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Today's Western religions revolve around a central God that is one and the same for all of the followers of that religion. For instance, a Catholic goes to Church and prays to the same God as the person sitting beside them. There are many Eastern religions where ....

Middle of Essay
.... a balance between the two. He called this the Middle Way. By the time he was thirty-five, Siddartha had achieved true enlightenment and earned the title Buddha(awakened one). He was the fourth man recorded to have done so, but is credited with the creation of the Buddhist religion. Today Buddhism is one of the most commonly practiced Eastern religions. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Its characteristics are simple and strive only for spiritual enlightenment. The critical element of Buddhism is what Buddha called the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth as related by Buddha is that suffering is unavoidable and universal to all bei ....