10 most difficult Buddhism riddles

By tradition, Gautama Buddha is said to have been destined by birth to the life of a prince. His father, wishing for his son to be a great king, shielded him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human suffering. Gautama first met an ascetic man and learned about religion when he left his home at the age of 29.

Pak Ou Caves are a group of two caves on the west side of the Mekong river, 25 km to the north of Luang Prabang in Laos. The caves are noted for their miniature Buddha sculptures. Hundreds of very small and mostly damaged wooden Buddhist figures are laid out over the wall shelves. They take many different positions, including meditation, teaching, peace, rain, and reclining (nirvana).

Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa.

The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhartha Gautama was born on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the northeastern Indian subcontinent. It was either a small republic, in which case his father was an elected chieftain, or an oligarchy, in which case his father was an oligarch. According to the Theravada Tripitaka scriptures, Gautama was born in Lumbini in modern-day Nepal.

Ahimsa means 'not to injure' and 'compassion' and refers to a key virtue in Indian religions. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hiṃs – to strike; hiṃsā is injury or harm, a-hiṃsā is the opposite of this, i.e. cause no injury, do no harm. Ahimsa is also referred to as nonviolence, and it applies to all living beings—including all animals—in ancient Indian religions.

Yaśodharā was the wife of Siddhārtha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Their marriage was arranged by his father, when they were both 16. At the age of 29, Yasodharā gave birth to their only child, a boy named Rāhula. The future Buddha left their Palace seven days after to seek enlightenment.

It is estimated that 93% of the population in Thailand and Cambodia are practicing Buddhists. There are also a lot of practicing Buddhists in Burma, Bhutan, Laos and Sri Lanka, while only 36% in Japan and 9% in Nepal.

According to tradition, Siddartha Gautama was a son of King Suddhodana, who was an elected leader of the Shakya people. The Śākyas formed an independent republican state, with the capital of Kapilavastu in present-day Nepal. As Gautama Buddha founded a new religion and abdicated the throne, so the lineage continued with his brother Rahula.

The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. It was bred as an interior sentinel in the Buddhist monasteries, to alert the monks to any intruders who entered. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and apso is a word in the Tibetan language meaning "bearded", so, Lhasa Apso simply means "long-haired Lhasa dog".

The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. At a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death.