Buddhist literature, he is said to have built 84,000 stupas. In Lumbini, he erected a pillar with the following inscription to commemorate his visit. 


Devanapiyena piyadasina lajina visativasabhisitena
atana agacha mahiyite hida Budhe jate Sakyamuniti
silavigadab ca kalapita silathabhe cha usapapite
hida Bhagavam Lumminigame ubalike kate
athabhhagiya cha (Roman script, Pandey, 39.-1962). (PI.70)



The translation of the inscription given above made by the Department of Archaeology of H.M.G. Nepal is as follows: 


King Piyadasi (Asoka) the beloved of Devas in the twentieth year of the coronation himself made a royal visit; Buddha Sakyamuni having been born here, a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected. The Bhagavan having been born here, Lumbini Village was tax-reduced and entitled to the eighth part (only). (Pl. # 7 1) 

Twenty years after his coronation, King Priyadasi, the beloved of god, visited Lumbini in person and offered worship there because the Buddha, the sage of the Sakyas, was born there. He built a stonewall around the place and erected the stone pillar to commemorate his visit. Because Lord Buddha was born there, he made the village of Lumbini free from taxes and subject to pay only one-eighth of the produce as land revenue instead of the usual rate (Sircar, 69:1967). 

Opinions differ widely on the meaning of silavigadabhica. Hultzsch and Charpentier thought it denoted a stone bearing a horse. Dr. Bliandarkar, following Ramakrishna and Fleet, renders the passage as follows: "He caused a huge stone wall to be made." Prof. Mookerji adopts a suggestion of Dr. Barua and renders the passage thus: "A stone bearing a figure was caused to be constructed" (Bhattacharya, 59:1960). 

From the inscription of the Lumbini pillar we can conclude that Asoka showed his respect for the Buddha by the following acts: 

Personally visiting the place and worshipping it, Constructing a stone wall surrounding the exact site of the nativity, Erecting a stone pillar with a suitable inscription to mark the place as worthy of commemoration by stating it's significance, and Exempting pilgrims visiting the place from all religious taxes and reducing the royalty payment on the produce of the village of Lumbini to one-eighth only, 

These taxes are explained by Bliandarkar 'as religious cesses paid by pilgrims at certain holy places, such as Dwaraka in Kathiawar, where even today the practice exists, based on his observation of the Indian customs. Assuming that such cesses were prevalent in Lumbini, he believes that Asoka abolished them to spare unnecessary hardship to his co-religionists visiting Lumbini, the most sacred firtha for Buddhists'


Barua notes that the interpretation of the passage "hida Bhagavam jateti Lumminigame ubalike kate - athabhagiya ca", causes some difficulty, especially with the word ubalike, (Skt. udvalika), i.e 'free from bali or tax'. It seems to indicate that Lumbini was exempted from the prevalent tax rate of one-sixth or one-fourth noted by classical authors and made to pay a nominal tax of one-eighth only (Chattopadhyaya, 131:1977). 

Bliandarkar shares Thomas's view that bali meant religious cesses and not simple taxes, so that Asoka exempted Buddhist pilgrims visiting the birthplace of the Buddha from the pilgrims' tax that they were presumably required to pay elsewhere. 

Hultzsch's interpretation, mentioned above, undoubtedly leads to a contradiction: the village of Lumbini could not have been freed from taxes and required at the same time to pay a one-eighth share of the produce. Hultzsch's explanatory note ("in the case of the village of Lumbini, bureaucracy prevailed against charity") reflects no credit on the personality of the king, and therefore Bliandarkar's interpretation has held the field (Bhattacharya, 59-60:1960). 

The reduction of tax in Lumbini village, further, reveals the extent of Asoka's empire. Raychaudhuri believes that the inscriptions at Kalsi and on the Rummindei (Lumbini) and Nigalisagar pillars prove the inclusion of what is now Deharadun District and the Terai within the limits of Asoka's empire. The inclusion of the Himalayan region within Asoka's empire is demonstrated by Rock Edict XIII, which refers to the Nabhapamtis of Nabhaka, probably identical with the Na-pei-kea (present day Gotihawa) of Fa-hsien, the birthplace of Krakuchchhanda Buddha about 10 miles south or south-west of Kapilavastu (Raychauhduri, 193:1927). 

