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Buddhism

Buddhism was founded in India by Siddhartha Gautama, who attained enlightenment and assumed the title of Buddha in 535 BCE. . Leading the life of an ascetic, he attracted many disciples and a wide following. Accepting the Hindu principles of karma and samsara and the objective of becoming liberated from the cycle, Buddhism teaches that it is desire that constrains us and keeps us from the deliverance to which we aspire - that is, true enlightenment. The path, he was sure, lay in casting off all desires and attachments so as to achieve Nirvana, a blissful extinguishing of the individual being. Buddha asserted that the Noble Eightfold Path, followed by living ethically and embracing the 'right' conduct, was the way to spiritual purification and liberation.

Contrary to Hinduism, Buddha taught his belief that we do not possess souls that can achieve eternal life, but rather that all our senses and experiences cause us to mistakenly believe we possess a lasting inner self. It is this untrue self, transitory but not eternal, that is caught in the wheel of death and rebirth and whose progress is directed by its karma. Based on the belief that all earthly life involves suffering, Buddhists seek their ultimate release in a paradise attained through true enlightenment.

In the centuries following Buddha's death in 483 BCE, different Buddhist traditions have evolved. In keeping with the peaceful, philosophical nature of Buddha's teachings, these variations of thought have been integrated as Buddhism's influence has spread.