Master of Buddhism: lesson one (assignment)

1.    The story of the early life of Siddhartha Gautama seems rather stylized, at least to a degree – events seem to foreshadow his coming enlightenment rather perfectly. I believe this is true of most stories surrounding great religious leaders, prophets and sages.  Yet, for me, whether the details of the story are historically and factually true or not is of little importance. What's important is the spiritual truth, the spiritual lesson for us today. 2/3.    On one level, enlightenment is an awakening to truth in a general sense. Such enlightenment can occur on this plane and more than once in a lifetime. The other type of enlightenment is absolute enlightenment – overcoming the cycle of death and rebirth and attaining Nirvana.  Both types of enlightenment are possible, yet I think it's difficult to attain Nirvana on this plane.  I think this stage of enlightenment is usually attained on a higher plane of existence beyond the physical plane. J.P. Amis