Gautama Buddha - wikipedia Gautama Buddha For the Buddhist title, see Buddha ( title ). `` Buddha '' and `` Gautama '' redirect here. For other uses, see Buddha ( disambiguation ) and Gautama ( disambiguation ). Gautama Buddha A statue of the Buddha from Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, 4th century CE Religion Buddhism Known for Founder of Buddhism Other names Siddhartha Gautama, Siddhattha Gotama, Shakyamuni Personal c. 563 BCE or c. 480 BCE Lumbini, Shakya Republic ( according to Buddhist tradition ) c. 483 BCE or c. 400 BCE ( aged 80 ) Kushinagar, Malla Republic ( according to Buddhist tradition ) Spouse Yasodharā Children Rāhula Parents Śuddhodana ( father ) Maya Devi ( mother ) Senior posting Predecessor Kassapa Buddha Successor Maitreya Part of a series on Buddhism History Timeline Gautama Buddha Councils Later Buddhists Dharma Concepts Four Noble Truths Five Aggregates Impermanence Suffering Non-self Dependent Origination Middle Way Emptiness Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Cosmology Buddhist texts Buddhavacana Tripiṭaka Mahayana Sutras Pāli Canon Tibetan canon Chinese canon Practices Three Jewels Buddhist Paths to liberation Morality Perfections Meditation Philosophical reasoning Mindfulness Wisdom Compassion Aids to Enlightenment Monasticism Laity Nirvāṇa Four Stages Arhat Buddha Bodhisattva Traditions Theravāda Pāli Mahāyāna Hinayana Chinese Vajrayāna Tibetan Navayana Newar Buddhism by country India China Thailand Japan Myanmar Sri Lanka Laos Cambodia Korea Taiwan Tibet Bhutan Mongolia Russia Outline Buddhism portal Gautama Buddha ( c. 563 BCE / 480 BCE -- c. 483 BCE / 400 BCE ), also known as Siddhārtha Gautama ( sid̪ːɦɑːrt̪hə gəut̪əmə ), Shakyamuni Buddha ( ɕɑːkjəmun̪i bud̪ːɦə ), or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic ( śramaṇa ) and sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in the eastern part of ancient India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement common in his region. He later taught throughout other regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kosala. Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as an enlightened teacher who attained full Buddhahood, and shared his insights to help sentient beings end rebirth and suffering. Accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Contents 1 Historical Siddhārtha Gautama 2 Traditional biographies 2.1 Biographical sources 2.2 Nature of traditional depictions 3 Biography 3.1 Conception and birth 3.2 Early life and marriage 3.3 Renunciation and ascetic life 3.4 Awakening 3.5 Formation of the sangha 3.6 Travels and teaching 3.7 Mahaparinirvana 3.8 Relics 4 Physical characteristics 5 Nine virtues 6 Teachings 6.1 Use of Brahmanical motifs 6.2 Tracing the oldest teachings 6.3 Dhyana and insight 6.4 Earliest Buddhism 6.5 Later developments 7 Other religions 8 Depiction in arts and media 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 11.1 Citations 11.2 Bibliography 12 Further reading 13 External links Historical Siddhartha Gautama Maya devi Temple Ancient kingdoms and cities of India during the time of the Buddha. Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha 's life. Most accept that he lived, taught, and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era during the reign of Bimbisara ( c. 558 -- c. 491 BCE, or c. 400 BCE ), the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajatasatru, who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain tirthankara. Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha 's lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential Śramaṇa schools of thought like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jainism, and Ajñana. Brahmajala Sutta records sixty - two such schools of thought. It was also the age of influential thinkers like Mahavira ( referred to as ' Nigantha Nataputta ' in Pali Canon ), Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Ajita Kesakambalī, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, as recorded in Samaññaphala Sutta, whose viewpoints the Buddha most certainly must have been acquainted with. Indeed, Sariputta and Moggallāna, two of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, were formerly the foremost disciples of Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, the skeptic ; and the Pali canon frequently depicts Buddha engaging in debate with the adherents of rival schools of thought. There is also philological evidence to suggest that the two masters, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, were indeed historical figures and they most probably taught Buddha two different forms of meditative techniques. Thus, Buddha was just one of the many śramaṇa philosophers of that time. In an era where holiness of person was judged by their level of asceticism, Buddha was a reformist within the śramaṇa movement, rather than a reactionary against Vedic Brahminism. While the general sequence of `` birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death '' is widely accepted, there is less consensus on the veracity of many details contained in traditional biographies. The times of Gautama 's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. More recently his death is dated later, between 411 and 400 BCE, while at a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha 's death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not been accepted by all historians. The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhārtha Gautama was born into the Shakya clan, a community that was on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the eastern Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BCE. It was either a small republic, or an oligarchy, and his father was an elected chieftain, or oligarch. According to the Buddhist tradition, Gautama was born in Lumbini, now in modern - day Nepal, and raised in the Shakya capital of Kapilvastu, which may have been either in what is present day Tilaurakot, Nepal or Piprahwa, India. He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and died in Kushinagar. No written records about Gautama were found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One Edict of Asoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, commemorates the Emperor 's pilgrimage to the Buddha 's birthplace in Lumbini. Another one of his edicts mentions the titles of several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era. These texts may be the precursor of the Pāli Canon. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts are the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, reported to have been found in or around Haḍḍa near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and now preserved in the British Library. They are written in the Gāndhārī language using the Kharosthi script on twenty - seven birch bark manuscripts and date from the first century BCE to the third century CE. On the basis of philological evidence, Indologist and Pali expert Oskar von Hinüber says that some of the Pali suttas have retained very archaic place - names, syntax, and historical data from close to the Buddha 's lifetime, including the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta which contains a detailed account of the Buddha 's final days. Hinüber proposes a composition date of no later than 350 -- 320 BCE for this text, which would allow for a `` true historical memory '' of the events approximately 60 years prior if the Short Chronology for the Buddha 's lifetime is accepted ( but also reminds that such a text was originally intended more as hagiography than as an exact historical record of events ). Traditional biographies Buddha by Otgonbayar Ershuu Biographical sources The sources for the life of Siddhārtha Gautama are a variety of different, and sometimes conflicting, traditional biographies. These include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara Sūtra, Mahāvastu, and the Nidānakathā. Of these, the Buddhacarita is the earliest full biography, an epic poem written by the poet Aśvaghoṣa in the first century CE. The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography, a Mahāyāna / Sarvāstivāda biography dating to the 3rd century CE. The Mahāvastu from the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE. The Dharmaguptaka biography of the Buddha is the most exhaustive, and is entitled the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, and various Chinese translations of this date between the 3rd and 6th century CE. The Nidānakathā is from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka and was composed in the 5th century by Buddhaghoṣa. From canonical sources come the Jataka tales, the Mahapadana Sutta ( DN 14 ), and the Achariyabhuta Sutta ( MN 123 ), which include selective accounts that may be older, but are not full biographies. The Jātakas retell previous lives of Gautama as a