The phisical and mental power of buddhism

According to Smith, Buddhism was created by a man by the name of Siddhartha, Gautama. Siddhartha was born 563 B.C. in Kapilavastu, Nepal into the Gautama family of the Shakaya clan. The Shakayas were members of the priestly-warrior caste. Siddhartha’s father was the head of this casts so he was a prince. He received the best education his father’s wealth could provide. He married a woman named Yashodha and they lived in his father’s kingdom. He was protected from life’s hardships by his father. According to Smith, Siddhartha’s father would give orders to place dancing girls at his desposal, and made sure that there were no unpleasant things going on in his quarters. But on more than one occasion; the orders were neglected. One of these, Siddartha came across a man suffering from the frailties of age. On another, he saw a sick man suffering from disease, and another, he saw a corpse; a dead man which shocked him greatly. This was the Siddhartha’s turning point. He gave up his claim to the succession of his father’s throne and left the palace to begin his search for the truth. At age twenty-nine he mounted his great white steed. Leaving his wife and child behind and set off for the forest. There he studied Yogic meditation with two Brahman hermits and achieved high cognitive states. At the age of thirty-nine, Siddhartha reached enlightenment and became an “enlightened one” a Buddha (a man who woke up). For the next forty-five years he taught as the Buddha (sage of the shakaya). The Buddha died at the age of eighty-nine after eating a poisoned mushroom.
I probably don’t understand the full potentials that stem from the practices of Buddhism. One thing that sparked my curiosity is the quote “Mara challenged Gautama’s right to do what he was doing but he touched the earth with his right fingertip and the earth thundered.” Is it possible to reach such a cognitive state that would allow one to make the nature of physical being weaker than the mental state? Can we create physical powers from cognitive energies? Can we control our material surrounding or induce pleasure out of pain? Or is this statement a play on words, expressing the determination to fulfill Siddhartha’s desire for higher understanding. It is an interesting thought to ponder. Here are some quotes taken from Smiths book. “Buddha preached a religion devoid of authority.” “Buddha preached a religion devoid of ritual.” “Buddha preached a religion that skirted speculation.” “Buddha preached a religion devoid of tradition.” “Buddha preached a religion of intense self-effort.” “Buddha preached a religion devoid of the supernatural.” This religion taught the Eightfold path, which consist of eight steps. Learning the right knowledge, having the right aspiration, the right speech, practicing the right behavior, living the right livelihood, performing with the right effort, being in the right mind, having the right absorption. Although, I don’t understand the complete intentions of this practice, it seems to me to be one that would create individual happiness with in. In addition to the kindness, truthfulness, and the honesty of the people whom practice this religion, it also provides a sense of knowledge about nature. I appreciate the fact that Buddhism values all creatures as living beings by not allowing them to be the source of there nourishment. There is some evidence to support the possibility that humans are not truly carnivorous, for example, our teeth are not shaped to cut through the flesh of meat. We do have two canine shaped teeth that are said to be used to crack nuts. If this is true then, it is likely that our digestive system is not fit for the digestion of meat. This could be the cause of many of our digestion problems as well as, high blood pressure at older ages. Is this the knowledge of the Siddhartha? Self preservation; and fulfillment seemed to be the focus.