Buddhism
Buddhism was founded in the 5th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha ("the awakened one"), in what is now Nepal and northern India. It is a spiritual tradition that seeks to address the fundamental problem of human suffering (dukkha) and offers a practical path to liberation (nirvana). With over 500 million followers, Buddhism is one of the world's major religions.
The core teachings of Buddhism include the Four Noble Truths (the truth of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path to cessation) and the Noble Eightfold Path (right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration). The Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddha's sayings, is among the most widely read Buddhist texts.
Buddhism has evolved into three major traditions: Theravada (dominant in Southeast Asia), Mahayana (prevalent in East Asia), and Vajrayana (centered in Tibet and Mongolia). Each tradition offers distinct practices and philosophical emphases while sharing the fundamental aim of ending suffering through wisdom and compassion.
Key Concepts
- The Four Noble Truths
- The Noble Eightfold Path
- Dukkha: suffering and unsatisfactoriness
- Anicca: impermanence of all phenomena
- Anatta: non-self; the absence of a permanent soul
- Nirvana: liberation from the cycle of rebirth
- Karma and rebirth
- Compassion (Karuna) and loving-kindness (Metta)
Indexed Texts
These texts are indexed in Darobodo. Click any title to read the full text.