Buddha - meaning the wise or the enlightened one - is the sacred name of the founder of Buddhism, an Indian sage who appears to have lived in the 5th century BC. His real name was Siddhartha Gautama; and he is often called also Sakya-muni (from Sakya, the name of his tribe, and muni, a Sanskrit word meaning a sage). His father was King of Kapilavastu, a few days' journey north of Benares. Siddhartha Gautama, filled with a deep compassion for the human race, left his father's court, and lived for years in solitude until he had penetrated the mysteries of life, and become the Buddha. He then began to teach his new faith, in opposition to the prevailing Brahmanism, commencing at Benares. Among his earliest converts were the monarchs of Magadha and Kosala, in whose kingdoms he chiefly passed the latter portion of his life, respected, honoured, and protected. Research Buddha
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