Buddhism

Buddhism is an Indian religion founded on a set of basic teachings ascribed to Gautama Buddha, who are considered to be the founder of the faith. It is believed to have started in ancient India as a Sramana custom somewhere between the 6th and 4th century BCE and to have spread across much of Asia after that. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million adherents, or more than 7 percent of the world's population, who are collectively referred to as Buddhists. Buddhism is a collection of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practises that are primarily founded on the Buddha's teachings (who was born Siddhrtha Gautama in the 5th or 4th century BCE) and the ideas that have developed as a consequence of those teachings.

Buddhism's ultimate aim, as stated in the Buddha's Four Noble Truths, is to alleviate suffering (dukha) caused by desire and ignorance of reality's true nature, which includes impermanence (anicca) and the non-existence of the self (anatt). In most Buddhist traditions, the achievement of Nirvana or the following of the path of Buddhahood is emphasised as a means of transcending the individual self and so bringing an end to the cycle of death and rebirth. In terms of their understanding of the road to liberation, the relative significance and canonicity given to different Buddhist scriptures, and the particular teachings and practises they adhere to, Buddhist schools are as diverse as they are many. Meditation, the observation of moral precepts, monasticism, taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and the development of the Paramitas are all widely followed practises in the Buddhist tradition (perfections, or virtues).