Buddha

Siddhart Gautam was born in Lumbini Gardens. He was raised in Kapilavastu, a place in Nepal. His father was Suddhodana, leader of the Shakya Clan.

Siddhart was raised as a prince of Kapilavastu. His father wished for him to be king. So Siddhart did not come into contact with the world’s pain and suffering. He was given everything a man could posses, in terms of wealth and happiness. At the age of 17, Siddhart was married to Yashodhara. They had a son, Rahul. Siddhart though was not committed to family life. He felt that the world did not end in Wealth and Desire. He yearned for knowledge.

So Siddhart left his position as prince at the age of 28, and set out to seek and gather true knowledge. As he made his trips to various places, he came into contact with the things that had eluded him for so long, death, illness, pain. He was deeply hurt to know such things existed, and endeavored to overcome them.

So Sidhart began by begging on the streets. Realising that this would lead him into what he did not wish, he reconsidered his path and began to lead the life of an aesthetic. He found what some refer to as “The Middle Way”, a shortcut out of both greed and austerity. He meditated under a pipal tree, which later came to be known as the “Bodhi Tree”. It is here that Siddhart gained his long searched for prize, Enlightenment. Henceforth, he was known as Buddha, the Enlightened One. Thus, Buddha realized that there was no escape from the world’s pain and suffering. Man could only control it by controlling himself. So he formed the Eight Fold path and Nirvana.

Kochikame

In Kochikame, God (Kami) is portrayed occasionally through an effigy of Buddha, though he does not have the personality of Buddha and is rather angry, more akin to the Abrahamic God.