Who was the Buddha?

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Dad went to find salvation from the cycle of re-birth and suffering is definitely a cooler story than going to buy a pack of cigarettes.

One crucial element to the Siddhartha Gautama origin story is that his parents received revelations that their son would become a great sage. So they purposefully kept Siddhartha sheltered and "in the dark" about the miseries of the world.

In the story about Siddhartha being sheltered, he also is sheltered for a reason. His parents were told by a sage that their son will be either the greatest king, or the greatest monk. His father was terrified of the prospect of his son leaving him, had ordered that all suffering was to be removed from the palace.

I think one of my favorite things about the Buddha's story is that he gave various teachers and paths a good go, but once he realized they weren't working for him, he tried something else instead of engaging in sunk cost fallacy. It's a good lesson about being self-aware enough to know that you have genuinely given something your best shot and it's okay to move on.

"...Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves." What! This is the most shocking part of the video!

I have a master's in Buddhist Studies. Throughout the video, I kept saying "Oh, I hope he mentions X" or "I hope he introduces some nuance about this issue" or "I hope he contrasts the academic and the traditional understanding of the Buddha's life" and each time you did. Of course, there are many more details and uncertainties of the life of the Buddha that you could have gone into, but for a short YouTube video, I think you did an excellent job. Also, if you plan do do a video on Theravada Buddhism, my area of specialty, I'll be happy to point you towards some resources and scholars of note :)

An important event in Siddhartas seeking, was when a milk maid, saw that he was weak from fasting, and gave him milk. This act of kindness changed his attitude, and he remembered when he fell naturally into a state of meditation as a child. So.he gave up extremes, like austerity, and discovered the Middle Way, between grasping and aversion

As a Therawada buddhist from Sri Lanka,i feel that you did a great job. Appreciate your effort in spreading religious literacy among the both religious and irreligious. Well done Andrew❤

I am a Theravada buddhist from Bangladesh.....I really appreciate all the research you do.....<3

there are so many low-effort, hyperbolic, clout-chasing, trend-hopping, insincere videos on Buddhism on youtube—modernist Buddhism for the algorithm. This is not one of those videos. Looking forward to the video on Pure Land.

Love this video! I was born and raised in a home of Buddhism (mainly) and Taoism beliefs . Grandma always taught me about Buddhism and even had dvd cartoon of the stories of Buddhism . They were very fond memories

As a Buddhit from Sri Lanka, this is a fantastic video! Just stumbled upon your channel +1 sub.

Buddha is a state of being, a way of life. Buddha is a way to free you from the material world. Buddhist teachings are so beautiful and are the foundation of my beliefs. All is empty. Namo Buddhaya ☸️

Wow Avatar the Last Air Bender took a lot of inspiration from Buddhism

The word “Buddha” itself makes me feel peaceful 🙏 The fact that he was not a god or any celestial being but just Human just like all of us makes it easy to connect with Buddhist philosophy

Very cool video. I live in Japan and have enjoyed observing Buddhism as practiced in Japan. It’s very different from the ideas talked about in this video, and is more than anything a system for remembering one’s ancestors, especially your parents and grandparents. Very few Japanese know anything about Buddhism except maybe for what sect they belong to, unless they happen to have a Buddhist priest in the family.

Best video I ever saw on the subject! Thank you for your amazing work!

I am a therawada buddhist from Sri Lanka..I have to say the buddhas time period about which historians say is not our acceptance. Actually each may-full moon; we mark the Buddhas passing away and count years from then..just like christians count years from jesus's birth. In thailand and our buddhist countries we are in 2565th buddhist year now. According to our acceptance buddha was born 2565+ 80 years ago,means 623 BC.

I grew up in Thailand, and the widely practiced version of Buddhism there is Theravada, which has been merged with Animism, meaning there is a strong belief in evil spirits that can harm humans, and many rituals to ward off or appease those spirits. Most houses around Chiang Mai where I grew up would have some kind of spirit house on a pillar or shrine where offerings would traditionally be made to spirits who may be around your home. It’s hard to say how much of the population of Thailand believes in the demonology side of this version, but over 90% of the country’s people identify as Theravada Buddhists, and beautiful temples ordained with depictions of the thinner, meditative Buddha can be found all over.