Buddhism began when a monk named Siddhartha Gautama was enlightened more than 2,500 years ago, and more than 300 million people worldwide are Buddhist. For most Buddhists, Buddhism is a way of life and less of a religion. Buddhism is composed of six important subjects: the four noble truths, the eightfold path, samsara, karma, rebirth and nirvana. Buddhism contains many teachings that need to be understood, and one of those teachings is that everything is temporary and nothing lasts forever. Many people suffer, no matter whether they are rich or poor, famous or unknown, they are all equal, but only through Buddhist teachings can they achieve true happiness. Gautama showed his disciples the path of the Buddha and this can be understood by following the Four Noble Truths, which is then followed by learning the Eightfold Path. The first truth tells us that life is pain; life contains discomfort and suffering for all, not just one individual. The second truth is that suffering is produced by desire and hatred of useless and inanimate objects and of each other. So, in simpler terms, this means that receiving what you want won't make you happy, because there will always be something even better. The third truth lets us know that pain can be healed with time and pleasure can be achieved; it means that if we give away these useless objects and ideas and learn to live every day without using technology, then we can become happy. We will then have more time to help others and do the things we need to survive the right way. The fourth truth is the fact that the Eightfold Path is the path that will lead us to enlightenment and becoming one with the universe (White). The Eightfold...... middle of paper ...... how we the path to enlightenment or "nirvana" and he also wanted to discover the true nature of the world. He depended only on his own ability to survive and after his enlightenment, he asked everyone to do the same. But now, from the afterlife, Gautama asks you to join him on his journey and discover what Buddhism is. This might shock you (Kozak). Works Cited Geldart, Anna. Buddhism. Reed, 2002. March 23, 2014. Print. Kozak, Arnie. The whole book of Buddhism 2nd edition. Adams, 2011. March 23, 2014. Print. Rahula, Walpola. “The Eightfold Path”. Tricycle. npnd March 24, 2014. Web.Shiva. "Samsara in Buddhism". Buddhists. Business directory plugin. 2014. March 24, 2014. Web.White, Brian. “A Basic Guide to Buddhism: A Five-Minute Introduction.” 2014. 22 March 2014. WebWood, Cavan. Buddhism. Heinemann, 2002. March 24, 2014. Print.