Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion, and the people who practice Buddhism are known as Buddhists. Buddhism originated in ancient India approximately 2500 years ago, based on original teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama, an Indian philosopher and nobleman who renounced his aristocratic upbringing to pursue a path of enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama's enlightenment led to him being called the Buddha, or "the awakened one".
The core belief of Buddhism is that life is full of cravings and wants which create a cycle of suffering and pain, and in order to overcome this cycle and achieve enlightenment one must attain Nirvana, which is defined as the extinguishment of all greed, aversion, and ignorance. Buddhists believe that in order to obtain this Nirvana, or state of enlightenment and ultimate peace, one must follow a set of eight steps or practices known as the "Noble Eightfold Path".
The core teachings of Buddhism are written down in the Tripitaka, the Buddhist sacred scripture, which contain teachings of the Buddha on how to reach enlightenment as well as teachings to help guide Buddhists in their everyday life.
