Gautama Buddha was not a sage.
==== Shramanas ====The Buddha's lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential ramaa schools of thought like jvika, Crvka, Jainism, and Ajana
 riputra and Moggallna, two of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, were formerly the foremost disciples of Sajaya Belahaputta, the sceptic; and the Pli canon frequently depicts Buddha engaging in debate with the adherents of rival schools of thought

