Buddhism is an ancient faith. It is not, however, like any other religion.

Buddhism began in India or Nepal, and developed out of the long history of Hinduism. The person whose teachings are used for Buddhism was called Siddhartha Gautama, who is usually called the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one".

The Buddha taught about 500 years BC. His intention was to find ways to help people to become at one with their surroundings.

He did this by trying out a range of ways of living, but none of them seemed to work. Then, at the age of 35, he sat in meditation under a sacred fig tree — known as the Bodhi tree — in the town of Bodh Gaya, India, and vowed not to rise before achieving enlightenment. Finally this is what happened.

He gathered around him a group of people who believed in his teachings, and these people began the monasteries for which Buddhism is famous.