bodhisattva, and the first collection of these can be dated among the earliest Buddhist texts. The Mahāpadāna Sutta and Achariyabhuta Sutta both recount miraculous events surrounding Gautama 's birth, such as the bodhisattva 's descent from the Tuṣita Heaven into his mother 's womb. Nature of traditional depictions Māyā miraculously giving birth to Siddhārtha. Sanskrit, palm - leaf manuscript. Nālandā, Bihar, India. Pāla period In the earliest Buddhist texts, the nikāyas and āgamas, the Buddha is not depicted as possessing omniscience ( sabbaññu ) nor is he depicted as being an eternal transcendent ( lokottara ) being. According to Bhikkhu Analayo, ideas of the Buddha 's omniscience ( along with an increasing tendency to deify him and his biography ) are found only later, in the Mahayana sutras and later Pali commentaries or texts such as the Mahāvastu. In the Sandaka Sutta, the Buddha 's disciple Ananda outlines an argument against the claims of teachers who say they are all knowing while in the Tevijjavacchagotta Sutta the Buddha himself states that he has never made a claim to being omniscient, instead he claimed to have the `` higher knowledges '' ( abhijñā ). The earliest biographical material from the Pali Nikayas focuses on the Buddha 's life as a śramaṇa, his search for enlightenment under various teachers such as Alara Kalama and his forty - five - year career as a teacher. Traditional biographies of Gautama generally include numerous miracles, omens, and supernatural events. The character of the Buddha in these traditional biographies is often that of a fully transcendent ( Skt. lokottara ) and perfected being who is unencumbered by the mundane world. In the Mahāvastu, over the course of many lives, Gautama is said to have developed supramundane abilities including : a painless birth conceived without intercourse ; no need for sleep, food, medicine, or bathing, although engaging in such `` in conformity with the world '' ; omniscience, and the ability to `` suppress karma ''. Nevertheless, some of the more ordinary details of his life have been gathered from these traditional sources. In modern times there has been an attempt to form a secular understanding of Siddhārtha Gautama 's life by omitting the traditional supernatural elements of his early biographies. Andrew Skilton writes that the Buddha was never historically regarded by Buddhist traditions as being merely human : It is important to stress that, despite modern Theravada teachings to the contrary ( often a sop to skeptical Western pupils ), he was never seen as being merely human. For instance, he is often described as having the thirty - two major and eighty minor marks or signs of a mahāpuruṣa, `` superman '' ; the Buddha himself denied that he was either a man or a god ; and in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta he states that he could live for an aeon were he asked to do so. The ancient Indians were generally unconcerned with chronologies, being more focused on philosophy. Buddhist texts reflect this tendency, providing a clearer picture of what Gautama may have taught than of the dates of the events in his life. These texts contain descriptions of the culture and daily life of ancient India which can be corroborated from the Jain scriptures, and make the Buddha 's time the earliest period in Indian history for which significant accounts exist. British author Karen Armstrong writes that although there is very little information that can be considered historically sound, we can be reasonably confident that Siddhārtha Gautama did exist as a historical figure. Michael Carrithers goes a bit further by stating that the most general outline of `` birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death '' must be true. Biography Conception and birth Maya 's dream of the Birth of Gautama Siddharta Birthplace of Gautama Buddha in Lumbini, Nepal, a holy shrine also for many non-Buddhists. The Buddhist tradition regards Lumbini, in present - day Nepal to be the birthplace of the Buddha. He grew up in Kapilavastu. The exact site of ancient Kapilavastu is unknown. It may have been either Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, in present - day India, or Tilaurakot, in present - day Nepal. Both places belonged to the Sakya territory, and are located only 15 miles apart. Gautama was born as a Kshatriya, the son of Śuddhodana, `` an elected chief of the Shakya clan '', whose capital was Kapilavastu, and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the Buddha 's lifetime. Gautama was the family name. His mother, Maya ( Māyādevī ), Suddhodana 's wife, was a Koliyan princess. Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived, Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side, and ten months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilavastu for her father 's kingdom to give birth. However, her son is said to have been born on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree. The day of the Buddha 's birth is widely celebrated in Theravada countries as Vesak. Buddha 's Birthday is called Buddha Purnima in Nepal, Bangladesh, and India as he is believed to have been born on a full moon day. Various sources hold that the Buddha 's mother died at his birth, a few days or seven days later. The infant was given the name Siddhartha ( Pāli : Siddhattha ), meaning `` he who achieves his aim ''. During the birth celebrations, the hermit seer Asita journeyed from his mountain abode and announced that the child would either become a great king ( chakravartin ) or a great sadhu. By traditional account, this occurred after Siddhartha placed his feet in Asita 's hair and Asita examined the birthmarks. Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on the fifth day, and invited eight Brahmin scholars to read the future. All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great king or a great holy man. Kondañña, the youngest, and later to be the first arhat other than the Buddha, was reputed to be the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become a Buddha. While later tradition and legend characterized Śuddhodana as a hereditary monarch, the descendant of the Suryavansha ( Solar dynasty ) of Ikṣvāku ( Pāli : Okkāka ), many scholars think that Śuddhodana was the elected chief of a tribal confederacy. Early texts suggest that Gautama was not familiar with the dominant religious teachings of his time until he left on his religious quest, which is said to have been motivated by existential concern for the human condition. The state of the Shakya clan was not a monarchy and seems to have been structured either as an oligarchy, or as a form of republic. The more egalitarian gana - sangha form of government, as a political alternative to the strongly hierarchical kingdoms, may have influenced the development of the śramanic Jain and Buddhist sanghas, where monarchies tended toward Vedic Brahmanism. Birth and childhood of the Buddha Maya 's dream, Bharhut, circa 150 BCE. Maya 's dream, Gandhara, 2nd century CE. Birth of the Buddha. The Infant Buddha Taking A Bath, Gandhara 2nd Century CE. The infant Buddha taking the Seven Steps. Greco - Buddhist art of Gandhara. Early life and marriage Departure of Prince Siddhartha Siddhartha was brought up by his mother 's younger sister, Maha Pajapati. By tradition, he is said to have been destined by birth to the life of a prince and had three palaces ( for seasonal occupation ) built for him. His father, said to be King Śuddhodana, wishing for his son to be a great king, is said to have shielded him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human suffering. While Śuddhodana has traditionally been depicted as a king, and Siddhartha as his prince, more recent scholarship suggests the Shakya were in - fact organized as a semi-republican oligarchy rather than a monarchy. When he reached the age of 16, his father reputedly arranged his marriage to a cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā ( Pāli : Yasodharā ). According to the traditional account, she gave birth to a son, named Rāhula. Siddhartha is said to have spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu. Although his father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could want or need, Buddhist scriptures say that the future Buddha felt that material wealth was not life 's ultimate goal. Renunciation and ascetic life The Victory of Buddha The `` Great Departure '' of Siddhartha Gautama, surrounded by a halo, he is accompanied by numerous guards, maithuna loving couples, and devata who have come to pay homage ; Gandhara, Kushan period Prince Siddhartha shaves his hair and becomes an ascetic. Borobudur, 8th century At the age of 29, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father 's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strove to overcome aging, sickness, and death by living the life of an