[2] Uddaka Rāmaputta taught refined states of meditation known as the dhyanic formless attainments (arūpa samāpatti).
[3][4][5][2] After his departure from his father's court, Gautama Buddha first went to Āḷāra Kālāma and after following his method was recognized as having equalled his master.
[2] Gautama was eager to learn more, and chose to depart to search for another teacher rather than accept a position as co-leader of Āḷāra Kālāma's community.
[6] While Andre Bareau argued that both Uddaka Rāmaputta and Āḷāra Kālāma were fictional creations, later scholars have accepted the possibility that they may have been real historical figures.
[2] The surviving sources all agree in placing Uddaka Rāmaputta in Rajagriha during the Buddha's lifetime, despite being drawn from different schools' translations.