Siddhartha Guatama, who would one day become known as Buddha, was born into a prosperous and royal family. His father was a king who ruled an Indian tribe called the Shakyas. But despite living a life of luxury and comfort, he could not find fulfillment in his life and thus began his unrelenting journey for deeper meaning. At the age of 29, he left the palace courts and spent six years on a spiritual path of searching, attaining wisdom from various religious teachers, practicing “extreme asceticism” and meditating until he one day reached the state of Enlightenment.
Meaning: “enlightened one” or “the awakened”
Who: Religious Leader
Date of birth: 600 BC in Lumbini, Nepal
Date of death: 300 BC in India
Original name: Siddhartha Guatama
- “Buddha,” The Biography Channel website,http://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587 (accessed Jan 14, 2014)
- Pauling, Chris. Introducing Buddhism. Birmingham, UK: Windhorse Publications, 1990.