ascetic. Accompanied by Channa and riding his horse Kanthaka, Gautama quit his palace for the life of a mendicant. It 's said that `` the horse 's hooves were muffled by the gods '' to prevent guards from knowing of his departure. Gautama initially went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the street. After King Bimbisara 's men recognised Siddhartha and the king learned of his quest, Bimbisara offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha rejected the offer but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha first, upon attaining enlightenment. He left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers of yogic meditation. After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama ( Skr. Ārāḍa Kālāma ), he was asked by Kalama to succeed him. However, Gautama felt unsatisfied by the practice, and moved on to become a student of yoga with Udaka Ramaputta ( Skr. Udraka Rāmaputra ). With him he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness and was again asked to succeed his teacher. But, once more, he was not satisfied, and again moved on. Awakening The Buddha surrounded by the demons of Māra. Sanskrit palm leaf manuscript. Nālandā, Bihar, India. Pāla period See also : Enlightenment in Buddhism Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India, where Gautama Buddha attained nirvana under the Bodhi Tree ( left ) Main articles : Moksha and Nirvana ( Buddhism ) According to the early Buddhist texts, after realizing that meditative dhyana was the right path to awakening, but that extreme asceticism did n't work, Gautama discovered what Buddhists know as being, the Middle Way -- a path of moderation away from the extremes of self - indulgence and self - mortification, or the Noble Eightfold Path, as described in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which is regarded as the first discourse of the Buddha. In a famous incident, after becoming starved and weakened, he is said to have accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata. Such was his emaciated appearance that she wrongly believed him to be a spirit that had granted her a wish. Following this incident, Gautama was famously seated under a pipal tree -- now known as the Bodhi tree -- in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth. Kaundinya and four other companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, ceased to stay with him, and went to somewhere else. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment, and became known as the Buddha or `` Awakened One '' ( `` Buddha '' is also sometimes translated as `` The Enlightened One '' ). According to some sutras of the Pali canon, at the time of his awakening he realized complete insight into the Four Noble Truths, thereby attaining liberation from samsara, the endless cycle of rebirth, suffering and dying again. According to scholars, this story of the awakening and the stress on `` liberating insight '' is a later development in the Buddhist tradition, where the Buddha may have regarded the practice of dhyana as leading to Nirvana and moksha. Nirvana is the extinguishing of the `` fires '' of desire, hatred, and ignorance, that keep the cycle of suffering and rebirth going. Nirvana is also regarded as the `` end of the world '', in that no personal identity or boundaries of the mind remain. In such a state, a being is said to possess the Ten Characteristics, belonging to every Buddha. According to a story in the Āyācana Sutta ( Samyutta Nikaya VI. 1 ) -- a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons -- immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the Dharma to others. He was concerned that humans were so overpowered by ignorance, greed and hatred that they could never recognise the path, which is subtle, deep and hard to grasp. However, in the story, Brahmā Sahampati convinced him, arguing that at least some will understand it. The Buddha relented, and agreed to teach. Formation of the sangha Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath, India, site of the first teaching of the Buddha in which he taught the Four Noble Truths to his first five disciples This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2018 ) Mulagandhakuti, Remains of Buddha 's hut in Jetavana Monastery, Shravasti, India, Where the Buddha delivered majority of his discourses After his awakening, the Buddha met Taphussa and Bhallika -- two merchant brothers from the city of Balkh in what is currently Afghanistan -- who became his first lay disciples. It is said that each was given hairs from his head, which are now claimed to be enshrined as relics in the Shwe Dagon Temple in Rangoon, Burma. The Buddha intended to visit Asita, and his former teachers, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, to explain his findings, but they had already died. He then travelled to the Deer Park near Varanasi ( Benares ) in northern India, where he set in motion what Buddhists call the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the five companions with whom he had sought enlightenment. Together with him, they formed the first saṅgha : the company of Buddhist monks. All five become arahants, and within the first two months, with the conversion of Yasa and fifty - four of his friends, the number of such arahants is said to have grown to 60. The conversion of three brothers named Kassapa followed, with their reputed 200, 300 and 500 disciples, respectively. This swelled the sangha to more than 1,000. Travels and teaching Buddha with his protector Vajrapani, Gandhāra, 2nd century CE, Ostasiatisches Kunst - Museum This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2018 ) For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and southern Nepal, teaching a diverse range of people : from nobles to servants, murderers such as Angulimala, and cannibals such as Alavaka. Although the Buddha 's language remains unknown, it 's likely that he taught in one or more of a variety of closely related Middle Indo - Aryan dialects, of which Pali may be a standardization. The sangha traveled through the subcontinent, expounding the dharma. This continued throughout the year, except during the four months of the Vassa rainy season when ascetics of all religions rarely traveled. One reason was that it was more difficult to do so without causing harm to animal life. At this time of year, the sangha would retreat to monasteries, public parks or forests, where people would come to them. A view of Vulture Peak, Rajgir, India where the Atanatiya Sutta was held The first vassana was spent at Varanasi when the sangha was formed. After this, the Buddha kept a promise to travel to Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara. During this visit, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five disciples, after which they were to become the Buddha 's two foremost followers. The Buddha spent the next three seasons at Veluvana Bamboo Grove monastery in Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha. Upon hearing of his son 's awakening, Suddhodana sent, over a period, ten delegations to ask him to return to Kapilavastu. On the first nine occasions, the delegates failed to deliver the message and instead joined the sangha to become arahants. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi, a childhood friend of Gautama 's ( who also became an arahant ), however, delivered the message. Now two years after his awakening, the Buddha agreed to return, and made a two - month journey by foot to Kapilavastu, teaching the dharma as he went. At his return, the royal palace prepared a midday meal, but the sangha was making an alms round in Kapilavastu. Hearing this, Suddhodana approached his son, the Buddha, saying : `` Ours is the warrior lineage of Mahamassata, and not a single warrior has gone seeking alms. '' The Buddha is said to have replied : `` That is not the custom of your royal lineage. But it is the custom of my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by seeking alms. '' Buddhist texts say that Suddhodana invited the sangha into the palace for the meal, followed by a dharma talk. After this he is said to have become a sotapanna. During the visit, many members of the royal family joined the sangha. The Buddha 's cousins Ananda and Anuruddha became two of his five chief disciples. At the age of seven, his son Rahula also joined, and became one of his ten chief disciples. His half - brother Nanda also joined and became an arahant. Of the Buddha 's disciples, Sariputta, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and Anuruddha are believed to have been the five closest to him. His ten foremost disciples were reputedly completed by the quintet of Upali, Subhoti, Rahula, Mahakaccana and Punna. In the fifth vassana, the Buddha was staying at Mahavana near Vesali when he heard news of the impending death of his father. He is said to have gone to Suddhodana and