![]() Those which supported orthodox Hindu thought were known as astika (“there exists”), and those which rejected the Vedas and the Hindu construct were known as nastika (“there does not exist”). Many schools of thought arose at this time in response to this need. Although the Buddha's solution to the problem was unique, most religious seekers at this time were engaged in the search for a way to obtain freedom from suffering and repeated death. Fear of death was an especially acute problem, because death was seen as an unending series of deaths and rebirths. The main concern dominating religious thought and practice at the time of the Buddha was the problem of suffering and death. Koller comments:įrom a religious perspective, new ways of faith and practice challenged the established Vedic religion. The Hindu priests of the time defended the faith, which included the caste system, as part of the divine order but, as new ideas began to circulate, more people questioned whether that order was divine at all when all it seemed to offer was endless rounds of suffering. It was also understood that the soul would be incarnated in physical bodies multiple times, over and over, until one finally attained this liberation. It was understood that the human soul was immortal and that the goal of life was to perform one's karma (action) in accordance with one's dharma (duty) in order to break free from the cycle of rebirth and death ( samsara) and attain union with the oversoul ( atman). He therefore followed the example of the religious ascetic, tried different teachers and disciplines, and finally attained enlightenment through his own means and became known as the Buddha (“awakened” or “enlightened” one). He understood that the life he was living guaranteed he would suffer and, further, that all of life was essentially defined by suffering from want or loss. Through these signs, he realized that he, too, could become sick, would grow old, would die, and would lose everything he loved. One day (or over the course of a few) he slipped through his father's defenses and saw what Buddhists refer to as the Four Signs: His father, fearing he would become the latter if he were exposed to the suffering of the world, protected him from seeing or experiencing anything unpleasant or upsetting for the first 29 years of his life. According to Buddhist texts, a prophecy was given at Siddhartha's birth that he would become either a powerful king or great spiritual leader. ![]()
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