Gautama Buddha (c. 563–483 BCE), born as Siddhartha Gautama, founded Buddhism after attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. He taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as a practical way to end human suffering. Buddha strongly emphasised detachment from material desires, impermanence, and the practice of compassion and mindfulness. His teachings offered a middle path between extreme asceticism and indulgence, profoundly influencing Indian philosophy, ethics, and spiritual traditions across Asia.