If you are interested in reading detailed information about each of the major religions of the world such as the founders, sacred texts, beliefs and practices, then please follow this link: http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm However this is a brief description of BUDDHISM Buddhism has approximately 307 million followers. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha - "the Enlightened One" - established Buddhism in southern Nepal in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. The Buddha achieved enlightenment through mediation and gathered a community of monks to carry on his teachings. Buddhism teaches that meditation and the practice of good religious and moral behavior can lead to Nirvana, the state of enlightenment, although before achieving Nirvana one is subject to repeated lifetimes that are good or bad depending on one's actions (karma). The doctrines of the Buddha describe temporal life as featuring "four noble truths": Existence is a realm of suffering; desire, along with the belief in the importance of one's self, causes suffering; achievement of Nirvana ends suffering; and Nirvana is attained only by meditation and by following the path of righteousness in action, thought, and attitude.