In short: after years of searching, the Buddha sat in deep meditation under the tree of awakening at Uruvelā (today's Bodh Gaya). In one night he gained three knowledges, and with the last he understood the Four Noble Truths: "I truly understood: 'This is suffering' … 'This is the origin of suffering' … 'This is the cessation of suffering' … 'This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering'." (MN 4). His mind was freed.
The night of awakening
- ☾ First watch: he recollected "many kinds of past lives"
- ◎ Second watch: he saw beings fare according to their deeds
- ✦ Third watch: he understood suffering, its origin, its end and the path
"I truly understood: 'This is suffering' … 'This is the origin of suffering' … 'This is the cessation of suffering' … 'This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering'." "Knowing and seeing like this, my mind was freed."
MN 4
Under the tree
"There the Buddha sat cross-legged for seven days without moving, experiencing the bliss of freedom."
Ud 1.1 · The Bodhi tree · Bodh Gaya
Try it
The Four Noble Truths · His own story · Sit for 3 minutes
Questions people ask
How did the Buddha become enlightened?
Sitting in deep meditation under the tree of awakening, he gained three knowledges in one night: of past lives, of how beings fare according to their deeds, and of the ending of defilements through understanding the Four Noble Truths (MN 4).