The origins of Buddhism can be traced back nearly 2,500 years, and there are still 300 million practicing Buddhists worldwide. The word Buddhism comes from the word ‘budhi,’ meaning ‘to awaken.’ The founder of Buddhism was a man by the name of Siddhartha Guatama, later known as the Buddha, who was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of thirty-five. Prince Siddhartha was born somewhere in current day Nepal around 563 B.C. At age twenty-nine, he realized that …showed first 75 words of 634 total…

…showed last 75 words of 634 total…periods in history. All the Hinayana teachings can basically be included in the four noble truths. This cycle was emphasized shortly after Buddha’s death, and flourished during the first century B.C. The practice of Mahayana (the great vehicle) has two aspects to it, including the general Mahayana and the special Mahayana. This variation of teachings became popular after the new millennium and continued to spread throughout Asia in the first century A.D.