Every May, devout Buddhists around the world celebrate the birth and life of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

And at the mention of Buddhism, images of monks in saffron robes begging for alms and ancient temples engulfed in the smoke from joss sticks come to mind.

People tend to perceive the Buddha in either one of two ways, as an almost superhuman-like figure, or as an ordinary human who attained enlightenment through suffering many years.

Buddha was born sometime between the 6th and 5th century BC to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, sovereigns of Kapilavastu.

His birth name was Siddhartha, which means, “He whose aim is completed.”

When a visiting hermit named Asita held the baby Siddharta, he prophesied that the child was destined to be an emperor, but if he ever left the palace, he would become a global spiritual leader.

The king was unsurprisingly in favour of being father to an emperor, so he ordered that his son was never to leave the palace, preventing him from seeing the outside world.

As a child Buddha never witnessed decay, pain or unhappiness, with even flower petals being swept away as they fell, and elderly and sick servants sent away.

When he was 16, he was married to Yashodara, who is believed to have been Buddha’s lover in many previous lives.

With her, he had a son named Rahula and the family lived happily in the palace oblivious to the realities of life.

This façade however, started to crumble when a musician came along, singing about the wonders of the world, which raised Buddha’s curiosity.

After convincing his father that a future emperor ought to know what the world was like, Buddha was finally allowed to leave the palace when he was 29.

Again, to prevent his son from seeing anything unpleasant, the king ensured that any and all dead or ugly people were hidden from view.

His attempts failed though, as Buddha still came across a sick man, followed by an old man, and finally, a dead man.

The fragility of human life troubled Buddha and when he came across a man seeking spiritual enlightenment, he decided to follow suit.

He wanted to find a way to escape life’s suffering, and if he failed, death would do the job anyway.

During his journey, he was inspired to fast for six years, exposed to the elements and surviving on seeds that fell onto him.

He soon realised he was no closer to success, and that the answer he sought was between luxury and deprivation.

This would later be developed into his concept of the Middle Path.

After breaking his fast, he wandered again until he decided to meditate under a fig tree, where he stayed for 49 days.

It is here that he found enlightenment.

The tree, known as the Bodhi Tree, still has a living descendant in Bodh Gaya, India.

Eager to spread the word, he started to gain followers of different genders, classes and castes all over northern India.

His followers, called the Sangha, embraced his Four Noble Truths, namely that human suffering is inevitable, that it has a cause, an end and a way to end it.

The way, called the Noble Eightfold Path, consists of steps that can be followed in any order.

Step One is to understand the world and that everything in it is temporary.

Step Two is to act out of love and compassion, never anger or greed.

Step Three is to be honest and clear with your words.

Step Four is to always do what is right by not killing, not stealing, not drinking, not lying and not lusting.

Step Five is to live in an ethical manner.

Step Six is to live life with a positive and enthusiastic outlook.

Step Seven is to live life as it comes and goes.

Step Eight is to be able to focus on the big picture and to see things as they are.

By following these eight steps, Buddhists believe that they can achieve nirvana, a state of which all human wants and desires are eliminated.

When Buddha died at 80, he was cremated and his remains spread across south Asia, with the relics kept in monuments called stupas.

Buddhism would spread beyond the region, into East Asia and Siberia and westward into Central Asia.

Today, Buddhism is largely split between two branches, namely Theravada and Mahayana.

Theravada Buddhism is popular in Malaysia’s northern neighbours as well as Sri Lanka, and emphasises on monastic life and rebirth.

For Theravada Buddhists, enlightenment is only achievable through a monastic life.

Mahayana Buddhism, widespread in East Asia, Vietnam and Malaysia, is more accessible to ordinary people and also has several different schools of thought.

For Mahayana Buddhists, enlightenment is gained not in a single lifetime but in several, and one does not need to be a monk to achieve it.

In line with this, the enlightened called Bodhisattvas can delay entering nirvana to help others achieve the same.

At present, there are over 500 million Buddhists worldwide, mostly centred in the Asia-Pacific region.

While an ancient religion, the path to enlightenment still remains desirable today in a world that grows ever so engrossed in the problems of the past, the present and the future.