Were Gautama Buddha and Mahavira contemporaries?

I read a story in one of Osho's books which said that Mahavir and Buddha once crossed each other. However, there was no mention of any verbal communication between them. Osho explained it this way that they didn't need to speak to convey their thoughts and feelings to each other. read more

Funny you should ask. Conventional wisdom has it that Mahavira appears in the Buddhist scriptures as Nigantha Nataputta (the Buddha apears exactly nowhere in Jain Scriptures). read more

Mahavira and Gautama Buddha are generally accepted as contemporaries (circa 5th century BCE). Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently. read more