Chattopadhyaya supports the views of Raychaudhuri, concluding that; the inclusion of a good portion of the Himalayan area is proved by the inscription in Asoka's Rummindei pillar in the vicinity of the village of Parariya and the inscriptions in the Nigalisagar pillar near the village of Nigliva, both of which show that the Nepalese Terai region was within the northem part of Asoka's empire. The first pillar marks the spot where the Buddha was bom, and the second contains a stupa with the relics of Kanakamuni (Chattopadhyaya, 118:1977). 

Though it is clear that Emperor Asoka used the pillar as a religious tool to propagate the Dharma, there are no historical records on the number of stone pillars erected by him, and many of them have been destroyed or lost track of in a span of 2,230 years and many others probably still waiting to be discovered. Some I I to 12 have been discovered at various places to date (Tuladhar, 57:1995) among which three are in Nepal, being located in Lumbini, Niglihawa and Gotihawa. 

According to John Irwin, out of a total of at least 40 Asokan pillars were known to have once existed, the remains of only about 20 are now traceable, many of them in fragments and so of little help to the art historian (Irwin, 706:1973). (Skt. # 4) 

The most interesting Asokan pillars are some exquisite columns with inscriptions in the Kharosthi script found lying around quarries located in Uttar Pradesh that are still in operation. They were discovered quite accidentally by Prof. P.C. Pant and Dr. Vidula Jayaswal of Banaras Hindu University when working at burial sites which date from 800 BC. Thus the source of the raw material for Mauryan sculptures is now known, along with the means of transporting it (both had been an enigma to archaeologists and airt historians). Even the local people importance of the pillar-like blocks of stone with inscriptions only after the study by Banaras Hindu University. 

After extraction from the earth, the sandstone slabs were chiselled into cylindrical or circular shapes and rolled down the hill to rafts on the river Ganga. The rounded sandstone blocks can be found in the riverbed, where they were partly submerged, and in the valleys surrounding the Chunar Hills (near Baragaon village in the hills south of the Chunar railway station in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh, India). 

The sculptures, stupas, railings of stupas and doorways of the Mauryan period were fashioned from sandstone. All 40 Asokan pillars found in different parts of the country were also found to be made from Chunar sandstone. The shafts of the pillars were monolithic, with the carved heads added separately (Rai, 5:1990). 

The three Asokan pillars found in the Terai of Nepal were erected by Emperor Asoka to commemorate the 20th year of his coronation. The pillars in Lumbini and Niglihawa still bear the inscriptions, but the one in Gotihawa lacks its upper part, which probably contained an inscription.
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The rich cultural heritage of Lumbini seems to have continued after the visit of Emperor Asoka. Religious monuments, including monasteries and stupas, are the important remains bearing witness to building activities. The big square stupas seen to the east and west of the Maya Devi temple date back to the 2 d century BC, the eastern stupa containing 16 small terra-cotta tablets. The monastery blocks, probably for residential and meditational use, date from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD. The upper walls of the Maya Devi temple were raised on top of the 3rd century BC structures-evidence of different phases of construction from that time on. 

Coins of Sunga, Kushana and several other periods have been collected from the excavation among which the punch-marked coins are most striking. 

Aniong numerous male and female terracotta figurines found in Lumbini, the most significant is the one depicting the head of the Buddha set within a frame. Around the head is a plain halo that is round at the top but seemingly elliptical at the bottom. The lips are full, as in the Gupta tradition, and can be dated to about the 7'h century AD (Mitra, 201:1972 fig.cxxiii). (Pl. # 74) 

Another terra-cotta sculpture, also thought to be of the Gupta period, shows the slim, graceful body of the Bodhisattva in a transparent dress, his right hand raised in the protection pose. His elongated face features a straight nose, smooth cheeks and thick lips depressed at the corners (Rijal, 15:1976-78 fig.8). (Pl. # 75) 

