The term "Buddha" refers to a title, meaning "awakened one" or "enlightened one," rather than a specific individual. It is most commonly associated with Siddhartha Gautama (c. 6th–4th century BCE), the founder of Buddhism. Born in Lumbini, near Kapilavastu, in what is now Nepal, Siddhartha Gautama was a prince who renounced his privileged life after encountering the realities of suffering. He embarked on a spiritual quest, seeking liberation from suffering through asceticism, meditation, and self-denial. After attaining enlightenment, he became known as the Buddha and dedicated his life to teaching others the path to liberation.
The Buddha's teachings center on the Four Noble Truths, which explain the nature of suffering, its causes, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. This path, known as the Eightfold Path, involves right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. By following this path, individuals can achieve enlightenment and nirvana, a state of liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth. Buddhists, also known as Bauddha, follow these teachings and strive to live by ethical precepts, including refraining from harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. Buddhism has since spread across Asia and the world and has an estimated 320 million followers, comprising 4.1% of the global population.
