Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, Nepal, between the 4th and 6th centuries BC. He was born to the Sakya king Sudhodana, who reigned at Kapilavastu in ancient India, and Queen Maya. Seven days after Siddhartha's birth, however, his mother died, a holy man should have said that one of two great things would come from the newborn; he would grow up to be a great king or a military leader or he would be a great spiritual leader. After his mother's death, Buddha grew up in a wealthy family and lived an extravagant life. According to their beliefs, at the age of sixteen he married a girl named Yasodhara, with whom they had a son. During this time, his father had ordered him to live a life of seclusion to prevent his son from seeing the suffering of the world. Ignoring his father's wishes, the Buddha found that with experience and knowledge, peace and enlightenment filled the suffering and spiritual emptiness that many felt during his time and is now one of the greatest teachers of peace and patience. Until his twenties, the prince had little knowledge of the outside world. King Suddhodana paid a lot of attention to his son and made sure to cater to his every need so that he never had the urge to leave the castle walls. However, his son felt pain at the pleasures Stevens 2 was afforded to him in the palace. From a young age, Gautama was aloof and thoughtful. He was very concerned about the problems of humanity. Eventually the king allowed Siddhartha to make short visits to the cities. With his assistant at his side, Chaana, Siddhartha saw the four sights that would change his life. During his first visit he saw a white-haired old man dressed in rags. This surprised and… middle of the paper… was upset. The Buddha died in 543 BC and to this day many continue to practice his teachings of compassion through his name. Works Cited “BuddhaNet – Global Buddhist Information and Education Network.” BuddhaNet - Global Buddhist information and education network. Buddha Dharma Education Association Incorporated, January 1, 2008. Web. April 20, 2014. .Marrone, Kathryn Selig. "Life of the Buddha". In Heilbrunn's chronology of art history. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/buda/hd_buda.htm (October 2003)Boeree, George. "My webspace files." The files from my Web space. Shippensburg University, January 1, 1999. Web. April 20, 2014. .Lama, Dalai. The world of Tibetan Buddhism: an overview of its philosophy and practice. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995. Print.