A terra-cotta Dharmachakra with 32 spokes found on the eastern side of Maya Devi temple is considered to be part of a larger panel. Among other elements of the panel are two animals, one possibly representing a bull and the other a deer (Rijal, 16:1976-78 fig.7b). (Pl. # 76) 

The most remarkable piece of antiquity, and the most splendid relief, of Lumbini Garden is the nativity sculpture depicting Maya Devi under a tree grasping a branch with her right hand, and with her left hand resting on her hip. This is the earliest and the best of all nativity reliefs so far discovered in the subcontinent. The queen's waist is held by Prajapati, her sister, to her right. The far right of the panel shows the Figures of Brahma and Indra, wearing conical crowns, standing in devotion before he queen to receive the divine child, as narrated in Buddhist literature. At the bottom A the panel is the defaced standing figure of Gautama a halo around his head between Indra and Maya Devi (Pandey, 35:1986). 

Mukherji believes that this panel, an excellent example of ancient art, bears a style of workmanship generally associated with the time of Asoka, it being similar in material and contour to the Yaksha doorkeepers of Pataliputra (Patna) of the Mauryan period (Mukherji, 37:1969). 

V. S. Agrawala believes the work to be a Kusana period replica of an original figure commissioned by Asoka (Agrawala, 162-163:1965), while D. Mitra believes it to be stylistically ascribable to the Gupta period (Mitra, 198:1972). 

Mishra has given a detailed description of this panel and considers it to be one of the most natural depictions of the birth scene in Buddhist art. 

Other details seen in the panel include Maya Devi's curly hair and her ear lobes. A pair of heavy solid round anklets adorn her feet. The dress and other details of the body are lost because the upper layer of stone has flaked. An impression of her lower garment can be gathered from a slanted band of stone across her left thigh and right knee. Maya Devi has been depicted as the tallest and most prominent figure. To her left is Gautami Prajapati (her sister and the second queen of King Suddhodana), holding Maya Devi's waist in an active pose of rendering service to her sister. The infant Siddhartha, with a round halo (prabhamandala) behind his head, is standing on a platform in front of Prajapati and Brahma (the creator of this universe in the Hindu mythology). Brahma, exhibiting his typical head ornaments, is shown slightly bent towards Maya with outstretched hands to receive the newly bom baby. The platform on which the infant Siddhartha stood may have featured two rows of lotus flowers called padma-asana. The last figure on the left of the panel is Indra, wearing a crown and ear ornament and standing attentively next to Maya Devi (Mishra, 3:1990). (Pl. # 77) 

This sculpture seems to be free-standing, and this was noticed while shifting it to the new temple in 1993. At the bottom of the panel there is a stone shaft that probably was fixed to the base. There should thus be a base stone having a hole in the centre, to support the statue stand. 

The panel currently stands freely on a shaft with a height of 0.25 m and width of 0.39 in that used to be fixed to its base stone (Skt. # 10) 
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The Maya Devi Shrine complex is the heart of all monuments at this holy site. The complex also bears the testimony of several layers of construction over the centuries. The main object of worship here is the nativity sculpture. The restored Maya Devi temple was reopened on May 16, 2003 on the 2547th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Government of Nepal and LDT jointly restored the temple. The ground floor consists of the remains of the foundations of the early Maya Devi Temple that dates back to 3rd century BC. The sanctum sanatorium is the birth spot of the Lord Buddha.