taught the dharma, after which his father became an arahant. The last days of buddha teachings The king 's death and cremation was to inspire the creation of an order of nuns. Buddhist texts record that the Buddha was reluctant to ordain women. His foster mother Maha Pajapati, for example, approached him, asking to join the sangha, but he refused. Maha Pajapati, however, was so intent on the path of awakening that she led a group of royal Sakyan and Koliyan ladies, which followed the sangha on a long journey to Rajagaha. In time, after Ananda championed their cause, the Buddha is said to have reconsidered and, five years after the formation of the sangha, agreed to the ordination of women as nuns. He reasoned that males and females had an equal capacity for awakening. But he gave women additional rules ( Vinaya ) to follow. Mahaparinirvana The Buddha 's entry into Parinirvana. Sanskrit palm leaf manuscript. Nālandā, Bihar, India. Pāla period According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali canon, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his attendant Ānanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha. Mettanando and von Hinüber argue that the Buddha died of mesenteric infarction, a symptom of old age, rather than food poisoning. The precise contents of the Buddha 's final meal are not clear, due to variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of certain significant terms ; the Theravada tradition generally believes that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana tradition believes that the Buddha consumed some sort of truffle or other mushroom. These may reflect the different traditional views on Buddhist vegetarianism and the precepts for monks and nuns. Buddha 's cremation stupa, Kushinagar ( Kushinara ). Waley suggests that Theravadins would take suukaramaddava ( the contents of the Buddha 's last meal ), which can translate literally as pig - soft, to mean `` soft flesh of a pig '' or `` pig 's soft - food '', that is, after Neumann, a soft food favoured by pigs, assumed to be a truffle. He argues ( also after Neumann ) that as `` ( p ) lant names tend to be local and dialectical '', as there are several plants known to have suukara - ( pig ) as part of their names, and as Pali Buddhism developed in an area remote from the Buddha 's death, suukaramaddava could easily have been a type of plant whose local name was unknown to those in Pali regions. Specifically, local writers writing soon after the Buddha 's death knew more about their flora than Theravadin commentator Buddhaghosa who lived hundreds of years and hundreds of kilometres remote in time and space from the events described. Unaware that it may have been a local plant name and with no Theravadin prohibition against eating animal flesh, Theravadins would not have questioned the Buddha eating meat and interpreted the term accordingly. The sharing of the relics of the Buddha, Zenyōmitsu - Temple Museum, Tokyo According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha died at Kuśināra ( present - day Kushinagar, India ), which became a pilgrimage center. Ananda protested the Buddha 's decision to enter Parinirvana in the abandoned jungles of Kuśināra of the Malla kingdom. The Buddha, however, is said to have reminded Ananda how Kushinara was a land once ruled by a righteous wheel - turning king and the appropriate place for him to die. The Buddha then asked all the attendant Bhikkhus to clarify any doubts or questions they had and cleared them all in a way which others could not do. They had none. According to Buddhist scriptures, he then finally entered Parinirvana. The Buddha 's final words are reported to have been : `` All composite things ( Saṅkhāra ) are perishable. Strive for your own liberation with diligence '' ( Pali : ' vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā ' ). His body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, the Temple of the Tooth or `` Dalada Maligawa '' in Sri Lanka is the place where what some believe to be the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at present. Life scenes of Buddha, sand stone : Birth, Enlightenment, Descent from Heaven, First Sermon, Passing Away, c. 2nd Century CE, Government Museum, Mathura. According to the Pāli historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, the Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa, the coronation of Emperor Aśoka ( Pāli : Asoka ) is 218 years after the death of the Buddha. According to two textual records in Chinese ( 十 八 部 論 and 部 執 異論 ), the coronation of Emperor Aśoka is 116 years after the death of the Buddha. Therefore, the time of Buddha 's passing is either 486 BCE according to Theravāda record or 383 BCE according to Mahayana record. However, the actual date traditionally accepted as the date of the Buddha 's death in Theravāda countries is 544 or 545 BCE, because the reign of Emperor Aśoka was traditionally reckoned to be about 60 years earlier than current estimates. In Burmese Buddhist tradition, the date of the Buddha 's death is 13 May 544 BCE. whereas in Thai tradition it is 11 March 545 BCE. At his death, the Buddha is famously believed to have told his disciples to follow no leader. Mahakasyapa was chosen by the sangha to be the chairman of the First Buddhist Council, with the two chief disciples Maudgalyayana and Sariputta having died before the Buddha. Hair Relics of Buddha on display at Gangaramaya Temple ( Colombo ). While in the Buddha 's days he was addressed by the very respected titles Buddha, Shākyamuni, Shākyasimha, Bhante and Bho, he was known after his parinirvana nirvana as Arihant, Bhagavā / Bhagavat / Bhagwān, Mahāvira, Jina / Jinendra, Sāstr, Sugata, and most popularly in scriptures as Tathāgata. Relics See also : Śarīra and Relics associated with Buddha After his death, Buddha 's cremation relics were divided amongst 8 royal families and his disciples ; centuries later they would be enshrined by King Ashoka into 84,000 stupas. Many supernatural legends surround the history of alleged relics as they accompanied the spread of Buddhism and gave legitimacy to rulers. War over the Buddha 's Relics held by the city of Kushinagar, South Gate, Stupa no. 1, Sanchi. Physical characteristics Main article : Physical characteristics of the Buddha Gandhāran depiction of the Buddha from Hadda, Afghanistan ; Victoria and Albert Museum, London. An extensive and colorful physical description of the Buddha has been laid down in scriptures. A kshatriya by birth, he had military training in his upbringing, and by Shakyan tradition was required to pass tests to demonstrate his worthiness as a warrior in order to marry. He had a strong enough body to be noticed by one of the kings and was asked to join his army as a general. He is also believed by Buddhists to have `` the 32 Signs of the Great Man ''. The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as `` handsome, good - looking, and pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful complexion. He has a godlike form and countenance, he is by no means unattractive. '' ( D, I : 115 ) `` It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene is the good Gotama 's appearance, how clear and radiant his complexion, just as the golden jujube in autumn is clear and radiant, just as a palm - tree fruit just loosened from the stalk is clear and radiant, just as an adornment of red gold wrought in a crucible by a skilled goldsmith, deftly beaten and laid on a yellow - cloth shines, blazes and glitters, even so, the good Gotama 's senses are calmed, his complexion is clear and radiant. '' ( A, I : 181 ) A disciple named Vakkali, who later became an arahant, was so obsessed by the Buddha 's physical presence that the Buddha is said to have felt impelled to tell him to desist, and to have reminded him that he should know the Buddha through the Dhamma and not through physical appearances. Although there are no extant representations of the Buddha in human form until around the 1st century CE ( see Buddhist art ), descriptions of the physical characteristics of fully enlightened buddhas are attributed to the Buddha in the Digha Nikaya 's Lakkhaṇa Sutta ( D, I : 142 ). In addition, the Buddha 's physical appearance is described by Yasodhara to their son Rahula upon the Buddha 's first post-Enlightenment return to his former princely palace in the non-canonical Pali devotional hymn, Narasīha Gāthā ( `` The Lion of Men '' ). Among the 32 main characteristics it is mentioned that Buddha has blue eyes. Nine virtues Recollection of nine virtues attributed to the Buddha is a common Buddhist meditation and devotional practice called Buddhānusmṛti. The nine virtues are also among the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects. The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka, and include : Buddho -- Awakened Sammasambuddho -- Perfectly self - awakened