First, every Buddhist needs to understand the origins of the Buddha. Only then can we firmly believe in his example and teachings. The Buddha was born approximately six centuries before the BC Era, that is, 563 years before the birth of Jesus Christ (many theories state 658, 626, 624, 566, 561 years, etc.). However, at the 11th World Buddhist Congress (November 1952 in Tokyo), the Congress determined and acknowledged the year of the Buddha’s birth as 624 BCE and the year of his death as 544 BCE. At that time, China belonged to the Zhou Dynasty under Emperor Zhao. In central India, King Suddhodana (Śuddhodana)was reigning in the capital city of Kapilavastu. Being a very righteous king, full of compassion for all his people, he had many loyal ministers assisting him during his reign, and the people lived happily in peace and prosperity. Thanks to this, the kingdom of King Suddhodana was very rich and powerful at that time.
Notes on the Oracle Vol 5 (1975)
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