Religion - What Is Buddhism?

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (563–483 B.C.), who was born into a royal family in Kapilavastu (present-day Nepal). When Siddhartha was twenty-nine years old he became aware that old age, sickness, and death are a part of life, so he gave up all his possessions and became a wandering holy man. Seeking to understand why people suffer and how he could end this suffering, he fasted and meditated for six years. Finally he realized that a life of denial would not lead him to enlightenment. While resting under a banyan tree (a fig tree with many trunks) Siddhartha had a deep religious experience called nirvana. The word "nirvana" comes from Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, and means "blowing out," like a flame that is extinguished. The person who reaches nirvana on Earth is freed of hatred and greed, and the soul reaches a complete state of nirvana after the death of the body. However,...

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