THE BUDDHA FIFTH CENTURY B.C.E., NORTHEAST INDIA One of the earliest teachers was a prince living in the northeast of India. His dates are disputed, but his life became a legend, and as a legend it became the source of a powerful movement. His awakening began when he heard lovely things about the forest near his father’s palace. Trees as far as the eye could see, giving shelter from the sun, and ponds adorned with the prettiest lotus flowers, surrounded by a carpet of tender grass. He himself could barely imagine such wonders. His chambers, exquisitely decorated, were hidden away in the
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