On this day in 563 BC, Gautama Buddha was born. More than 2500 years later, his influence over 350 million Buddhists worldwide remains.

Born on a Mountaintop in South Nepal. Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha in southern Nepal. When he was 29, he gave up worldly comforts and learned peace and enlightenment through meditation and philosophy. His beliefs spread beyond Southeast Asia in later centuries, and are embodied in a wide variety of sects and practices.

Once Upon a Time... in the sixth century BC, at the foot of the snow-capped Himalayas, in northern India ~ which is now Nepal ~ in the prosperous city of Kapilavatthu, lived Queen Maha Maya, wife of King Suddhodana.

Dreams of White Elephants. The queen dreamt of a beautiful white elephant. Wise men told the queen that her dream meant a beautiful son would be born to the royal couple. If he stayed in the palace, he would become a Universal Monarch. But if he gave up his royal life he would become a Buddha, a fully-enlightened Awakened One. Tradition says that the birth of such a Great Being is a unique event in world history.

A Unique Event. His birth was greeted by heavenly music. Heavenly beings chanted "Great Being, you are Chief in all the world."

A Buddha by Any Other Name... The Golden Child was given the name Siddhattha (or Siddhartha), meaning "All wishes fulfilled."

Predicting the Four Sights. One Seer ~ Kondanna ~ predicted that "A time will come when he will witness four sights. He will see an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man who has renounced the world."

Leaving the Lap of Luxury. Though the young man lived a life with no cares, he was given to meditation and thinking, which led to him ask many questions. When he finally went beyond the palace walls, he saw scenes that changed the meaning of his life.

Seeing the Four Sights. He saw an old man, a sick woman, and a corpse being burned . Then he saw a Jain ascetic begging in the city square. It was then that he realized that there was meaning beyond physical existence.

Looking for Answers in All the Wrong Places. Siddhartha studied with many religious teachers and ascetics, but never found the answers he was looking for. He tried fasting, severe hardship, and marathon meditation.

Moderation in all Things. Finally, he realized that, to find the answers, he must endure harsh conditions. In this way, he discovered the middle path ~ the way of moderation. It was through this method that he attained Buddhahood, or perfect enlightenment.