The word "Buddha" is a title. There have been many Buddha's, for the word means "an enlightened man or woman". Anyone of us can become a Buddha in his lifetime. Enlightenment is Self- realisation, and Self-realisation is God-realisation. Not the realisation that an unconditionally loving force - omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent - exists; but the realisation that you are an inseparable aspect of that creative force manifesting in the physical world. That is realisation.

When we speak of the Buddha we generally refer to Gautama Siddhartha who was born about 2,500 years ago in northern India. He was the only son of a wealthy chieftain of the Sakya tribe. He was married, with a son and daughter, and though he had only one wife, he had many concubines.

At about the age of forth he became extremely sensitive to the suffering of the common people and began to wonder if life was suffering, and only led to old age, sickness and death. Later he observed a holy man who radiated peace and serenity, love and compassion. This determined him to commence a spiritual journey to discover if there were some other purpose to life. did it have to mean suffering? And if so, why?

He left his home and security and began his search. He tried all sorts of ascetic practices and studied with many teachers. All to no avail.

Finally, his passion to understand was so great that he decided to make a final bid for realisation or die in the attempt. So he sat beneath a tree in the forest and began intense meditation. He would meditate almost ceaselessly until he attained enlightenment.

After forty days and nights he was flooded with Self-realisation. He spent the next forty years teaching. In all that time he never cured one person of illness nor performed one miracle in public. What he did do was teach others how to cure themselves, how to create their own miracles.

Whenever he was asked "What is it that you teach?" he would reply, "As before, I teach only one thing. The existence of suffering and the cessation of suffering." Not the end of suffering by dying, but how to stop suffering in the here and now. Anyone can learn to do this.