The Buddha as a Historical Figure: His Conduct and the Quest for the Dhamma

Authors

  • Pattaratida Moolsena Independent Scholar
  • Novice Thana Ketkaew Independent Scholar
  • Novice Anantachai Bunkrasin Independent Scholar
  • Chiraporn Pooprapai Independent Scholar
  • Pennapa Yamdech Independent Scholar
  • Nattapat Inkongsub Independent Scholar

Keywords:

Prince Siddhartha, Buddhism, ethics

Abstract

The Buddha as a historical figure is studied beyond faith, focusing on his real human life.He was born as Prince Siddhartha of the Shakya clan, who renounced worldly pleasures.His quest for truth and enlightenment led to the founding of Buddhism.Historical evidence such as inscriptions, ancient texts, and monuments confirm his existence.This perspective highlights the Buddha as a great human being, not merely a supernatural figure.His teachings emphasize wisdom, morality, and universal solutions to suffering.Understanding his life also reveals the cultural and social context of his era.Modern research continues to study and interpret the historical reality of his life.The Buddha is therefore seen as both a spiritual teacher and a historical personality. His influence has shaped religions, societies, and philosophies across the world.

References

Gombrich, R. F. (1988). Therav?da Buddhism: A social history from ancient Benares to modern Colombo. Routledge.

Harvey, P. (2013). An introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, history and practices (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Keown, D. (2016). Buddhism: A very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Buswell, R. E., & Lopez, D. S. Jr. (2013). The Princeton dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. Buddhist Studies: History of the Buddha. (n.d.).

Downloads

Published

2025-12-25

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025): July - December 2025

Section

Academic articles 
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Dispatcher.dispatch(Object:Request) % line  281, file: PKPApplication.inc.php
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                        Smarty_Template_Compiled.render(Object:Smarty_Internal_Template) % line  216, file: smarty_internal_template.php
                     Smarty_Internal_Template.render(false, 1) % line  232, file: smarty_internal_templatebase.php
                  Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase._execute(Object:Smarty_Internal_Template, null, 42362804174f266c598cdb32c3208fc745b92101, null, 1) % line  134, file: smarty_internal_templatebase.php
               Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase.display(frontend/pages/article.tpl, null, 42362804174f266c598cdb32c3208fc745b92101, null) % line  924, file: PKPTemplateManager.inc.php
            PKPTemplateManager.display(frontend/pages/article.tpl) % line  292, file: ArticleHandler.inc.php
         ArticleHandler.view(Array[1], Object:Request) % line  391, file: PKPRouter.inc.php
      PKPRouter._authorizeInitializeAndCallRequest(Array[2], Object:Request, Array[1], false) % line  231, file: PKPPageRouter.inc.php
   PKPPageRouter.route(Object:Request) % line  143, file: Dispatcher.inc.php
Dispatcher.dispatch(Object:Request) % line  281, file: PKPApplication.inc.php
PKPApplication.execute() % line   68, file: index.php