Buddhism originated around 2,500 years ago in India and is a philosophical tradition based on a series of original teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha. (Sanskrit: “Awakened One”), a teacher who lived in northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries BCE (before the Common Era). Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Mythology is used in order to give symbolic and quasi-historical expression to religious teachings. It is regarded as a supernatural religion, due to the fact that without a buddha to reveal these teachings, the truths would remain unknown. They believe that enlightenment or nirvana can be reached through meditation, compassion, personal development and by taking responsibility for one’s own actions. The various Buddha statues serve as visual imagery intended to narrate the various aspects of the Buddha's life and lessons.