Buddha (Enlightened One) was Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in the fifth century BC, in a state that is now part of Nepal. He was the son of royalty. Siddhartha was unhappy inspite of the many conveniences he enjoyed as a prince. At the age of 29, he left his privileged life behind and became a wandering ascetic in search of the Truth. He tried to find inner peace through Hindu asceticism and mind control, but failing this, he decided to find his own way to salvation. Siddhartha was concerned deeply about the sufferings of the people. The religion of that time showed no way to salvation.

So, under a bhodi tree at Bodh Gaya, India, he attained enlightenment (Nirvana) and began to travel throughout India preaching and gathering disciples. It was during this period that Siddhartha became known as the Buddha.

The Truth (dharma) that Buddha discovered included the four conclusions known as the Four Noble Truths.

1. Humans suffer and are dissatisfied.

2. Unfulfilled desire causes suffering. We are unfulfilled because we want more of everything. Ego is at the root of all desires.

3.The fulfilment that humans want cannot be satisfied by outside factors, such as money and power. Satisfaction comes from within and from a source that is not transitory.

4. The key to this source is attained by following the eightfold path.

The Eightfold Path:

1. Right Belief
2. Right Feelings (wisdom)
3. Right Speech
4. Right Actions (morality)
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Endeavour
7. Right Memory (mental discipline)
8. Right Meditation

By following the Eightfold Path, one can attain a state of nirvana, by extinguishing the flame of desire. Nirvana is not death, but a state of supreme bliss. Buddha taught that each individual must discover his own way to nirvana.

After the Buddha's death in approximately 583 BC, some of his followers began to deify him contrary to Buddha's instructions, and his teachings became an established religion. There are two schools of philosophy in Buddhism and both exist here in Malaysia. They are Mahayana and Theravada. This is the reason you will often find several temples in very close proximity of one another, with very contrasting architecture.

Confucianism, Taoism and ancestor worship belong to the Mahayana school of Buddhism and are associated very much with the Chinese community.

Confucianism, Taoism and ancestor worship form an integral part of Chinese culture and lifestyle. Their presence is reflected in the household altars which are little shrines with their joss sticks (incense) and fruit offerings. There are also altars or shrines along the roadsides. A multitude of temple schools, and charitable organisations are found throughout the country.

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