Who was the historical Buddha?
The Buddha was not a god. This is the first point to consider. The second is that ‘Buddha’ was not his name (‘please, call me Bud, only my mum calls me Buddha’). Buddha is a title in the ancient language of Sanskrit which means the ‘awakened one’. That being the case, there were numerous Buddhas (28 according to the early teachings). Indeed, there will be more Buddhas to come.
Still, when we think of the Buddha, we picture a particular person - usually, a svelte, serene looking young man, sitting cross-legged with his hands neatly folded in his lap (or else a jolly, rotund bald guy). This is the historical Buddha, an Indian nobleman called Siddhartha Gautama who lived around 400 BC. He was a thoroughly spoiled dauphin who, having all manner of material wealth, wanted to understand his mind.
Siddartha’s dissatisfaction is early evidence that rich people have problems too. We all know this, even if it feels wrong. After all, if we had all that money, we would be delighted. And yet, we are never surprised to learn of some beautiful celebrity living in a state of nihilistic misery, consuming oceans of drink and mountains of pills.
The young prince fit this mould. Despite living in a palace with a beautiful wife and adoring son, he was fantastically unhappy. To escape his golden cage (or more likely, himself) he left in search of enlightenment. This is called The Great Renunciation - a grand way of saying he walked out on his young family. But he did return, so I suppose it is excusable in the grand arc of history.
After six years of wandering, introspection and penury Siddartha found The Answer. It came to him while sitting under a tree. He then spent the rest of his life sharing this solution through his teachings: the Dharma. As you would imagine, Siddartha was utterly transformed. Indeed, there is a story which captures the profundity of this new state.
A traveller, impressed by the Buddha’s peaceful disposition, questioned him.
‘Are you a god?’ he asked.
‘No.’
‘Are you a spirit?’
‘No.’
‘Are you a man?’
‘No, I am not.’
‘What are you, then?’
‘I am awake.’
And so, the Buddha defined himself.
He was no god - but his example, flawed as it sometimes was - shows us there is a way out of our earthly suffering. This lesson alone is worthy of reverence.
Not all gods are supernatural.