Buddha delivered his first sermon in Sarnath(near Varanasi) before his five
disciples who had earlier deserted him. Buddha taught that the root cause
of mankind’s suffering was desire. People could get rid of the torment
of desires by following the Eightfold Path: right belief, right thought,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right memory
and right meditation. The rest 45 years of Buddha’s life were spent
in spreading his new faith. He was also opposed to the caste system prevalent
in the Hindu society. Buddha attained Nirvana in Kushinagar (U.P.) in 483
B.C. Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. in the Lumbini forests in Nepalese
Terai.
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