Time: 6th century BCE, Place: India

1. Buddhism originated in India in about 6th century BCE. It is the fourth largest religion in the world, consisting of about 376 million followers worldwide. The target of Buddhism is on personal spiritual development and discovering the true life. Shockingly, Buddhism does not believe in a personal deities or Gods; it rather believes in the teachings of Buddha.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism. He was born in 563 BCE in present day Nepal. He was born in an imperial family. Siddhartha was completely shielded from seeing any form of sickness, death or inability. However, one day, when he was grown up, he first saw an old man, then a diseased person, then a corpse. From his first experience with the sufferings of man like sickness, old age, and death, he learned that it is the fate of every human being. After facing the reality, Siddhartha went out to live as a holy man and discover enlightenment. In order to discover enlightenment, he practiced asceticism, a life of self-denial. After six years, when he still had not achieved enlightenment, he abandoned asceticism. Then he followed the Middle Way, where experiences neither luxury, nor poverty. Then one day when Siddhartha was sitting under the Bo Tree, deeply absorbed in deliberation, he discovered enlightenment and at that point, he became Buddha ('the awakened one').

The fundamental teachings in Theravada Buddhism are written in the religious text called Tipitaka (Pali Canon). These teachings were written in the language Pali. Tipitaka has three sections: the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka, and the Abhidamma Pitaka. The Vinaya Pitaka includes the 227 rules for monastic life, which are followed by Buddhist monks and nuns. The second section, the Sutta Pitaka, consists of the teachings of Buddha. The third section, the Abhidamma Pitaka, contains the religious teachings and philosophy. Another main text, the Mahayana Sutras, comprise of the teachings of Buddha according to the Mahayana Buddhists. However, the Theravada Buddhists say that they are not taught by Buddha and are later compositions.

Similar to Hinduism, Buddhism is also abundant with symbols. The most important symbol in Buddhism is The Wheel of Law since this symbol represents the teachings of Buddha. The eight spokes on the wheel illustrate wisdom and the rim represents concentration. Another significant symbol is the Lotus. This symbol symbolizes the development of the soul where it goes from the world of materialism (roots in mud) to experience (water), and lastly to enlightenment (sunshine). In addition, the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism include Parasol, Golden Fishes, Treasure Vase, Lotus, Conch Shell, Endless Knot, Victory Banner, and The Wheel.

In Buddhism, The Four Noble Truths is a common belief taught by Buddha. The first truth, Dukkha, explains that since human nature is incomplete, it always encompasses the desire to expect or to want more of something; and when that desire is not fulfilled, it turns into suffering. In addition to the suffering from expectation or desire, the other three obvious sufferings are old age, sickness, and death. The second truth, Samudaya, consists of the cause of sufferings. As explained above, desire or tanhā takes the form of evil when it is not satisfied. Similar to Stoicism, Buddha explains that evil comes from desire, which leads to greed. Then if the desired object is not obtained easily, hatred and destruction takes over. The third noble truth is Nirodha or in other words, cessation of suffering. Buddha explains, the answer to terminating desire, the cause of evil or suffering, is to free oneself from attachment. Liberation from greed and hatred is called Nirvana. The last truth, Magga, shows the path to liberate from the suffering through the Eightfold Path. This path is a set of principles that one has to follow in order to free from suffering.

Buddha had the ability to calm a situation down through his rational behavior. His compassionate character and a warm heart directly reflect on Buddhism. It signifies that Buddhism as a whole also has the ability to maintain peace through the teachings of Buddha.

Out of many other sects, the two main denominations of Buddhism are Theravada and Mahayana. Founded in India, Theravada ("the Teaching of the Elders") is the most ancient surviving Buddhist school. Theravada Buddhism is mostly present in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Burma. Theravada Buddhists believe in helping others to discover the truth. Mahayana Buddhism is present in China, Tibet, Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, and Korea. Mahayana Buddhism consists of Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Pure Land Buddhism. Similar to Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism also follows the teachings of Buddha.

Buddhism has shown individuals the way to reach enlightenment. When one reaches enlightenment, he liberates from suffering and evil cannot penetrate him. By showing the path to the truth, Buddha has set an exceptional character for Buddhism.

Buddha said that women were as capable of reaching enlightenment as men. This view of Buddha shows that in his eyes, everyone is equal. In Buddhism, male is not greater than a female.

From its origin, India, Buddhism spread southwards to Burma, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, Thailand, and other South East Asian countries. Buddhism also moved in the opposite direction, to the North of India, including Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, Japan, and China. Buddhism teachings were spread by Buddha when he traveled to these locations.

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