 Buddhism was founded some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE in South Asia. The fundamental teachings of Buddhism are that ordinary life is suffused with (Skt.) dukkha (often translated as “suffering”), and that dukkha is caused by the illusory belief in persistent individual selves. The belief in selves leads to endless craving (Skt. tanha) which is unsatisfiable, because it is a longing by one illusory entity (the personal self) to permanently possess other equally illusory things. Escape from craving (and hence dukkha) is only possible by achieving enlightenment, which is fully believing the truth of no-self (Skt. anatman). Enlightenment leads to universal compassion: dukkha is seen to belong to no one, so there is no reason to prefer the elimination of what would conventionally be described as “my suffering” to “your suffering” or “their suffering.” The illusory world of independent selves is referred to as (Skt.) “samsara,” and the state achieved through enlightenment is (Skt.) “nirvana.” 