4 Noble truths
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1. That to achieve enlightenment (Nirvana ) is the aim  of everyone. This may sound like the Hindu Moksha, but it is very different. In Moksha the  individual's soul  joins with the universal soul. In Nirvana there is no  meeting. Nirvana means roughly extinction. It is seen as a void ( an empty space. ) The  Theravadin Buddhists see this as a space of complete spiritual freedom. The Mahayanan Buddhists see it as a space of never-ending possibility.

2. That life is a cycle of birth, death  and rebirth. This involves suffering (Dukkha which means  without permanence.) This is because we  want things to last yet nothing can. Again this sounds like the Hindu idea reincarnation. It is  very different though. A Buddhist  ( unlike a Hindu)  does not believe that the soul is immortal ( that it lives forever).  For a Buddhist nothing is permanent. Theravadin Buddhists believe that on death good and bad energies are released from that person and pass onto a new person being born. It is not the soul  that passes on. Buddhists , unlike Hindus, will bury or cremate their dead.

A Buddhist accepts the Hindu concept of Karma. This  is  the belief that the actions in one life will impact for good or evil on  one's life following reincarnation and that one must take responsibility for one's own actions

3. That we suffer because of our ignorance and desire. We wrongly believe that  selfish sensual desires are important.

4. That the way to escape suffering and reach Nirvana is to follow the moderate approach ( often known as the  middle path )that  Buddha took. He did not believe that the extremes of mortification or indulgence were the ways to Nirvana .  

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