Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of

reality. Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing yourself in order to develop the
qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom.

Buddhism a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual
practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted
philosophies. Buddhism originated in Ancient India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE,
from where it spread through much of Asia, where after it declined in India during the Middle Ages. Two
major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada (Pali: "The School
of the Elders") and Mahayana (Sanskrit: "The Great Vehicle"). Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest
religion, with over 520 million followers or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists.

Gautama Buddha (c. 563 BCE/480 BCE – c. 483 BCE/400 BCE), also known as Siddhārtha
Gautama ], Shakyamuni Buddha or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic
(śramaṇa) and sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught
mostly in the eastern part of ancient India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.
Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in
the śramaṇa movement common in his region. He later taught throughout other regions of eastern India
such as Magadha and Kosala.
Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as an enlightened teacher who
attained full Buddhahood, and shared his insights to help sentient beings end rebirth and suffering.
Accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized
after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were
passed down by oral traditionand first committed to writing about 400 years later.

Core teachings

According to Mitchell, certain basic teachings appear in many places throughout the early texts, which has
led most scholars to conclude that Gautama Buddha must have taught something similar to the Four
Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Nirvana, the three marks of existence, the five
aggregates, dependent origination, karma and rebirth. Yet critical analysis reveals discrepancies, which
point to alternative possibilities.
Buddhism is an Indian religion[14] attributed to the teachings of the Buddha,[15][16]supposedly born
Siddhārtha Gautama, and also known as the Tathagata ("thus-gone") and Sakyamuni ("sage of the
Sakyas"). The details of Buddha's life are mentioned in many Early Buddhist Texts but are inconsistent,
and his social background and life details are difficult to prove, the precise dates uncertain. [17][note 2]
The evidence of the early texts suggests that he was born as Siddhārtha Gautama in Lumbini and grew
up in Kapilavasthu,[note 3] a town in the plains region of the modern Nepal-India border, and that he spent his
life in what is now modern Bihar[note 4] and Uttar Pradesh.[25][17] Some hagiographic legends state that his
father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother was queen Maya, and he was born in Lumbini
gardens.[26] However, scholars such as Richard Gombrich consider this a dubious claim because a
combination of evidence suggests he was born in the Shakyas community – one that later gave him the
title Shakyamuni, and the Shakya community was governed by a small oligarchy or republic-like council
where there were no ranks but where seniority mattered instead. [27][note 5] Some of the stories about Buddha,
his life, his teachings, and claims about the society he grew up in may have been invented and
interpolated at a later time into the Buddhist texts.[30][31]
According to the Buddhist sutras, Gautama was moved by the innate suffering of humanity and its endless
repetition due to rebirth. He set out on a quest to end this repeated suffering. Early Buddhist canonical
texts and early biographies of Gautama state that Gautama first studied under Vedic teachers, namely
Alara Kalama (Sanskrit: Arada Kalama) and Uddaka Ramaputta (Sanskrit: Udraka Ramaputra), learning
meditation and ancient philosophies, particularly the concept of "nothingness, emptiness" from the former,
and "what is neither seen nor unseen" from the latter.[32][33][note 6]
Finding these teachings to be insufficient to attain his goal, he turned to the practice of asceticism. This
too fell short of attaining his goal, and then he turned to the practice of dhyana, meditation, which he had
already discovered in his youth. He famously sat in meditation under a Ficus religiosa tree now called
the Bodhi Tree in the town of Bodh Gaya in the Gangetic plains region of South Asia. He gained insight
into the workings of karma and his former lives, and attained enlightenment, certainty about the Middle
Way (Skt. madhyamā-pratipad)[36] as the right path of spiritual practice to end suffering (dukkha) from
rebirths in Saṃsāra.[37]
As a fully enlightened Buddha (Skt. samyaksaṃbuddha), he attracted followers and founded
a Sangha (monastic order).[38] Now, as the Buddha, he spent the rest of his life teaching the Dharma he
had discovered, and died at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, India.[39][20]
Buddha's teachings were propagated by his followers, which in the last centuries of the 1st millennium
BCE became over 18 Buddhist sub-schools of thought, each with its own basket of texts containing
different interpretations and authentic teachings of the Buddha; [40][41][42] these over time evolved into many
traditions of which the more well known and widespread in the modern era
are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

1. Nothing is lost in the universe

2. Everything Changes

3. Law of Cause and Effect

The Four Noble Truths

1. There is Suffering Suffering is common to all.
2. Cause of Suffering We are the cause of our suffering.
3. End of Suffering Stop doing what causes suffering.
4. Path to end Suffering Everyone can be enlightened.

THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha-
-with wisdom and compassion.

2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.

3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.

4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we
criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.

5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do
not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."

6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward
others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.

7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.

8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet
and attain true peace of mind.
 parasuicide
NOUN
mass nounPsychiatry

 Apparent attempted suicide without the actual intention of killing oneself.