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is a major religion, founded in northeastern India in AD 552. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha, or "Enlightened One." Buddha is the Indian philosopher and the founder of , born in Kapilavastu, India. He was the son of ....

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.... 533, according to tradition, he met an old man, a sick man, and a dead body, and he suddenly realized that suffering is the common part of humankind. He then met a beggar monk who was calm and peaceful and decided to adopt his way of life and family, wealth, and power in the search for truth. This decision, known in Buddhism as the Great Renunciation, is celebrated by Buddhists as a turning point in history. Gautama was then 29 years old, according to tradition. Wandering as a beggar over northern India, Buddha first investigated Hinduism. He took teachings from some famous Brahman teachers, but he found the Hindu caste system insulting and Hi ....