Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)

Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563–483 BCE) — the historical Buddha — was an Indian prince who renounced wealth and privilege to seek the cause of human suffering, and whose teachings became the foundation of one of the world's great religions. Born into the warrior-noble Shakya clan in what is now southern Nepal, he grew up in luxury but was profoundly disturbed by encounters with old age, sickness, and death.

At twenty-nine, Siddhartha left his palace, his wife, and his newborn son to become a wandering ascetic. After six years of extreme austerity and meditation — and finding that neither luxury nor self-mortification led to understanding — he sat beneath a bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya and achieved enlightenment (bodhi). He was thereafter known as the Buddha, 'the Awakened One.'

The Buddha's core teaching is contained in the Four Noble Truths: life involves suffering (dukkha); suffering arises from craving and attachment; suffering can end; and the path to its end is the Eightfold Path of ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. The Middle Way between indulgence and asceticism became a guiding principle. For the remaining forty-five years of his life, the Buddha traveled across northern India, teaching and establishing a community of monks and nuns. His teachings spread across Asia and today influence the lives of over 500 million people worldwide.