Buddhism
Buddhism was developed in India. According to Buddhist
tradition, its founder was a prince named Siddhartha
Gautama. He was born in about 560 BCE. Gautama was a
Hindu who lived a privileged life, safe from hunger and
disease.
When he was 29 years old, Gautama left home to learn
about his kingdom and, for the first time, saw people who
were suffering. He became so unhappy that he gave up his
wealth and pledged his life to finding the causes of people’s
suffering.
At the age of 35, he famously sat in meditation under
a sacred fig tree — known as the Bodhi tree — and vowed not
to rise before achieving enlightenment. After many days or
meditation and fasting (going without food) he arose as
a fully enlightened being. This enlightenment is known as
“Nirvana” in Buddhism.
Soon after, he attracted a
band of followers. He spent
the rest of his life teaching
the path of awakening he
discovered. He taught that
people can be free of
suffering if they give up
selfish desires for power,
wealth, and pleasure. He
then became known as the
Buddha, or “Enlightened
One.”
After gaining Nirvana, Buddha taught the Four Noble
Truths to his followers.
They were:
1. Life is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by craving. Craving occurs by
clinging to physical objects, and causes unhappiness.
3. Suffering ends when craving ends. This is achieved by
eliminating attachments to physical things. This is
enlightenment.
4. One can reach enlightenment by following the path laid
out by the Buddha.
Today, there are about 362 million Buddhists in the
world, but most of them are located in Eastern Asia, in
countries like India, China and Japan. Buddhism is unique
compared to most other religions because it does not have a
“god” or even a sacred text. Instead, Buddhism is a path of
wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. People are able to reach
a perfect peace by eliminating their attachment to worldly
things.
Buddhists also believe in a cycle of suffering and rebirth,
known as Karma. In Buddhism, if a person goes good deeds
and gains greater wisdom, they will be closer to Nirvana.
However, those who perform bad deeds
will be forced to relive their previous
suffering until they’ve learned their
lesson. This cycle of death and rebirth is
the reason why the wheel is a symbol of
the Buddhist religion.