Buddha

Introduction
General considerations
Historical context
Sources of the life of the Buddha
Previous lives
Birth and early life
The enlightenment
The first disciples
The post-enlightenment period
The death of the Buddha
The Buddha’s relics
Images of the Buddha
The Mahayana tradition and the reconception of the Buddha
The doctrine of the three bodies
The presence of multiple universes

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Mahā Māyā dreaming of the white elephant

dream of Maya presaging the Buddha's birth

Large stone statue of a reclining Buddha carved into a rock face at Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, with remnants of brick structures in front.

Stone Buddha statue seated in meditation surrounded by bell-shaped stupas at Borobudur Temple in Java, Indonesia, with intricate ancient stonework visible under a blue sky.

Stone Buddha statue seated in meditation posture at the vatadage in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, with ancient brick ruins and blue sky in the background.

At a Glance

Buddha summary

Quizzes

Buddha. Temple mural in Thailand of the Buddha founder of a major religions and philosophical system Buddhism.

Buddha and Buddhism

Related Questions

At what age did Siddhartha Gautama begin the great renunciation?
How did enlightenment transform Siddhartha Gautama into the Buddha?
How did rainy-season shelters develop into Buddhist monasteries?
How did the Four Signs lead Siddhartha Gautama to leave palace life?
How did the political setting of northern India influence the rise of Buddhism?
How do the sutras, vinaya texts, and Jataka stories describe the Buddha’s life differently?
How does a bodhisattva differ from a buddha?
How does nirvana relate to the end of suffering in Buddhism?
How is the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passage into nirvana celebrated during Wesak?
How long did Siddhartha Gautama practice asceticism before his enlightenment?
How were the Buddha’s teachings preserved before they were written down?
What are the Four Noble Truths taught by the Buddha?
What are the eight parts of the Eightfold Path?
What causes suffering according to the second Noble Truth?
What does Buddhist tradition say about Queen Maha Maya’s dream before the Buddha’s birth?
What does the Buddhist teaching of no-self mean?
What final advice did the Buddha give his disciples before passing into nirvana?
What happened during the Buddha’s final journey to Kusinara?
What is the Vinaya, and how did it guide Buddhist monastic life?
What is the middle way taught by the Buddha?
What is the sangha in Buddhism?
What rules in the patimokkha could lead to a monk’s expulsion from a monastery?
What was Jetavana, and why was it important in the Buddha’s life?
What was the Shakya clan’s role in Siddhartha Gautama’s early life?
What were the Four Signs seen by Prince Siddhartha Gautama?
Where did the Buddha attain enlightenment?
Where did the Buddha die according to Buddhist tradition?
Where did the Buddha give his first sermon?
Where was Siddhartha Gautama born according to Buddhist tradition?
Which four places did the Buddha identify as important pilgrimage sites?
Who donated the Jetavana monastery to the Buddha?
Who was Devadatta, and why did he challenge the Buddha?
Who was Dipamkara Buddha in stories of Gautama Buddha’s previous lives?
Who was Mahaprajapati, and how was she connected to the Buddhist order of nuns?
Who was Maitreya in Buddhist tradition?
Who was Rahula, the Buddha’s son?
Who was Vessantara in the Buddha’s previous-life stories?
Who was Yashodhara in the life of Siddhartha Gautama?
Who were the Buddha’s parents according to traditional accounts?
Why are the exact dates of the Buddha’s life uncertain?
Why did Brahma ask the Buddha to teach after his enlightenment?
Why did Buddhist monks remain in one place during the rainy season?
Why did some of the Buddha’s followers become monks or nuns?
Why did the Buddha require parental permission for a son to be ordained as a monk?
Why do accounts of the Buddha’s life differ among Buddhist traditions?
Why is the Eightfold Path important in the Buddha’s teaching?
How did Ashoka become so famous?
What is the 14th Dalai Lama known for?
Why did the 14th Dalai Lama flee to India?
How has the 14th Dalai Lama maintained his leadership role in exile?
What are some of the 14th Dalai Lama’s contributions to interfaith dialogue?

Philosophy & Religion Religious Figures & Scholars Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures

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External Websites

Age of the Sage - Transmitting the Wisdoms of the Ages - Biography of Buddha
Humanities LibreTexts - The Life of the Buddha - BuddhaÂ’s Escape from his life of Luxury
World History Encyclopedia - Siddhartha Gautama
The Met - Life of the Buddha
IndiaNetzone - Gautama Buddha
Live Science - The Buddha: History, meditation, religion and images
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Buddha
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Buddha

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Buddha - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Buddha - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Buddha

founder of Buddhism

Also known as: Śākyamuni, Gautama Buddha, Gotama Buddha, Sage of the Śākyas, Shaka, Shaka Nyorai, Shakyamuni, Siddhartha Gautama, Siddhattha(Show More)

Written by

Donald S. Lopez

Donald S. Lopez, Jr. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan. His books include Elaborations on Emptiness: Uses of the...

Donald S. Lopez

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 3, 2026 •History

Buddha (born c. 6th–4th century bce, Lumbini, near Kapilavastu, Shakya republic, Kosala kingdom [now in Nepal]—died, Kusinara, Malla republic, Magadha kingdom [now Kasia, India]) was the founder of Buddhism, one of the major religions and philosophical systems of southern and eastern Asia and of the world. Buddha is one of the many epithets of a teacher who lived in northern India sometime between the 6th and the 4th century before the Common Era. His followers,...

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