Siddhartha Gautama

Born a prince in the Shakya clan, sheltered from all suffering, Siddhartha Gautama left his palace at 29 after glimpsing old age, sickness, and death. After six years of extreme asceticism brought no peace, he sat beneath a fig tree at Bodh Gaya, vowing not to rise until he understood the nature of suffering. That night, he became the Buddha: 'the one who woke up.' For the next 45 years, he walked the dusty roads of northern India, teaching anyone who would listen: kings and outcasts, scholars and farmers. His message was radical in its simplicity, suffering arises from craving; craving ends through the Eightfold Path; liberation is possible for all. Two and a half millennia later, his teachings have spread to every corner of the world.