Origins
Buddhism is one of the greatest worldwide known religions. The religion originated from India and is now the religion that is followed by the majority of such countries as Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thiland, Cambodia and Vietnam. Today Buddhists are also found in many parts of Europe, America and Australasia. One thing that distinguishes Buddhism from other religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism is that Buddhists do not believe in God, instead Buddhists follow the teachings of a historical figure known as the Buddha. The Buddha is not a name but a title which means 'The Enlightened one". The goal of all Buddhists is to become enlightened like the Buddha. Buddha didn't actually teach that there was no God but he just did not want people to be distracted by worrying about whether or not God existed. He taught that people are attached to their own desires.
Buddhist scriptures describe four encounters which served to awaken in him an awareness of four sufferings common to all people birth, aging, sickness and death and a desire to seek their solution. Eventually Buddha renounced his princely status and embarked on a spiritual quest to understand how human suffering could be overcome. For several years, he subjected himself to ascetic disciplines for example starving himself, but he found it impossible to reach freedom through such resignation and eventually rejected these practices. Then near the city of Gaya he seated himself under a pipal tree and entered meditation. There he attained an awakening or enlightenment to the true nature of life and all things. It was because of this enlightenment that he came to be called Buddha or "Awakened One"
In the fifth century Buddha lived in an area of north-east India that is now Nepal. Buddha lived for 80 years and after his death his teachings were recorded by his disciples in the form of Sutras and spread throughout Asia giving rise to a number of distinct schools of Buddhism generally characterized by an emphasis on peace and compassion.Buddhism then started to spread to places such ad Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China in the (first century CE), Japan by the (6th century CE) then by 624 CE Tibet had discovered Buddhism. Buddha was only 29 years old while living in the palace but then reitired to the forest where he started to follow a life of meditation. His parents gave him the name Siddhartha meaning "accomplished goal".
Buddhist scriptures describe four encounters which served to awaken in him an awareness of four sufferings common to all people birth, aging, sickness and death and a desire to seek their solution. Eventually Buddha renounced his princely status and embarked on a spiritual quest to understand how human suffering could be overcome. For several years, he subjected himself to ascetic disciplines for example starving himself, but he found it impossible to reach freedom through such resignation and eventually rejected these practices. Then near the city of Gaya he seated himself under a pipal tree and entered meditation. There he attained an awakening or enlightenment to the true nature of life and all things. It was because of this enlightenment that he came to be called Buddha or "Awakened One"
In the fifth century Buddha lived in an area of north-east India that is now Nepal. Buddha lived for 80 years and after his death his teachings were recorded by his disciples in the form of Sutras and spread throughout Asia giving rise to a number of distinct schools of Buddhism generally characterized by an emphasis on peace and compassion.Buddhism then started to spread to places such ad Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China in the (first century CE), Japan by the (6th century CE) then by 624 CE Tibet had discovered Buddhism. Buddha was only 29 years old while living in the palace but then reitired to the forest where he started to follow a life of meditation. His parents gave him the name Siddhartha meaning "accomplished goal".