Canterbury Museum  Real History  Canterbury Heritage  Amida
Buddha, Japan 1885.3.1  Amida Buddha, Japan  Gautama Siddartha,
the future Buddha, lived in India about 2500 years ago. He is
believed to have been a prince of the Sākya clan, in the Indo-
Nepalese foothills. As a young man, he lived within his father’s
palace and grounds, sheltered from the realities of the outside
world and its people and surrounded by every luxury.  However,
after accidentally seeing a sick man, an old man and a corpse,
the prince became disillusioned, realising that no one could
escape illness, old age and death. Aged 29, Gautama left his
home and for six years studied with various spiritual teachers
in the hope of finding a way to escape life’s suffering, all the
while living very simply and austerely.  He excelled at whatever
spiritual practice he tried, but found that none of them gave
him the answers he sought. Finally, he sat down to meditate,
sheltered by the bōdhi  tree. That night Gautama awoke to the
Truth – giving rise t