Buddhism is a religion and a philosophy founded by Buddha Siddhartha Gautama in the 6th century B.C. Buddha is a teacher and philosopher who was born in India and have taught the people on the universal truths of life. Buddhism is a religion that does not worship a creator or a God but is rather focused on the teachings of Buddha. The teachings of Buddha are mostly simple and practical. According to Buddha, any person could reach the stage of enlightenment by simply following his examples and lead a virtuous and moral life. Buddha stressed that a person can be enlightened if he or she would purify his or her mind.
Like the other forms of religion, Buddhist also follows some norms and precepts. However unlike the 10 commandments found in the Christian scriptures, Buddhist only have five precepts to live by. These precepts simple rules such as: (1) Do not kill. (2) Do not steal. (3) Do not lie. (4) Do not misuse sex. (5) Do not consume alcohol. Although these rules may appear to be very short and to the point, its impact on the lives of Buddhist is tremendous. When you say do not kill, that would mean do not harm anything or anybody. Not doing any harm to your fellow human beings is a very basic rule that could encompass myriad other rules. With the five short and to the point rules, the Buddhist precepts in life have covered so much ground to protect lives and properties. It had also effectively forbidden adultery by simply stating do not misuse sex.
