Buddhism
Founded by Siddhartha Gautama in 5th century BCE India, Buddhism teaches that suffering arises from desire and ignorance, and that liberation comes through meditation, ethical living, and wisdom.
Founded
~500 BCE
Origin
Northeast India (modern-day Nepal/Bihar)
Followers
520 million
Founder
Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)
Featured Verse
“
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
Dhammapada 1:1-2
Core Beliefs
- Four Noble Truths — life involves suffering; suffering has a cause; it can end; the path to end it exists
- The Noble Eightfold Path — right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration
- Impermanence (Anicca) — all things are transient and constantly changing
- Non-self (Anatta) — there is no permanent, unchanging self
- Nirvana — liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth through awakening
Concept of God
Non-theistic — the Buddha taught about suffering and liberation, not a creator god. Some traditions include bodhisattvas as divine figures.
Afterlife
Rebirth based on karma until Nirvana is achieved. Nirvana is not heaven but cessation of craving and suffering.
Sacred Texts
Dominant in
12 countriesData: Pew Research Center, World Religion Database, UN Population Division (2024 est.)
Key Figures
Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha — the Awakened One
Nagarjuna
Philosopher, founder of Madhyamaka school
Dalai Lama
Spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism
Key Holidays
Vesak (Buddha Day)
Birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha
Losar
Tibetan Buddhist New Year
Vassa
Three-month rains retreat for monks
Bodhi Day
Day of the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree