Question

Who was the founder of buddhism, how did he find enlightenment, what does the name 'buddha" mean, and what did he teach? is buddhism a religion, a faith, or a philosophy? how does the teachings of buddhism compare with those of confucius and taoism? how important are all these various faiths to the social and governmental systems in ancient india and china?

Answer 1

gautam buddha. By sitting under the bodhi tree

Answer 2

Lord Buddha was the founder of Buddhism.

When the Buddha achieved enlightenment, he also realized something else: that what he’d perceived was so far outside ordinary experience that it couldn’t entirely be explained. So, instead of teaching people what to believe, he taught them to realize enlightenment for themselves.  The foundational teaching of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths. Very briefly,

• The First Truth tells us that life is dukkha, a word that doesn’t translate neatly into English. It is often translated as “suffering,” but it also means “stressful” and “unable to satisfy.”

• The Second Truth tells us dukkha has a cause. The immediate cause is craving, and the craving comes from not understanding reality and not knowing ourselves. Because we misunderstand ourselves we are riddled with anxiety and frustration. We experience life in a narrow, self-centered way, going through life craving things we think will make us happy. But we find satisfaction only briefly, and then the anxiety and craving start again.

• The Third Truth tells us we can know the cause of dukkha and be liberated from the hamster wheel of stress and craving. Merely adopting Buddhist beliefs will not accomplish this, however. Liberation depends on one’s own insight into the source of dukkha. Craving will not cease until you realize for yourself what’s causing it.

• The Fourth Truth tells us that insight comes through practice of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path might be explained as an outline of eight areas of practice ― including meditation, mindfulness, and living an ethical life that benefits others ― that will help us live happier lives and find the wisdom of enlightenment.