8.24 Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

Siddhartha Gautama lived in India somewhere between the 4th and 6th centuries BC, and is regarded as the founder of Buddhism. The Buddha taught of a single universal moral law, and a ‘middle way’ that included ethical training, meditation practices, and self-restraint, while criticizing practices such as animal sacrifice, the caste system, secret wisdom, and the excesses of asceticism and indulgence. Themes included Non-Violence, Truth, Morality and Liberation from the cycles of fear, aversion, craving, delusion,  suffering, and rebirth.

He taught of a Noble Eightfold Path towards liberation, which included

  1. Right Intention
  2. Right Speech
  3. Right Action
  4. Right Livelihood
  5. Right Effort
  6. Right Mindfulness
  7. Right State of Consciousness
  8. Right View.

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