The Buddha was born as Siddhattha Gotama around the fifth or sixth century BCE, in Lumbinī, in what is now southern Nepal. His father, Suddhodana, ruled the Sakyan people from the city of Kapilavatthu, and his mother was Queen Mahāmāyā.
The four sights
Raised in comfort, the young prince was protected from hardship. According to tradition, on trips outside the palace he saw an old person, a sick person, a corpse and a calm wandering renunciant. These “four sights” showed him that ageing, sickness and death come to everyone — and that there might be a way beyond them.
The search and the awakening
At twenty-nine he left home to seek the truth. For six years he studied with teachers and practised extreme austerities, but found they did not lead to freedom. Choosing a Middle Way, he sat beneath a tree at Bodh Gayā and, at thirty-five, attained full awakening. From then on he was the Buddha — “the one who is awake”.
Forty-five years of teaching
The Buddha taught for forty-five years, to kings and farmers, men and women, all without discrimination. He founded the Sangha of monks and nuns and passed away peacefully at Kusinārā at the age of eighty. His last words encouraged his followers to strive on with diligence.
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā, appamādena sampādetha.
All conditioned things are subject to decay. Strive on with diligence. — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta