Siddharta Gautama (he lived approximately from 560 B.C. to 480 BC) was the son of an Indian prince. After recovering from a grave illness, he abandoned his previous life of luxury. He left his family and went into seclusion. There, he thought a lot about life and death. According to legend, he became enlightened under a bo tree (a kind of fig tree). It had become clear to him how people could live properly and meaningfully. For this reason, he was called "Buddha” (that means "The Enlightened One”) from then on. He travelled about the country and spread his teachings, called Buddhism. There are several commandments that Buddhists have to follow. Among other things, they are not allowed to kill, to steal, to lie or to drink alcohol.
Buddhists believe that people are reborn frequently. Only people who live according to the principles of Buddhism will one day be liberated from rebirth. They will then, so the Buddhists believe, enter permanently into Nirvana ("Nothing”). Buddha himself is revered by the disciples of this religion as a teacher and model. Buddhism is most widely spread in Asia, where it has 336 million followers. Buddhism is one of the great religions of this world, like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism.