- Buddhism and Hinduism were India's two main faiths by 250 B.C
- Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that combined Aryan beliefs with gods and groups of diverse people
- Buddhism taught that desire causes suffering and humans should overcome desires
- Buddha had stressed that everyone could reach a state of peace called nirvana
- Nirvana was achieved by rejecting the world and embracing spiritual discipline
- After Buddha died, his teachings were interpreted differently
- Although Buddha forbid people to worship him, people began to teach that he was a god and thought that people could become Buddhas
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