What is Buddhism

Buddhism is a path of teaching and practice.  Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness and wisdom.

The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow the path of spiritual development.

Ultimately, the Buddhist path culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

 

Who was the Buddha

The word "Buddha" is a title and not a name.  It means "one who is awake" in the sense of having "woken up to reality".
This title was first given to a man called Siddharta Gautama, who lived 2,500 years ago in northern India.  At the age of 35, after years of striving, he gained Enlightenment whilst in profound meditation.  During the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to Enlightenment.  The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma - "the teaching of the Enlightened One".

 

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