Buddhism

Buddhism is often described as a religion[1] and a collection of various philosophies, based initially on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha.[2] To many, however, Buddhism is a set of spiritual teachings and practices rather than a religion.[3] [4] Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism began around 5th century BCE India with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as "the Buddha." [5]

Siddhartha Gautama was born in ancient India. It is believed that he was born in the city of Lumbini (which is now part of Nepal)[6] and raised in Kapilavastu near the present-day Indian-Nepalese border.[7] The traditional story of his life is as follows; little of this can be regarded as established historical fact. Born a prince, his father, King Suddhodana, was supposedly visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha was born and told that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu). Determined to make Siddhartha a king, the father tried to shield his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Despite his father's efforts, at the age of 29, he discovered the suffering of his people, first through an encounter with an elderly man. On subsequent trips outside the palace, he encountered various sufferings such as a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These are often termed 'The Four Sights.'[8]

Gautama, deeply depressed by these sights, sought to overcome old age, illness, and death by living the life of an ascetic. Gautama escaped his palace, leaving behind this royal life to become a mendicant. For a time on his spiritual quest, Buddha "experimented with extreme asceticism, which at that time was seen as a powerful spiritual practice...such as fasting, holding the breath, and exposure of the body to pain...he found, however, that these ascetic practices brought no genuine spiritual benefits and in fact, being based on self-hatred, that they were counterproductive."[9]

After abandoning asceticism and concentrating instead upon meditation and Anapanasati (awareness of breathing in and out), Gautama is said to have discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way--a path of moderation that lies mid-way between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.