Born Prince Siddhartha Gautama, approximately 500 years before the Common Era. In his early thirties, Prince Siddhartha left his royal life in search of enlightenment. After living ascetically, he applied a more balanced discipline known as the "middle path." According to tradition, it was under the bodhi (a sacred fig tree) that the prince became the Buddha or "Enlightened One." His teachings after becoming the Buddha formed the foundation of Buddhism.