[freddyujnf]

Also, Balgore, yes, the Buddha hurt people along the path. Leaving his family behind is not the only example, and they didn't all happen before enlightenment. When he was a teacher, he gave a talk on the foulness of the body then left to go on a personal retreat. A group of young disciples took the teaching and ran with it. When the Buddha returned from his retreat, the sangha was quite empty; many monks had killed themselves. Being fully enlightened didn't make it so that he could perfectly execute everything (though some embroidering of his stories might make us think it should have).

His cousin and attendant Ananda also suffered a great deal during the course of the Buddha's life, especially when the Buddha fell ill, and when he died. But this is Ananda's karma at play, nothing the Buddha is held responsible for. Ananda was quite attached to his cousin, and that attachment was the source of his suffering.