"An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, focusing on his moral and ethical context in terms of actions, influence and response"

To obtain a clearer statement of the significant issues that fashioned the moral and ethical values of the Buddha, the responder has to enquire beyond the spiritual context, and examine the historical. In this sense, the historian should not dismiss myth and legend as "historically implausible" due to the fact that the ethical values of these texts emphasize the motivational forces behind the actions of the figure. In the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it is …

…movement provoked an exaggerated response from society. Modern age questions why the transition of Buddhism was accepted so readily within its original context. Whilst the historian cannot report all the reasons this occurred, a definitive principle is essentially contained within the moral and ethical values of the historical figure 'The Buddha'. His moral activity and philosophy affected a mass response from the context of his time and, as a result, within modern society as well.