Answer: Hinduism and Buddhism have common origins in the Ganges culture of northern India during the "second urbanisation" around 500 BCE. They have shared parallel beliefs that have existed side by side, but also pronounced differences. Refuge Recovery is a practice, a process, a set of tools, a treatment and a path to healing addiction and the suffering caused by addiction. The main inspiration and guiding philosophy for the Refuge Recovery program are the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, a man who lived in India twenty-five hundred years ago. Siddharta was a radical psychologist and spiritual revolutionary. Through his own efforts and practices he came to understand why human beings experience and cause so much suffering. Eventually he came to understand and experience a way of living that ended all forms of addiction.
Buddhism attained prominence in the Indian subcontinent as it was supported by royal courts, but started to decline after the Gupta era and virtually disappeared from India in the 11th century CE, except in some pockets. It has continued to exist outside of India and has become the major religion in several Asian countries.
Explanation: Nirvana is the term used to describe the end of suffering, the ultimate goal of Buddhism. It is a state of complete bliss, liberation from the limitations and desires of the physical world, and the end of the cycle of rebirth and suffering. Buddhist priests lead worship services, perform ceremonies and rituals, and officiate at festivals in Buddhist temples and in the homes of parishioners. Most priests can marry and have families. The majority of Buddhist priests and contemplatives are male, but some are female. Priests may also be known as ministers—especially in the United States. Buddhist contemplatives live their lives within the boundaries of their monastery and engage in meditation and a form of prayer. (The term “monastery” is used in this article to refer to structures that house—separately—both male and female contemplatives.) In some branches of Buddhism, contemplatives can marry and have children. Some even live outside the monastery and have jobs. Male contemplatives are also known as monks, monastics, brothers, and bhikkhus. Female contemplatives may also be known as bhikkhunis, monastics, sisters, and nuns.
