This paper will be a discussion and analysis of Buddhism, Buddha, their history and their philosophy. The founding principles and teachings of Buddhism, the concept of nirvana and Buddhism' impact on other cultures will be addressed. Buddha is the name given to Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.). He is the founder of Buddhism. The Buddha in Sanskrit means "the enlightened one" (Durant, 1963, p. 424). Born into a family of nobility living in the Himalayan foothills, Buddha left his family to become a wandering ascetic at the age of 29. After six years of meditation and fasting, he claimed to have obtained enlightenment. While discovering enlightenment he was supposedly seated under the holy tree Bodh Gaya. For the rest of his life he traveled throughout Northern India advocating his messages for mankind found within Buddhism. This paper will explore these principles of Buddhism, and how Buddha affected the spread of Buddhism throughout India and the rest of the world.
The teachings of Gautama Buddha were aimed at only one goal--the elimination of suffering for individuals who must exist in this realm. He saw people everywhere making themselves miserable through deluded belief in the reality of their own egos. Rejecting any type of miraculous divination or metaphysical powers, Buddha strongly cautioned his followers not to rely on the comfort of understanding from others. He did not want any mystical imagery blocking their path to understanding that was outside of their own physical and mental powers. "Be ye a refuge unto yourself. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves" (Durant, 1963, p. 429).
Buddha's methods of teaching were unique, though they owed something to the Wanderers, or traveling Sophists, of his era. He walked from town to town in the company of his favorite devotees. He was often followed by as many as twelve hun...