The Buddha was a prince named “Siddhartha Gautama”. He was born in Nepal and was the person who created the religion of Buddhism. He lived from about 563 BC to about 483 BC. He is also called Shakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha was a mendicant, meditator, and spiritual teacher who lived in Nepal (c. 5th to 4th century BCE).The world religion of Buddhism was founded by the efforts of him and his followers. For forty-five years he built a large following, both monastic and lay. His teaching is based on an insight into suffering and the end of suffering (nirvāṇa).

The Buddha was born in Lumbini, near Kapilavastu, which was part of the Shakya country, to an aristocratic family. He renounced lay life and after several years of mendicancy, meditation and asceticism, Gautama is reported to have had a spiritual awakening. He is thus known by the title Buddha which means “Awakened One”. He then traveled throughout the Ganges plain teaching and building a religious community. The Buddha taught a middle way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement. He taught a spiritual path that included ethical training and meditative practices such as jhana and mindfulness. The Buddha also critiqued the practices of brahmin priests, such as animal sacrifice.