The Buddhism is basically a non-theistic religion, but also represents a philosophy, a training method spiritual and psychological system. It has been developed from the teachings of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama, who lived in northeast India in the 5th century BC.
The purpose of Buddhism is the elimination of feelings of vital dissatisfaction (dukkha), produced by anxious yearning (understood as thirst, desire or greed). This, in turn, is the product of a mistaken perception about the nature of life, existence and being.
The eradication of this situation occurs when the individual manages to wake up and acquires a deep understanding of reality and being (enlightenment). To achieve this state, Buddhism promotes various techniques to develop meditation and achieve wisdom.
It is important to note that Buddhism is not organized in a vertical hierarchy (for example, there is no leader like the Pope in Catholicism). Religious authority is found in the sacred texts of the Buddha and in the interpretation by teachers and monks.