Vijja - carana - sampano -- Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct. Sugato -- Well - gone or Well - spoken. Lokavidu -- Wise in the knowledge of the many worlds. Anuttaro Purisa - damma - sarathi -- Unexcelled trainer of untrained people. Satthadeva - Manussanam -- Teacher of gods and humans. Bhagavathi -- The Blessed one Araham -- Worthy of homage. An Arahant is `` one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge. '' Teachings Lord Buddha at Pandavleni Caves, Nashik. Main article : Buddhist philosophy Use of Brahmanical motifs In the Pali Canon, the Buddha uses many Brahmanical devices. For example, in Samyutta Nikaya 111, Majjhima Nikaya 92 and Vinaya i 246 of the Pali Canon, the Buddha praises the Agnihotra as the foremost sacrifice and the Gayatri mantra as the foremost meter : aggihuttamukhā yaññā sāvittī chandaso mukham. Sacrifices have the Agnihotra as foremost ; of meter, the foremost is the Sāvitrī. Tracing the oldest teachings This section may require copy editing for fragmented sections, and some parts that are hidden in the notes, while they should be in the main body of the text... You can assist by editing it. ( October 2017 ) Information of the oldest teachings may be obtained by analysis of the oldest texts. One method to obtain information on the oldest core of Buddhism is to compare the oldest extant versions of the Theravadin Pali Canon and other texts. The reliability of these sources, and the possibility of drawing out a core of oldest teachings, is a matter of dispute. According to Vetter, inconsistencies remain, and other methods must be applied to resolve those inconsistencies. According to Schmithausen, three positions held by scholars of Buddhism can be distinguished : `` Stress on the fundamental homogeneity and substantial authenticity of at least a considerable part of the Nikayic materials ; '', from the oldest extant texts a common kernel can be drawn out. According to Warder, c.q. his publisher : `` This kernel of doctrine is presumably common Buddhism of the period before the great schisms of the fourth and third centuries BC. It may be substantially the Buddhism of the Buddha himself, although this can not be proved : at any rate it is a Buddhism presupposed by the schools as existing about a hundred years after the parinirvana of the Buddha, and there is no evidence to suggest that it was formulated by anyone else than the Buddha and his immediate followers ''. and Richard Gombrich. Richard Gombrich : `` I have the greatest difficulty in accepting that the main edifice is not the work of a single genius. By `` the main edifice '' I mean the collections of the main body of sermons, the four Nikāyas, and of the main body of monastic rules. '' `` Scepticism with regard to the possibility of retrieving the doctrine of earliest Buddhism ; '' `` Cautious optimism in this respect. '' Dhyana and insight The Buddha on a coin of Kanishka I, circa 130 CE. A core problem in the study of early Buddhism is the relation between dhyana and insight. Schmithausen notes that the mention of the four noble truths as constituting `` liberating insight '', which is attained after mastering the Rupa Jhanas, is a later addition to texts such as Majjhima Nikaya 36. Earliest Buddhism Main article : Presectarian Buddhism According to Tilmann Vetter, the core of earliest Buddhism is the practice of dhyāna, as a workable alternative to painful ascetic practices. Bronkhorst agrees that Dhyāna was a Buddhist invention, whereas Norman notes that `` the Buddha 's way to release (... ) was by means of meditative practices. '' Discriminating insight into transiency as a separate path to liberation was a later development. According to the Mahāsaccakasutta, from the fourth jhana the Buddha gained bodhi. Yet, it is not clear what he was awakened to. According to Schmithausen and Bronkhorst, `` liberating insight '' is a later addition to this text, and reflects a later development and understanding in early Buddhism. The mentioning of the four truths as constituting `` liberating insight '' introduces a logical problem, since the four truths depict a linear path of practice, the knowledge of which is in itself not depicted as being liberating : ( T ) hey do not teach that one is released by knowing the four noble truths, but by practicing the fourth noble truth, the eightfold path, which culminates in right samadhi. Although `` Nibbāna '' ( Sanskrit : Nirvāna ) is the common term for the desired goal of this practice, many other terms can be found throughout the Nikayas, which are not specified. According to Vetter, the description of the Buddhist path may initially have been as simple as the term `` the middle way ''. In time, this short description was elaborated, resulting in the description of the eightfold path. According to both Bronkhorst and Anderson, the four truths became a substitution for prajna, or `` liberating insight '', in the suttas in those texts where `` liberating insight '' was preceded by the four jhanas. According to Bronkhorst, the four truths may not have been formulated in earliest Buddhism, and did not serve in earliest Buddhism as a description of `` liberating insight ''. Gotama 's teachings may have been personal, `` adjusted to the need of each person. '' The three marks of existence may reflect Upanishadic or other influences. K.R. Norman supposes that these terms were already in use at the Buddha 's time, and were familiar to his listeners. The Brahma - vihara was in origin probably a brahmanic term ; but its usage may have been common to the Sramana traditions. Later developments In time, `` liberating insight '' became an essential feature of the Buddhist tradition. The following teachings, which are commonly seen as essential to Buddhism, are later formulations which form part of the explanatory framework of this `` liberating insight '' : The Four Noble Truths : that suffering is an ingrained part of existence ; that the origin of suffering is craving for sensuality, acquisition of identity, and fear of annihilation ; that suffering can be ended ; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to accomplish this ; The Noble Eightfold Path : right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration ; Dependent origination : the mind creates suffering as a natural product of a complex process. Other religions Buddha depicted as the 9th avatar of god Vishnu in a traditional Hindu representation Main article : Gautama Buddha in world religions Some Hindus regard Gautama as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. However, Buddha 's teachings deny the authority of the Vedas and the concepts of Brahman - Atman. Consequently Buddhism is generally classified as a nāstika school ( heterodox, literally `` It is not so '' ) in contrast to the six orthodox schools of Hinduism. The Buddha is regarded as a prophet by the minority Ahmadiyya sect of Muslims -- a sect considered a deviant and rejected as apostate by mainstream Islam. Some early Chinese Taoist - Buddhists thought the Buddha to be a reincarnation of Laozi. Disciples of the Cao Đài religion worship the Buddha as a major religious teacher. His image can be found in both their Holy See and on the home altar. He is revealed during communication with Divine Beings as son of their Supreme Being ( God the Father ) together with other major religious teachers and founders like Jesus, Laozi, and Confucius. The Christian Saint Josaphat is based on the Buddha. The name comes from the Sanskrit Bodhisattva via Arabic Būdhasaf and Georgian Iodasaph. The only story in which St. Josaphat appears, Barlaam and Josaphat, is based on the life of the Buddha. Josaphat was included in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology ( feast day 27 November ) -- though not in the Roman Missal -- and in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical calendar ( 26 August ). In the ancient Gnostic sect of Manichaeism, the Buddha is listed among the prophets who preached the word of God before Mani. In Sikhism, Buddha is mentioned as the 23rd avatar of Vishnu in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in Dasam Granth traditionally and historically attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. Depiction in arts and media Films Main article : Depictions of Gautama Buddha in film Little Buddha, a 1994 film by Bernardo Bertolucci Prem Sanyas, a 1925 silent film, directed by Franz Osten and Himansu Rai Television Buddha, a 2013 mythological drama on Zee TV Literature The Light of Asia, an 1879 epic poem by Edwin Arnold Buddha, a manga series that ran from 1972 to 1983 by Osamu Tezuka Siddhartha novel by Hermann Hesse, written in German in 1922 Lord of Light, a novel by Roger Zelazny depicts a man in a far future Earth Colony who takes on the name and teachings of the Buddha Creation ( novel ), a 1981 novel by Gore Vidal, includes the