Buddhism

Buddhism is a system of beliefs based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, 
an Indian prince later known as the Buddha, or one who is Awake - derived 
from the Sanskrit 'bud', 'to awaken'. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion, 
one whose tenets are not especially concerned with the existence or 
nonexistence of a God or gods. The Buddha himself expressly disavowed any 
special divine status or inspiration, and said that anyone, anywhere could 
achieve all the insight that he had. The question of God is largely 
irrelevant in Buddhism, though some sects (notably Tibetan Buddhism) do 
venerate a number of gods drawn in from local indigenous belief systems.

The Buddhist soteriology is summed up in the Four Noble Truths:

   1. Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing 
   suffering.
   2. Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire 
   (tanha) rooted in ignorance.
   3. Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.
   4. Marga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble 
   Eightfold Path.

However, Buddhist philosophy as such has its foundations more in the doctrines 
of anatta, which specifies that all is without substantial metaphysical being, 
pratitya-samutpada, which delineates the Buddhist concept of causality, and 
Buddhist phenomenological analysis of dharmas, or phenomenological 
constituents.

Most Buddhist sects believe in karma, a cause-and-effect relationship between 
all that has been done and all that will be done. Events that occur are held 
to be the direct result of previous events. One effect of karma is rebirth. 
At death, the karma from a given life determines the nature of the next 
life's existence. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist practitioner is to 
eliminate karma (both good and bad), end the cycle of rebirth and suffering, 
and attain Nirvana, translated as nothingness or blissful oblivion and 
characterized as the state of being one with the entire universe.

Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha 
Gautama (Sanskrit; in Pali, Siddhattha Gotama), who lived between approximately 
563 and 483 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout 
Asia to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, as well as the East 
Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.

The aim of buddhist practices is to become free of suffering (dukkha). Some 
schools emphasize awakening the practitioner to the realization of anatta 
(egolessness, the absence of a permanent or substantial self) and achieve 
enlightenment and Nirvana. Other Buddhist scriptures (the "Tathagatagarbha" 
sutras) encourage the practitioner to cleanse him/herself of the mental and 
moral defilements of the "worldly self" and thereby penetrate through to a 
perception of the indwelling "Buddha-Principle" ("Buddha-nature"), also 
termed the "True Self" (see "Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra"), and thus 
become transformed into a Buddha. Some other schools appeal to bodhisattvas 
for a favourable rebirth. Some others do none of these things. Most, if not 
all, Buddhist schools also teach followers to perform good and wholesome 
actions, to avoid bad and harmful actions. There can be very large 
differences between different Buddhist schools of thought.

Buddhist morality is underpinned by the principles of harmlessness and 
moderation. Mental training focuses on moral discipline (sila), meditative 
concentration (samadhi), and wisdom (prajņa).

Buddhism, per se, neither confirms nor denies the existence of the 
supernatural (gods, demons, heavens, hells, etc.). Some Buddhist schools 
do employ deities and celestial protectors in their practices, but these 
are generally considered to be emanations of the meditator's own mind 
and thus not fundamentally real.