Buddhism Overveiw

Super-Quick Overveiw

An early statue of Siddhartha
meditating.

Buddhism originated in India around 2,500 years ago. Its teachings derive from  Siddhartha Gautama, who dedicated his life to finding the means to liberate people from the universal sufferings of life through Nirvana (lit. "blowing out") and develop spiritual strength. His teachings were later compiled into sutras, which are the morals and rules he developed. Siddhartha, later called Buddha, meaning one who is enlightened or awake, would inspire numerous schools of Buddhism to spring up as his teachings would continue to spread even after his death.