The Emergence of BuddhismIn the 6th century B.C.E., a young prince named Siddhartha Gotama set out on an ascetic quest to alleviate human suffering. In the middle ground between opulence and self-denial, he discovered a path to enlightenment and self awareness—and he dedicated his life to sharing that discovery. The man called Buddha, the Awakened One, traveled as an itinerant monk, imparting principles of enlightenment throughout India and what is now southern Nepal. He was not worshipped as a god, but became teacher and model to ascetics, royalty, and townsfolk alike. In the 2,500 years that followed, through the spread of Buddha's teachings and the monastic communities that upheld them, the world's oldest missionary religion has grown so that it now boasts over 350 million followers worldwide. |