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Lumbini changed into a religious site soon after the Mahaprinirvana of Lord Buddha. A monastic site evolved around the sacred spot of Buddha's birth. The birth-spot being the most holy point in the whole of the holy land of Lumbini drew the attention of generous devotees who erected structures to pay homage to the great Mast. These constrictions were of religious nature. Along the religious complex, a civic settlement also sprang up to meet the growing need of the religious community visiting or living in the holy complex.
The image of Maya Devi, also known as the Nativity sculpture dated back to 4th century AD, depicts Maya Devi, holding the branch of a tree with her right hand for support. Next to her Gautami Prajapati, her own sister, in supporting posture in the time of delivery is standing. The newly born prince Siddhartha is standing upright on a lotus pedestal, with two celestial figures receiving him
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The Puskarini or Holy Pond: 
Close by the Asokan Pillar on the southern side is the holy pond, the Puskarini, believed to be the holy pond in which Maya Devi took bath just before giving birth to the Lord Buddha. It is also the site where the infant prince Siddhartha was given his first purification bath. The pond has terraced steps and is riveted by beautifully layered bricks.
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Nepalese and internationals Monasteries/Vihara representing different architecture and culture of Buddhist countries and Buddhist organizations are other attractions of Lumbini. The Monasteries of Royal Thai (Thailand), Chinese Monastery (China), Vietnam Phat Quoc Tu (Vietnam), Mahabodhi Society of Kolkotta (India), International Nun's Society (Nepal), The Great Lotus Stupa (Tara Foundation, Germany), Myanmar Monastery (Myanmar), Manang Sewa Samaj (Nepal), Linhson Monastery (France), Sokyao Temple (Japan), Geden International (Austria), Sri Lankan Monastery (Sri-Lanka), Korean Mahabodhi Society (South Korea), Dharmodhaya Sabha (Nepal), Drigung Kagyud Meditation Center (India), Cambodian Monastery (Cambodia) Panditarama Meditation Center (Myanmar), Vipasana Mediation Center (Nepal), Lumbini Museum, Lumbini International Research Institute, World Peace Pagoda, Eternal Peace Flame, Peace Bell and Crane Sanctuary add beauty and serenity to Lumbini.
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Date   Major Events Happened In Lumbini 
623 BC › Birth of Lord Buddha 
249 BC › Maurya Emperor Asoka visited to Lumbini and erected famous Asoka Pillar 
350-375 AD › Chinese Travelers Seng Tsai visit to Lumbini 
409 › Chinese Travelers Fa-hsien visit to Lumbini 
636 › Famous Chinese Travelers Hiuen Tsang visit to Lumbini 
1312 › Ripu Malla's visit to Lumbini 
1896 › Asokan Pillar discovered by Gen.Khadga Shumsher & Dr. A.A. Fuhrer 
1899 › P.C.Mukherji identified Nativity Sculpture and carried out an excavation of Mayadevi Temple 
1930 › Petition of Mahadan Upasak to Prime Minister for restoration work 
1932-39 › Extensive digging work by Kaisher Shumsher at Sacred Garden 
1956 › King Mahendra's proposal for development at the Fourth Assembly of World Federation of Buddhists 
1962 › Excavation work by Devela Mitra at the base of Asoka Pillar 
1967 › Secretary General of United Nations U.Thant's visit to Lumbini 
1970 › Formation of U.N.International Committee For Development Of Lumbini in U.N.Headquarters and establishment of Lumbini Development Committee (LDC) 
1972 › Responsibility awarded to Prof.Kenzo Tange for preparations of Master Plan 
1978 › Approval of Master Plan by HMG/Nepal and United Nations 
1979 › Secretary General of United Nations Kurt Waldeim visit to Lumbini 
1972-85 › Excavation by Department of Archeology Government of Nepal 
1985 › Lumbini Development Committee formed as Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) 
1989 › Secretary General of United Nations Javier Prezde Cuellar visit to Lumbini 
1993-96 › Excavation by LDT/DoA/Nepal and JBF (Japan Buddhist Federation) at Mayadevi Temple 
1996 › Marker Stone Found by LDT/DoA/Nepal & JBF (Pinpoints the exact birth spot of Lord Buddha) 
1997 › Lumbini enrolled in World Heritage Site by UNESCO 
1998 › The World Buddhist Summit held in Lumbini. 
2001 › The International Buddhist Conference held in Lumbini 
2003 › Restoration of Mayadevi Temple by Government of Nepal & LDT 
2003 › Reopened the restored Maya Devi Temple for the public for the first time on May 16, 2003 – 2547 birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. 
2004 › Second World Summit 
2005 › U.N.International Committee For Development Of Lumbini meeting in New
York USA.
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Main article: Buddhist philosophy


Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd century CE.Some scholars believe that some portions of the Pali Canon and the Agamas could contain the actual substance of the historical teachings (and possibly even the words) of the Buddha.[23][24] This is not the case for the later Mahayana sutras.[25] The scriptural works of Early Buddhism precede the Mahayana works chronologically, and are treated by many Western scholars as the main credible source for information regarding the actual historical teachings of Gautama Buddha.

