seungkyu kim

Interview
“This is Ryan interviewing the founder of one of the most popular religion in the world, Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama. Mr. Gautama, would you please tell us a little about your life?”
“Well, I was born in a small kingdom near the Himalaya. It is said that my mother had a dream shortly before my birth saying that I would become a great leader. Our family belonged to the warrior caste. My father Suddhodana, ruled a group called the Shakyas, and my mother, Maya, passed away shortly after my birth.”
“And what were you like as a teenager?”
“As a young man, I am proud to say, I was very intelligent. I knew 64 languages and mastered my studies without any instructions.
“Wow! You were a genius as a teenager too! Now what was the most important part of your life?”
“When I reached 29, I realized the most important thing in my life. I was out of the palace walls, exploring the rest of the kingdom, when I saw beggars, ill people, and people broken down by age with no home and nowhere to go. Seeing this I was truly aware of suffering and I became very upset. I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to search for the Truth, Enlightenment, and a way to rise above suffering.”
“How did you look for this “truth, enlightenment, and a way to rise above suffering”?”
“I left my beautiful wife, Yasodhara as well as my lovely son, Rahula and my palace and the fact that I was a prince to study with priests.”
“Wow. It must have been very hard for you, leaving your family like that.”
“Yes it was hard. But I had to, in order to find my goals.”
“So did you achieve your goals after leaving your family?”
“Yes! Of course! In the age of 35, I finally achieved my goals. I sat under a tree and reached full enlightenment. I wanted to share my discoveries about the nature of life and suffering, so I traveled around the world teaching others. And in a blink of an eye, BOOM, a new religion.”
“There is a quote you once said, “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” what do you mean by that?”
“It means if you think positively every day, you will have a happy life. But if you just complain all the time, you will have a sad life. Our minds shape our lives.”
“Thank you Buddha! Have a nice day.”