Shakyamuni Buddha Thangka
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, also often referred to as Shakyamuni was a spiritual teacher upon whose lessons the foundations for Buddhism were formed. He is regarded as the Supreme Buddha and is the first enlightened individual to be visualized. Despite some confusion from those who do not follow Buddhism, it is important to note that the Buddha was not considered to be a God. He was rather a mere human, like the rest of us, who was able to develop an extraordinary perception about existence. This perception helped him to rid his mind of the things that cause us all a level of suffering; craving, hatred, and delusion. This, in turn, helped him to attain levels of true peace and contentment – and remain free from the suffering of sentient beings.