The Light of Asia

The Light of Asia, a perfect embodiment of knowledge, love, sacrifice and universal compassion emerged on this earth in the sixth century B.C. Seeing the human life fraught with colossal misery and pain of old age, sickness and death, Prince Siddhartha at the age of 29 did not kick away only the luxurious Shakya Kingdom but also his beloved wife, Yashodhara, and newborn son, Rahul. The three strong bonds of the world - gold, women and fame - could not detract him. He underwent rigorous religious austerities for six years and at last found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya.

The enlightened Siddhartha became the Buddha who preached his enlightenment to all without any distinction of caste, creed or colour. And thus Buddhism was embraced by rich and poor, the high and the low, the intellectual and layman. It spread from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari and crossed the frontiers of India to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaya (Malaysia), Jawa, Sumatra (Indonesia) in the South-East and afterwards to Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, China and Japan. Buddhism has now entered into European and American academic life as a fascinating discipline. Buddhism was the first missionary world religion. It revolted against Hinduism and became a revolution deeper than Jainism in India.



Buddhism went outside India as a moral and spiritual movement propagating and advocating its high moral and spiritual ideals. It was embraced everywhere simply because it did not supplant and destroy the religions of those countries but only supplemented what they were lacking in their higher spiritual order. It never adopted force, violence and persecution and taught them the Buddhist message of universal compassion and peace. A Bodhi-sattva, perfect embodiment of knowledge, courage, love and sacrifice defers his own Nirvana in order to liberate those who are still entangled in themselves of suffering. This is the height of religious compassion which can save humanity from all dangers.