He was born as the crown prince of the Gautama family of the small kingdom of Shakya in the Kapilavastu region but soon gave up a life of luxury and prosperity to set out to find the right path. After 6 years, he achieved enlightenment at the age of 35 and spent the next 45 years spreading and teaching Buddhist teachings throughout the Indian subcontinent. Buddha proposed the Middle Way - that is, giving up a luxurious life but also not following the ascetic practice that was very popular in Indian religious doctrines at that time. His teachings laid the foundation for the formation and development of Buddhist teachings today.