Gautama

Gautama is a name often used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism. The form Gautama (Sanskrit) or Gotama (Pali) is a clan or family name of the Shakya lineage, and it appears in various transliterations in Buddhist texts. In common usage, Gautama Buddha denotes the historical figure who attained awakening and taught the path to liberation.

Traditionally dated to the 5th century BCE, Gautama was born a prince in Lumbini, in present-day Nepal, and raised in the Shakya kingdom. After encountering old age, illness, and death, he renounced his royal life to seek enlightenment. Through meditation and ascetic practices, he attained awakening under a bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya and began teaching in the Deer Park at Sarnath. His insights focused on suffering, its causes, and a practical path to ending it, rather than metaphysical speculation. He is said to have died at Kushinagar, entering parinirvana, the final passing beyond physical existence.

Teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha center on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, emphasizing impermanence, dependent origination, ethical conduct, meditation, and wisdom. He taught that liberation from cyclic existence (samsara) is possible through understanding the nature of reality and following a disciplined life, without reliance on a creator god.

Gautama’s legacy shaped the development of Buddhism, giving rise to diverse traditions such as Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. His life and teachings are recorded in Buddhist scriptures, notably the Pali Canon for Theravada and various sutras and scholarly works across Mahayana and Vajrayana communities. The name Gautama remains a reference point for the historical Buddha and, in some contexts, for others bearing the surname.