Siddhartha Gautama is known as ‘The Awakened One’ – the one who has awakened from the ignorance of deep sleep. Gautama is also known as the Buddha. He was founder and leader of the Sramanas – a sect of wanderer ascetics (a sect which existed at that time in India). To distinguish this sect from other communities, it came to be known as Sangha. Gautama’s teachings after his death are considered the core of Buddhism. During the 3rd century BCE, Emperor Ashoka established Buddhism as a state religion.
Siddhartha Gautama is referred to as Gotama Buddha as per Pali literature. Siddhartha is a Sanskrit personal name meaning ‘He Who Achieves His Goal’. Gautama as a Sanskrit family name means ‘descendants of Gotama’.
Siddhartha in his younger days realized that he just like any other could be a subject to human suffering of different forms and hence driven into personal crisis. He left home at the age of 29 to live life of a homeless ascetic. His idea was relieving humanity from suffering, that true means of salvation were meditation and knowledge, strong concern for the oppressed and living an all embracing sympathetic life. Gautama strongly opposed abuses and inequalities of the caste system and his preaching was always in favor of equality of men.
The 2 different life stages of Siddhartha Gautama are before enlightenment and the time after enlightenment. Bodhisattva is the time period when someone is on the road towards attaining enlightenment. The term Buddha has been used to refer to Gautama from the time he attained enlightenment.
