Buddha (c-560 - c-480). The Buddha was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in Ancient India. He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He taught for around 45 years and built a large following, both monastic and lay. The Buddha was born into an aristocratic family, in the Shakya clan but eventually renounced lay life. According to Buddhist tradition, after several years of mendicancy, meditation, and asceticism, he awakened to understand the mechanism which keeps people trapped in the cycle of rebirth. The Buddha then traveled throughout the Ganges plain teaching and building a religious community. The Buddha taught a middle way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the Indian śramaṇa movement. He taught a spiritual path that included ethical training and meditative practices such as jhana and mindfulness. The Buddha also critiqued the practices of brahmin priests, such as animal sacrifice. A couple of centuries after his death he came to be known by the title Buddha, which means Awakened One or the Enlightened One. Gautama's teachings were compiled by the Buddhist community in the Suttas, which contain his discourses, and the Vinaya, his codes for monastic practice. These were passed down in Middle-Indo Aryan dialects through an oral tradition. Later generations composed additional texts, such as systematic treatises known as Abhidharma, biographies of the Buddha, collections of stories about the Buddha's past lives known as Jataka tales, and additional discourses, i.e, the Mahayana sutras. The term is often thought to mean either one who has thus gone or one who has thus come, possibly referring to the transcendental nature of the Buddha's spiritual attainment. A common list of epithets are commonly seen together in the canonical texts, and depict some of his spiritual qualities: Sammasambuddho-Perfectly self-awakened. Vijja-carana-sampano-Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct. Sugato-Well-gone or Well-spoken. Lokavidu-Knower of the many worlds. Anuttaro Purisa-damma-sarathi-Unexcelled trainer of untrained people. Satthadeva-Manussanam-Teacher of gods and humans. Bhagavathi-The Blessed one. Araham-Worthy of homage. An Arahant is one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge. Jina-Conqueror. Although the term is more commonly used to name an individual who has attained liberation in the religion Jainism, it is also an alternative title for the Buddha. The Pali Canon also contains numerous other titles and epithets for the Buddha, including: All-seeing, All-transcending sage, Bull among men, The Caravan leader, Dispeller of darkness, The Eye, Foremost of charioteers, Foremost of those who can cross, King of the Dharma, Kinsman of the Sun, Helper of the World, Lion, Lord of the Dhamma, Of excellent wisdom, Radiant One, Torchbearer of mankind, Unsurpassed doctor and surgeon, Victor in battle, and Wielder of power. Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life. Most people accept that the Buddha lived, taught, and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era during the reign of Bimbisara, the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajatasatru, who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain tirthankara. While the general sequence of birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death is widely accepted, there is less consensus on the veracity of many details contained in traditional biographies. The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE.