Buddha is the central figure of Buddhism, a major world religion and philosophical tradition. He refers to Siddhartha Gautama, a spiritual teacher who lived in ancient India around the 5th century BCE. Through meditation and deep insight, he attained enlightenment and became known as “the Awakened One.” The Buddha taught that suffering arises from desire and ignorance, and he outlined a path to liberation through ethical living, wisdom, and mental discipline, most famously expressed in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