Buddha as one of the religious figures that the main character encounters Music Karuna Nadee, a 2010 oratorio by Dinesh Subasinghe The Light of Asia, an 1886 oratorio by Dudley Buck A panorama of scenes from the Buddha 's life, from a Burmese parabaik or picture book See also Comparison of the founders of religious traditions Notes ^ Jump up to : According to the Buddhist tradition, following the Nidanakatha, the introductory to the Jataka tales, the stories of the former lives of the Buddha, Gautama was born in Lumbini, present - day Nepal. In the mid-3rd century BCE the Emperor Ashoka determined that Lumbini was Gautama 's birthplace and thus installed a pillar there with the inscription : ``... this is where the Buddha, sage of the Śākyas ( Śākyamuni ), was born. '' Based on stone inscriptions, there is also speculation that Lumbei, Kapileswar village, Odisha, at the east coast of India, was the site of ancient Lumbini. Hartmann discusses the hypothesis and states, `` The inscription has generally been considered spurious (... ) '' He quotes Sircar : `` There can hardly be any doubt that the people responsible for the Kapilesvara inscription copied it from the said facsimile not much earlier than 1928. '' Kapilavastu was the place where he grew up : Warder : `` The Buddha (... ) was born in the Sakya Republic, which was the city state of Kapilavastu, a very small state just inside the modern state boundary of Nepal against the Northern Indian frontier. Walsh : `` He belonged to the Sakya clan dwelling on the edge of the Himalayas, his actual birthplace being a few miles north of the present - day Northern Indian border, in Nepal. His father was, in fact, an elected chief of the clan rather than the king he was later made out to be, though his title was raja -- a term which only partly corresponds to our word ' king '. Some of the states of North India at that time were kingdoms and others republics, and the Sakyan republic was subject to the powerful king of neighbouring Kosala, which lay to the south ''. The exact location of ancient Kapilavastu is unknown. It may have been either Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, or Tilaurakot, present - day Nepal. The two cities are located only fifteen miles from each other. See also Conception and birth and Birthplace Sources Jump up ^ According to Mahaparinibbana Sutta, Gautama died in Kushinagar, which is located in present - day Uttar Pradesh, India. ^ Jump up to : 411 -- 400 : Dundas 2002, p. 24 : ``... as is now almost universally accepted by informed Indological scholarship, a re-examination of early Buddhist historical material, (... ), necessitates a redating of the Buddha 's death to between 411 and 400 BCE... '' 405 : Richard Gombrich Around 400 : See the consensus in the essays by leading scholars in Narain, Awadh Kishore, ed. ( 2003 ), The Date of the Historical Śākyamuni Buddha, New Delhi : BR Publishing, ISBN 81 - 7646 - 353 - 1. According to Pali scholar K.R. Norman, a life span for the Buddha of c. 480 to 400 BCE ( and his teaching period roughly from c. 445 to 400 BCE ) `` fits the archaeological evidence better ''. See also Notes on the Dates of the Buddha Íåkyamuni. Jump up ^ According to Alexander Berzin, `` Buddhism developed as a shramana school that accepted rebirth under the force of karma, while rejecting the existence of the type of soul that other schools asserted. In addition, the Buddha accepted as parts of the path to liberation the use of logic and reasoning, as well as ethical behavior, but not to the degree of Jain asceticism. In this way, Buddhism avoided the extremes of the previous four shramana schools. '' Jump up ^ In 2013, archaeologist Robert Coningham found the remains of a Bodhigara, a tree shrine, dated to 550 BCE at the Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini, speculating that it may possible be a Buddhist shrine. If so, this may push back the Buddha 's birth date. Archaeologists caution that the shrine may represent pre-Buddhist tree worship, and that further research is needed. Richard Gombrich has dismissed Coningham 's speculations as `` a fantasy '', noting that Coningham lacks the necessary expertise on the history of early Buddhism. Geoffrey Samuels notes that several locations of both early Buddhism and Jainism are closely related to Yaksha - worship, that several Yakshas were `` converted '' to Buddhism, a well - known example being Vajrapani, and that several Yaksha - shrines, where trees were worshipped, were converted into Buddhist holy places. Jump up ^ Some sources mention Kapilavastu as the birthplace of the Buddha. Gethin states : `` The earliest Buddhist sources state that the future Buddha was born Siddhārtha Gautama ( Pali Siddhattha Gotama ), the son of a local chieftain -- a rājan -- in Kapilavastu ( Pali Kapilavatthu ) what is now the Indian -- Nepalese border. '' Gethin does not give references for this statement. Jump up ^ Minor Rock Edict Nb3 : `` These Dhamma texts -- Extracts from the Discipline, the Noble Way of Life, the Fears to Come, the Poem on the Silent Sage, the Discourse on the Pure Life, Upatisa 's Questions, and the Advice to Rahula which was spoken by the Buddha concerning false speech -- these Dhamma texts, reverend sirs, I desire that all the monks and nuns may constantly listen to and remember. Likewise the laymen and laywomen. '' Dhammika : `` There is disagreement amongst scholars concerning which Pali suttas correspond to some of the text. Vinaya samukose : probably the Atthavasa Vagga, Anguttara Nikaya, 1 : 98 -- 100. Aliya vasani : either the Ariyavasa Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya, V : 29, or the Ariyavamsa Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya, II : 27 -- 28. Anagata bhayani : probably the Anagata Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya, III : 100. Muni gatha : Muni Sutta, Sutta Nipata 207 -- 221. Upatisa pasine : Sariputta Sutta, Sutta Nipata 955 -- 975. Laghulavade : Rahulavada Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya, I : 421. '' ^ Jump up to : Kumar Singh, Nagendra ( 1997 ). `` Buddha as depicted in the Purāṇas ''. Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. 7. Anmol Publications. pp. 260 -- 75. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7488 - 168 - 7. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Jump up ^ According to Geoffrey Samuel, the Buddha was born as a Kshatriya, in a moderate Vedic culture at the central Ganges Plain area, where the shramana - traditions developed. This area had a moderate Vedic culture, where the Kshatriyas were the highest varna, in contrast to the Brahmanic ideology of Kuru - Panchala, where the Brahmins had become the highest varna. Both the Vedic culture and the shramana tradition contributed to the emergence of the so - called `` Hindu - synthesis '' around the start of the Common Era. Jump up ^ Scholars have noted inconsistencies in the presentations of the Buddha 's enlightenment, and the Buddhist path to liberation, in the oldest sutras. These inconsistencies show that the Buddhist teachings evolved, either during the lifetime of the Buddha, or thereafter. See : * Andre Bareau ( 1963 ), Recherches sur la biographie du Buddha dans les Sutrapitaka et les Vinayapitaka anciens, Ecole Francaise d'Extreme - Orient * Schmithausen, On some Aspects of Descriptions or Theories of ' Liberating Insight ' and ' Enlightenment ' in Early Buddhism * K.R. Norman, Four Noble Truths * Tilman Vetter, The Ideas and Meditative Practices of Early Buddhism * Richard F. Gombrich ( 2006 ). How Buddhism Began : The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings. Routledge. ISBN 978 - 1 - 134 - 19639 - 5., chapter four * Bronkhorst, Johannes ( 1993 ), The Two Traditions Of Meditation In Ancient India, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, chapter 7 * Anderson, Carol ( 1999 ), Pain and Its Ending : The Four Noble Truths in the Theravada Buddhist Canon, Routledge Jump up ^ Waley notes : suukara - kanda, `` pig - bulb '' ; suukara - paadika, `` pig 's foot '' and sukaresh. ta `` sought - out by pigs ''. He cites Neumann 's suggestion that if a plant called `` sought - out by pigs '' exists then suukaramaddava can mean `` pig 's delight ''. Jump up ^ The surviving portions of the scriptures of Sarvastivada, Mulasarvastivada, Mahisasaka, Dharmaguptaka and other schools, and the Chinese Agamas and other surviving portions of other early canons. Jump up ^ Exemplary studies are the study on descriptions of `` liberating insight '' by Lambert Schmithausen, the overview of early Buddhism by Tilmann Vetter, the philological work on the four truths by K.R. Norman, the textual studies by Richard Gombrich, and the research on early meditation methods by Johannes Bronkhorst. Jump up ^ A well - known proponent of the first position is A.K. Warder Jump up ^ According to A.K. Warder, in his 1970 publication `` Indian Buddhism '' Jump up ^ A proponent of the second position is Ronald Davidson. Jump up ^ Ronald Davidson : `` While most scholars agree that there was a rough body of sacred literature ( disputed ) ( sic ) that a relatively early community ( disputed ) ( sic ) maintained and transmitted, we have little confidence that much, if any, of surviving Buddhist scripture is actually the word of the historic Buddha. '' Jump up ^ Well - known proponents of the third position are : * J.W. de Jong : `` It would be hypocritical to assert that nothing can be said about the doctrine of earliest Buddhism (... ) the basic ideas of Buddhism found in the canonical writings could very well have been proclaimed by him ( the Buddha ), transmitted and developed by his disciples and, finally, codified in fixed formulas. '' * Johannes Bronkhorst : `` This position is to be preferred to ( ii ) for purely methodological reasons : only those who seek may find, even if no success is guaranteed. '' * Donald Lopez : `` The original teachings of the historical Buddha are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recover or reconstruct. '' Jump up ^ Vetter : `` However, if we look at the last, and in my opinion the most important, component of this list ( the noble eightfold path ), we are still dealing with what according to me is the real content of the middle way, dhyana - meditation, at least the stages two to four, which are said to be free of contemplation and reflection. Everything preceding the eighth part, i.e. right samadhi, apparently has the function of preparing for the right samadhi. '' Jump up ^ Majjhima Nikaya 36 Jump up ^ Vetter : `` I am especially thinking here of MN 26 ( I p. 163, 32 ; 165, 15 ; 166, 35 ) kimkusalagavesi anuttaram santivarapadam pariyesamano ( searching for that which is beneficial, seeking the unsurpassable, best place of peace ) and again MN 26 ( passim ), anuttaramyagakkhemam nibbiinam pariyesati ( he seeks the unsurpassable safe place, the nirvana ). Anuppatta - sadattho ( one who has reached the right goal ) is also a vague positive expression in the Arhatformula in MN 35 ( I p, 235 ), see chapter 2, footnote 3, Furthermore, satthi ( welfare ) is important in e.g. SN 2.12 or 2.17 or Sn 269 ; and sukha and rati ( happiness ), in contrast to other places, as used in Sn 439 and 956. The oldest term was perhaps amata ( immortal, immortality ) (... ) but one could say here that it is a negative term. '' Jump up ^ Understanding of these marks helps in the development of detachment : Anicca ( Sanskrit : anitya ) : That all things that come to have an end ; Dukkha ( Sanskrit : duḥkha ) : That nothing which comes to be is ultimately satisfying ; Anattā ( Sanskrit : anātman ) : That nothing in the realm of experience can really be said to be `` I '' or `` mine ''. Jump up ^ `` in Sanskrit philosophical literature, ' āstika ' means ' one who believes in the authority of the Vedas ', ' soul ', ' Brahman '. ( ' nāstika ' means the opposite of these ). References Citations ^ Jump up to : Cousins 1996, pp. 57 -- 63. ^ Jump up to : Norman 1997, p. 33. Jump up ^ `` Maha - parinibbana Sutta '', Digha Nikaya ( 16 ), Access insight, part 5 ^ Jump up to : Baroni 2002, p. 230. Jump up ^ Boeree, C George. `` An Introduction to Buddhism ''. Shippensburg University. Retrieved 10 September 2011. ^ Jump up to : Warder 2000, p. 45. Jump up ^ Laumakis 2008, p. 4. Jump up ^ Skilton 2004, p. 41. Jump up ^ Rawlinson, Hugh George. ( 1950 ) A Concise History of the Indian People, Oxford University Press. p. 46. Jump up ^ Muller, F. Max. ( 2001 ) The Dhammapada And Sutta - nipata, Routledge ( UK ). p. xlvii. ISBN 0 - 7007 - 1548 - 7. Jump up ^ India : A History. Revised and Updated, by John Keay : `` The date ( of Buddha 's meeting with Bimbisara ) ( given the Buddhist ' short chronology ' ) must have been around 400 BCE. '' Jump up ^ Smith 1924, pp. 34, 48. Jump up ^ Schumann 2003, pp. 1 -- 5. Jump up ^ Jayatilleke 1963, chpt. 1 -- 3. Jump up ^ Clasquin - Johnson, Michel. `` Will the real Nigantha Nātaputta please stand up ? Reflections on the Buddha and his contemporaries ''. Journal for the Study of Religion. 28 ( 1 ) : 100 -- 114. ISSN 1011 - 7601. Jump up ^ Walshe 1995, p. 268. Jump up ^ Collins 2009, pp. 199 -- 200. Jump up ^ Berzin, Alexander ( April 2007 ). `` Indian Society and Thought before and at the Time of Buddha ''. Study Buddhism. Retrieved 20 June 2016. Jump up ^ Nakamura 1980, p. 20. Jump up ^ Wynne 2007, pp. 8 -- 23, ch. 2. Jump up ^ Warder 1998, p. 45. Jump up ^ Roy 1984, p. 1. Jump up ^ Roy 1984, p. 7. ^ Jump up to : Carrithers 2001. Jump up ^ Buswell 2003, p. 352. Jump up ^ Lopez 1995, p. 16. Jump up ^ Schumann 2003, pp. 10 -- 13. Jump up ^ Bechert 1991 -- 1997. Jump up ^ Ruegg 1999, pp. 82 -- 87. ^ Jump up to : Narain 1993, pp. 187 -- 201. Jump up ^ Prebish 2008, p. 2. Jump up ^ Gombrich 1992. Jump up ^ Hartmann 1991. Jump up ^ Gombrich 2000. Jump up ^ Schumann 2003, p. xv. Jump up ^ Wayman 1993, pp. 37 -- 58. ^ Jump up to : Vergano, Dan ( 25 November 2013 ). `` Oldest Buddhist Shrine Uncovered In Nepal May Push Back the Buddha 's Birth Date ''. National Geographic. Retrieved 26 November 2013. Jump up ^ Gombrich, Richard ( 2013 ), Recent discovery of `` earliest Buddhist shrine '' a sham ?, Tricycle Jump up ^ Tan, Piya ( 2009 - 12 - 21 ), Ambaṭṭha Sutta. Theme : Religious arrogance versus spiritual openness ( PDF ), Dharma farer Jump up ^ Samuels 2010, pp. 140 -- 52. ^ Jump up to : Gombrich 1988, p. 49. Jump up ^ Davids, Rhys, ed. ( 1878 ), Buddhist birth - stories ; Jataka tales. The commentary introd. entitled Nidanakatha ; the story of the lineage. Translated from V. Fausböll 's ed. of the Pali text by TW Rhys Davids ( new & rev. ed. ) Jump up ^ `` Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha ''. UNESCO. Retrieved 26 May 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Astamahapratiharya : Buddhist pilgrimage sites ''. Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012. Jump up ^ Gethin 1998, p. 19. Jump up ^ Mahāpātra 1977. Jump up ^ Mohāpātra 2000, p. 114. Jump up ^ Tripathy 2014. Jump up ^ Hartmann 1991, pp. 38 -- 39. ^ Jump up to : Keown & Prebish 2013, p. 436. Jump up ^ Gethin 1998, p. 14. Jump up ^ Walsh 1995, p. 20. ^ Jump up to : Nakamura 1980, p. 18. Jump up ^ Srivastava 1979, pp. 61 -- 74. Jump up ^ Srivastava 1980, p. 108. Jump up ^ Tuladhar 2002, pp. 1 -- 7. ^ Jump up to : Huntington 1986. ^ Jump up to : Dhammika 1993. Jump up ^ Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. `` That the True Dhamma Might Last a Long Time : Readings Selected by King Asoka ''. Access to Insight. Retrieved 8 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara ''. UW Press. Retrieved 4 September 2008. Jump up ^ Oskar von Hinüber `` Hoary past and hazy memory. On the history of early Buddhist texts '', in Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Volume 29, Number 2 : 2006 ( 2008 ), pp. 198 -- 206 Jump up ^ see also : Michael Witzel, ( 2009 ), `` Moving Targets ? Texts, language, archaeology and history in the Late Vedic and early Buddhist periods. '' in Indo - Iranian Journal 52 ( 2 -- 3 ) : 287 -- 310. Jump up ^ Fowler 2005, p. 32. Jump up ^ Beal 1883. Jump up ^ Cowell 1894. Jump up ^ Willemen 2009. Jump up ^ Olivelle, Patrick ( 2008 ). Life of the Buddha by Ashva - ghosha ( 1st ed. ). New York : New York University Press. p. xix. ISBN 9780814762165. ^ Jump up to : Karetzky 2000, p. xxi. Jump up ^ Beal 1875. Jump up ^ Swearer 2004, p. 177. Jump up ^ Schober 2002, p. 20. ^ Jump up to : Anålayo, The Buddha and Omniscience, Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies, 2006, vol. 7 pp. 1 -- 20. 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( 1884 ), The life of the Buddha and the early history of his order, derived from Tibetan works in the Bkah - Hgyur and Bstan - Hgyur, followed by notices on the early history of Tibet and Khoten, London : Trübner Roy, Ashim Kumar ( 1984 ), A history of the Jains, New Delhi : Gitanjali, p. 179 Ruegg, Seyford ( 1999 ), `` A new publication on the date and historiography of Buddha  ́ s decease ( nirvana ) : a review article '', Bulletin of the School of Oriental and Afrikan Studies, University of London, 62 ( 1 ) : 82 -- 87, doi : 10.1017 / s0041977x00017572 Samuel, Geoffrey ( 2010 ), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press Schmithausen, Lambert ( 1981 ), `` On some Aspects of Descriptions or Theories of ' Liberating Insight ' and ' Enlightenment ' in Early Buddhism '', in von Klaus, Bruhn ; Wezler, Albrecht, Studien zum Jainismus und Buddhismus ( Gedenkschrift für Ludwig Alsdorf ) ( Studies on Jainism and Buddhism ( Schriftfest for Ludwig Alsdorf ) ) ( in German ), Wiesbaden, pp. 199 -- 250 Schober, Juliane ( 2002 ), Sacred biography in the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia, Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Schumann, Hans Wolfgang ( 2003 ), The Historical Buddha : The Times, Life, and Teachings of the Founder of Buddhism, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 812081817 - 2 Shimoda, Masahiro ( 2002 ), `` How has the Lotus Sutra Created Social Movements : The Relationship of the Lotus Sutra to the Mahāparinirvāṇa - sūtra '', in Reeves, Gene, A Buddhist Kaleidoscope, Kosei Shults, Brett ( 2014 ), `` On the Buddha 's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts '', Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, 6 : 106 -- 140 Srivastava, K.M. ( 1980 ), `` Archaeological Excavations at Priprahwa and Ganwaria and the Identification of Kapilavastu '', Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 3 ( 1 ) : 103 -- 110 Srivastava, K.M. ( 1979 ), `` Kapilavastu and Its Precise Location '', East and West, 29 ( 1 / 4 ) : 61 -- 74 Skilton, Andrew ( 2004 ), A Concise History of Buddhism Smith, Peter ( 2000 ), `` Manifestations of God '', A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith, Oxford : Oneworld Publications, ISBN 1 - 85168 - 184 - 1, 231 pp. Smith, Vincent ( 1924 ), The Early History of India ( 4th ed. ), Oxford : Clarendon Strong, John S ( 2007 ), Relics of the Buddha, Motilal Banarsidass Swearer, Donald ( 2004 ), Becoming the Buddha, Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press Thapar, Romila ( 2002 ), The Penguin History of Early India : From Origins to AD 1300, Penguin Trainor, Kevin ( 2010 ), `` Kapilavastu '', in : Keown, Damien ; Prebish, Charles S. Encyclopedia of Buddhism, London : Routledge Tripathy, Ajit Kumar ( Jan 2014 ), `` The Real Birth Place of Buddha. Yesterday 's Kapilavastu, Today 's Kapileswar '' ( PDF ), The Orissa historical research journal, Orissa State museum, 47 ( 1 ), archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2012 - 03 - 18 Tuladhar, Swoyambhu D. ( November 2002 ), `` The Ancient City of Kapilvastu -- Revisited '' ( PDF ), Ancient Nepal ( 151 ) : 1 -- 7 Turpie, D ( 2001 ), Wesak And The Re-Creation of Buddhist Tradition ( PDF ) ( master 's thesis ), Montreal, QC : McGill University, archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2007 - 04 - 15 Twitchett, Denis, ed. ( 1986 ), The Cambridge History of China, 1. The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC -- AD 220, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0 - 521 - 24327 - 0 Upadhyaya, KN ( 1971 ), Early Buddhism and the Bhagavadgita, Dehli, IN : Motilal Banarsidass, p. 95, ISBN 978 - 812080880 - 5 Vetter, Tilmann ( 1988 ), The Ideas and Meditative Practices of Early Buddhism, Brill Von Hinüber, Oskar ( 2009 ), `` Cremated like a King : The funeral of the Buddha within the ancient Indian context '', Journal of the International College of Postgraduate Buddhist Studies, 13 : 33 -- 66 Waley, Arthur ( July 1932 ), `` Did Buddha die of eating pork ? : with a note on Buddha 's image '', Melanges Chinois et bouddhiques, NTU, 1931 -- 32 : 343 -- 54, archived from the original on 3 June 2011 Walshe, Maurice ( 1995 ), The Long Discourses of the Buddha. A Translation of the Digha Nikaya, Boston : Wisdom Publications Warder, Anthony K. ( 1998 ). `` Lokayata, Ajivaka, and Ajnana Philosophy ''. A Course in Indian Philosophy ( 2nd ed. ). Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9788120812444. Warder, AK ( 2000 ), Indian Buddhism, Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Wayman, Alex ( 1997 ), Untying the Knots in Buddhism : Selected Essays, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 812081321 - 9 Weise, Kai ; et al. ( 2013 ), The Sacred Garden of Lumbini -- Perceptions of Buddha 's Birthplace ( PDF ), Paris : UNESCO, archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2014 - 08 - 30 Willemen, Charles, transl. ( 2009 ), Buddhacarita : In Praise of Buddha 's Acts ( PDF ), Berkeley, CA : Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, ISBN 978 - 1886439 - 42 - 9, archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 August 2014 Wynne, Alexander ( 2007 ), The Origin of Buddhist Meditation ( PDF ), Routledge, ISBN 0 - 20396300 - 8 Further reading The Buddha Bechert, Heinz, ed. ( 1996 ). When Did the Buddha Live ? The Controversy on the Dating of the Historical Buddha. Delhi : Sri Satguru. Ñāṇamoli, Bhikku ( 1992 ). The Life of the Buddha According to the Pali Canon ( 3rd ed. ). Kandy, Sri Lanka : Buddhist Publication Society. Wagle, Narendra K ( 1995 ). Society at the Time of the Buddha ( 2nd ed. ). Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978 - 817154553 - 7. Weise, Kai ( 2013 ). The Sacred Garden of Lumbini : Perceptions of Buddha 's birthplace. UNESCO. ISBN 978 - 92 - 3 - 001208 - 3. Early Buddhism Rahula, Walpola ( 1974 ). What the Buddha Taught ( 2nd ed. ). New York : Grove Press. Vetter, Tilmann ( 1988 ), The Ideas and Meditative Practices of Early Buddhism, Brill Buddhism general Kalupahana, David J. ( 1994 ), A history of Buddhist philosophy, Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Robinson, Richard H. ; Johnson, Willard L ; Wawrytko, Sandra A ; DeGraff, Geoffrey ( 1996 ). The Buddhist Religion : A Historical Introduction. Belmont, CA : Wadsworth. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gautama Buddha. 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Dhammika Buddhist titles Preceded by Kassapa Buddha Buddhist Patriarch Succeeded by Maitreya Buddha Gautama Buddha Buddhism Core teachings Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Middle Way sayings Disciples ten principal disciples Four sights Family Places Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Bodhi Tree, Mahabodhi Temple pilgrimage sites Miracles Birthday Prophesied Physical characteristics Death Relics Cetiya tooth footprint Buddha statues Iconography Films Gautama Buddha in world religions Hinduism Commons Wikiquote 28 Buddhas Taṇhaṃkara Medhaṃkara Saraṇaṃkara Dipankara Koṇḍañña Maṅgala Sumana Revata Sobhita Anomadassi Paduma Nārada Padumuttara Sumedha Sujāta Piyadassi Atthadassi Dhammadassi Siddhattha Tissa Phussa Vipassi Sikhi Vessabhu Kakusandha Koṇāgamana Kassapa Gautama Future : Maitreya Buddhism portal Buddhism topics Glossary Index Outline Foundations Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way The Buddha Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Physical characteristics Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna ( father ) Māyā ( mother ) Mahapajapati Gotamī ( aunt, adoptive mother ) Yasodhara ( wife ) Rāhula ( son ) Ānanda ( cousin ) Devadatta ( cousin ) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions Key concepts Avidyā ( Ignorance ) Bardo Bodhicitta Bodhisattva Buddha - nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mind Stream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā ( Craving ) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Impermanence Dukkha Anatta Two truths doctrine Cosmology Ten spiritual realms Six realms Deva ( Buddhism ) Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Hell Three planes of existence Practices Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiseka Dāna Devotion Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassanā ( Vipassana movement ) Shikantaza Zazen Kōan Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Satipatthana Nekkhamma Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Refuge Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five Precepts Bodhisattva vow Prātimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Nirvana Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Four stages of enlightenment Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat Monasticism Bhikkhu Bhikkhuni Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagarika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery Major figures Gautama Buddha Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Mulian Ānanda Mahākassapa Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhuti Punna Upali Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa Buddhaghoṣa Nagasena Angulimala Bodhidharma Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Atiśa Padmasambhava Nichiren Songtsen Gampo Emperor Wen of Sui Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Karmapa Shamarpa Naropa Xuanzang Zhiyi Texts Tripiṭaka Madhyamakālaṃkāra Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Branches Theravada Mahayana Chan Buddhism Zen Seon Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Navayana Vajrayana Tibetan Shingon Dzogchen Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna Countries Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Kalmykia Buryatia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil France United Kingdom United States Venezuela History Timeline Ashoka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco - 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Question: who was the founder of buddhism and when was he born
Answer: Gautama Buddha