Key Events in the Life of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

By Andre_Bee
  • 563 BCE

    Birth

    Buddha was born in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal
  • 547 BCE

    Marriage

    Buddha marries at the age of 16 and has a son soon after.
  • 534 BCE

    Buddha Leaves the Palace (Four Sights)

    At age 29, Buddha leaves the protected palace grounds, and for the first time, encounters suffering. He quickly understands this to be an inevitable part of life.
  • 530 BCE

    Renunciation

    Buddha leaves the palace permanently and gives his life up as a prince in order to search for truth and enlightenment.
  • 521 BCE

    Discovery of the Middle Way

    Buddha had discovered a new way of life known as the Middle Way, which refers to the avoidance of two extremes of practical life, particularly lives of extreme indulgence or severe ascetism.
  • 508 BCE

    First Sermon

    The Buddha delivers his first sermon at Deer Park in Benares. In this sermon, he sets out the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, a key concept in Buddhism today.
  • 486 BCE

    Death

    Buddha dies around the age of 80 as a result of illness in Kushinagar, India