Uddaka Rāmaputta

Uddaka Rāmaputta was a sage and teacher of meditation identified by the Buddhist tradition as one of the teachers of Gautama Buddha. 'Rāmaputta' means 'son of Rāma', who may have been his father or spiritual teacher. Uddaka Rāmaputta taught refined states of meditation known as the jhāna formless attainments.

Relationship with Gotama Buddha

After his departure from his father's court, Gotama Buddha first went to Āḷāra Kālāma and after following his method was recognized as having equalled his master. Realizing that the methods he had learned so far would not lead to enlightenment, Gotama chose to leave in search of another teacher rather than accept a position as co-leader of Āḷāra Kālāma's community. He found Uddaka Rāmaputta and accepted him as his teacher.
While Āḷāra Kālāma accepted the Buddha as an equal and asked him to lead his community alongside him, Uddaka Rāmaputta acknowledged the Buddha as his superior and equal to his predecessor, Uddaka Rāma, who had actually attained the "sphere of neither perception nor non-perception", which Rāmaputta had not reached. Uddaka Rāmaputta asked the Buddha to take sole leadership of his students and community, but the Buddha, realizing that this method would not lead to complete enlightenment, was not satisfied. He chose not to stay with Uddaka and resumed his wandering to deepen his search.
Following his awakening, the Buddha first thought of Uddaka Rāmaputta as someone who would be able to understand and realize his Dhamma, but later learned that Uddaka Rāmaputta had already died by that time.