Question

Describe Buddhism and explain how it began and by whom. Explore the concepts of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Explain the purpose of both. What is the ultimate goal of a Buddhist?

Answer 1

Buddhism is a form of religion that began in India through the teachings of Buddha. Although it lost much of its support in India in the following period, it quickly spread to Asia and became a dominant religion on the Asian continent. Buddha was a sage and an ascetic who lived in India and taught his followers how to lead better lives.

The four noble truths are one of the basic orientation concepts in Buddhism. The purpose of them are to achieve Nirvana, that is to escape the endless cycle of life and rebirth. The truths postulate that we constantly crave things and we cannot have them which causes pain. This pain leads us back into the cycle of life and rebirth. By achieving Nirvana, you can move on and stop belonging to the cycle.

The Eightfold path is a system of behavior that should be adopted by people if they are to ever reach nirvana. The purpose of the path is to help the people reach nirvana and stop participating in the cycle of life and rebirth. It teaches people how to restrain themselves, how to become more disciplined, and numerous other helpful things.

The ultimate goal is to reach Nirvana. This is the ultimate form of liberation in the beliefs of Buddhists and can be achieved with the eightfold path teachings. When a person reaches nirvana, their soul will be free from the endless cycle of life and death and rebirth and they will no longer have to deal with the torments of this earthly world.