Buddhism is both a religion and philosophy that developed from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama – Buddha, a teacher who lived in northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries BCE. He left his life of luxury as an Indian prince and chose an austere lifestyle. However, he soon realized that this was not equivalent to a good life either. He then concluded that there is a ‘middle way’ – similar to the ideas of the Golden mean. Some of his most popular ethical teachings assert that life is a form of suffering, one that is caused by greed and ignorance. One can let go of their desire for the sublunary and find true fulfillment. His idea was embedded in the Four Noble Truths: those who suffer, the origin of suffering, the end of suffering, and the Eightfold Path – right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditational attainment. He insisted that only by following the Eightfold Path can one escape samsara (reincarnation) and achieve a state of nirvana (heavenly abode).
Buddhism spread from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, and has played a central role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of Asia. Beginning in the 20th century, it spread to the West as well.
