Who among the following teachers were visited by Siddhartha Gautama in the quest of knowledge before his enlightment?
1. Alara Kalama
2. Udraka Ramaputra
3. Makkhali Gosala
4. Nigantha Nataputta
Indicate your answer from the codes given below:

Options

A. 1 and 4
B. 4 and 2
C. 2 and 3
D. 1 and 2

Answer

D

Explanation

Gautama studied under various teachers and followed their practices until he mastered them all. His first teacher was Alara Kalama who taught a form of meditation leading to an exalted form of absorption called "the state of no-thingness", a state without moral or cognitive dimension. Gautama saw this was not going to solve suffering, and continued his search.
The next teacher was Udraka Ramaputra who taught him meditative absorption leading to "the state of neither perception nor non-perception". Again, Gautama realised this was not the state he was looking for. (Both Alara and Udraka are by some scholars considered to be Jain followers.)