Some of the fundamentals of the teachings of Gautama Buddha are:

The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an inherent part of existence; that the origin of suffering is ignorance and the main symptoms of that ignorance are attachment and craving; that attachment and craving can be ceased; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path will lead to the cessation of attachment and craving and therefore suffering. 
The Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. 
Dependent origination: that any phenomenon 'exists' only because of the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in a complex web of cause and effect covering time past, present and future. Because all things are thus conditioned and transient (anicca), they have no real independent identity (anatta). 
Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise. See the Kalama Sutta for details. 
Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things are impermanent. 
Dukkha (Sanskrit: duḥkha): That all beings suffer from all situations due to unclear mind. 
Anatta (Sanskrit: anātman): That the perception of a constant "self" is an illusion. 
However, in some Mahayana schools, these points have come to be regarded as more or less subsidiary. There is some disagreement amongst various schools of Buddhism over more esoteric aspects of Buddha's teachings, and also over some of the disciplinary rules for monks.

According to tradition, the Buddha emphasized ethics and correct understanding. He questioned the average person's notions of divinity and salvation. He stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant gods are subjected to karma themselves in decaying heavens; and the Buddha is solely a guide and teacher for the sentient beings who must tread the path of Nirvāṇa (Pāli: Nibbāna) themselves to attain the spiritual awakening called bodhi and see truth and reality as it is. The Buddhist system of insight and meditation practice is not believed to have been revealed divinely, but by the understanding of the true nature of the mind, which must be discovered by personally treading a
spiritual path guided by the Buddha's teachings.

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The Buddha travelled the plain of the Ganges river, where his philosophy attracted followers. 
The Great Departure. Gandhara, 2nd century. 
Prince Siddharta shaves his hair and become an ascetic. Borobudur, 8th century.At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace in order to meet his subjects. Despite his father's effort to remove the sick, aged and suffering from the public view, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. Disturbed by this, when told that all people would eventually grow old by his charioteer Channa, the prince went on further trips where he encountered, variously, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. Deeply depressed by these sights, he sought to overcome old age, illness, and death by living the life of an ascetic.


Siddhartha escaped his palace, accompanied by Channa aboard his horse Kanthaka, leaving behind this royal life to become a mendicant. It is said that, "the horse's hooves were muffled by the gods to prevent guards from knowing the Bodhisatta's departure. This event is traditionally called "The Great Departure". Siddhartha initially went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the street. Having been recognised by the men of King Bimbisara, Bimbisara offered him the throne after hearing of Siddhartha's quest. Siddhartha rejected the offer, but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha first, upon attaining enlightenment.







Siddhartha left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers. After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama (Skr. Ārāḍa Kālāma), Siddhartha was asked by Kalama to succeed him, but moved on after being unsatisfied with his practices. He then became a student of Udaka Ramaputta (Skr. Udraka Rāmaputra), but although he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness and was asked to succeed Ramaputta, he was still not satisfied with his path, and moved on.


Gandhara Buddha. 1st–2nd century CE, Tokyo National Museum.Siddhartha and a group of five companions led by Kaundinya then set out to take their austerities even further. They tried to find enlightenment through near total deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practising self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. Then, he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's plowing, and he had fallen into a naturally concentrated and focused state that was blissful and refreshing, the jhana.



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Siddhartha, destined to a luxurious life as a prince, had three palaces (for seasonal occupation) especially built for him. His father, King Śuddhodana, wishing for Siddhartha to be a great king, shielded his son from religious teachings or knowledge of human suffering. Siddhartha was brought up by his mother's younger sister, Maha Pajapati.[16]

As the boy reached the age of 16, his father arranged his marriage to Yaśodharā (Pāli: Yasodharā), a cousin of the same age. According to the traditional account, in time, she gave birth to a son, Rahula. Siddhartha spent 29 years as a Prince in Kapilavastu. Although his father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could want or need, Siddhartha felt that material wealth was not the ultimate goal of life.
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