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The world is a looking glass.
It gives back to every man a true
reflection of his own thoughts.
Rule your mind or it will rule you.
Accepting appearance as reality for the moment, how many worlds would we say this one world contains? Each conscious entity equals one world – a universe entire of itself – just as you represent a reality all your own. With that understanding, how many supposedly conscious lifeforms, of all shapes and sizes, exist at this moment?
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"Change is never painful,
only the resistance to change is painful."
Siddhartha Gautama (c. 5th century BCE) was a spiritual teacher in ancient India and the historical founder of Buddhism. He later known as the Buddha, meaning “the Awakened One.”
Born into a royal family in the region of present-day Nepal, Siddhartha lived a life of privilege until encountering the realities of aging, sickness, and death. These experiences led him to renounce his royal life in search of liberation from suffering. After years of ascetic practice, he attained enlightenment while meditating under the Bodhi tree, realizing what he described as the Middle Way—neither indulgence nor extreme self-denial.
The Buddha spent the remainder of his life teaching a practical path to awakening based on insight into the nature of suffering and its cessation. His core teachings include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, emphasizing ethical living, mental discipline, and wisdom.
Siddhartha Gautama did not claim divinity; he taught that awakening was accessible to all through direct insight and disciplined practice. His teachings spread throughout Asia and continue to influence philosophy, psychology, and spiritual practice worldwide.