Weekly Insights for Thinkers

Science  Philosophy  Critical Thinking  History  Politics RW  AI  Physics  •  Evolution  Astronomy 30 Phil Book More…
Science  Phil  Cr. Think  Hist 

STORY

Gautama Buddha

By Michael Alan Prestwood

Tue 9 Apr 2024
Published 2 years ago.
Updated 1 month ago.
Buddhism
Share :
Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Gautama Buddha

b. circa 563
circa 563 to 486 BCE
103 Generations Ago

30 Phil, Chapter 6: Gautama Buddha and Buddhism
In a much simpler time, the royal family of the Shakya dynasty lived in a palace located at the capital of the Shakya kingdom in present-day Nepal. Around 563 BCE, a boy named Siddhartha Gautama was born in the palace. At the age of 29, he left the luxury of his palace, and became one of the many wandering ascetics. After six years of wandering, in a flash, he suddenly attained enlightenment at the age of 35 under a Bodhi tree. Over the centuries, Buddhist Councils reorganized and revised the Canon, eventually adding the third text containing philosophical and psychological analysis. The degree to which these revisions deviated from the Buddha’s original words remains unknown. It was not until the 1st century BCE that the orally transmitted Pali Canon was finally committed to writing. 

Pictured: Gautama Buddha statue in Buddha Park of Ravangla, Sikkim. Showing after Confucius just to group Laozi & Confucius together.

— map / TST —

Michael Alan Prestwood
Author & Natural Philosopher
Prestwood writes on science-first philosophy, with particular attention to the convergence of disciplines. Drawing on his TST Framework, his work emphasizes rational inquiry grounded in empirical observation while engaging questions at the edges of established knowledge. With TouchstoneTruth positioned as a living touchstone, this work aims to contribute reliable, evolving analysis in an emerging AI era where the credibility of information is increasingly contested.
This Week
February 4, 2026
»Edition Archive
WWB Research….
1. Story of the Week
Max Planck
2. Quote of the Week
“It was an act of despair, to sacrifice physics for the sake of finding an explanation.”
3. Science FAQ »
Why is Planck time important?
4. Philosophy FAQ »
Did talking our way through life drive a million years of brain growth?
5. Critical Thinking FAQ »
Why do we struggle to recognize the limits of our own thinking?
6. History FAQ!
Has Planck’s Constant been updated?
Bonus Deep-Dive Article
Empty Space: A Dive into Particle Physics
Scroll to Top