A Google search showed the Pali name Siddhatta Gotama for the Sanskrit Siddhartha Gautama.
I’d like to share an experience from a long time ago that I found interesting, although it is an “off Dhamma topic”.
More than 10 years ago I met someone from Nepal with the last name Shakya. He knew that I was Buddhist, so he shared with me that his parents and grandparents told him that his family descended from the Shakya clan of the Buddha himself (he also quipped that there wasn’t a bone of enlightenment in him).
I was curious to do a search and found this article from way back:
The Shakya Clan in India: A Rediscovered Heritage
I know that in our PD community we have different views about where the Buddha actually lived. I personally believe that the Buddha lived in India — was born in Lumbini, attained buddhahood at Bodh Gaya, turned the wheel of Dhamma at Sarnath, parinibba at Kusinārā — so the geography in the article made sense to me; but that’s a side note. Regardless, it was nice to to read about a group of people rediscovering their heritage and turning to Buddha Dhamma, whether or not they are truly the Shakya people of the Buddha’s clan.
Best,
Lang
