The figures · Founders

Siddhartha Gautama

The Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is the central figure of Buddhist tradition.

BORN c. 5th century BCE · Lumbini regionDIED c. 5th century BCE · Kushinagar regionERA Ancient India

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION

Founded the Buddhist path by teaching liberation from suffering through awakening, ethics, meditation, and wisdom.

THE RECORD

Buddhist traditions present his awakening as the discovery of the path beyond suffering.
His teaching shaped monastic communities, ethics, meditation, and philosophical analysis.
Different Buddhist schools interpret his status and teaching in distinct ways.