3. Buddha
Buddha was born in c. 563 or 480 BCE in Lumbini, Shakya Republic and he died in c. 483 BCE or c. 400 BCE in Kushinagar, the Malla Republic at the age of 80. His spiritual experience had a profound effect on the world history. Buddha’s teachings are a logical result of the Upanishadic period where speculations about the soul and reincarnation were combined with yogic practices into spiritual movements. Buddha’s contemporaries also included the founder of the Jains, Mahavira who starved himself to death and walked naked. Jains were just as important and influential in India as the Buddhists, but Buddhism wasn’t bound by the restrictions of the Hindu caste system, and it was more suitable outside of the peninsula. Shortly after that, Buddhism spread in Southern Asia, including Indonesia, China, and Japan. Buddha was one of the biggest influencers of all time leaving a huge mark on the world today.
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