ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gautama Buddha in Hinduism

Buddha is a very important person in Hinduism. He is known as Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha was a prince who lived a long, long time ago in India. He was born into a family of great wealth and power. However, he felt sad because he saw many people suffering and he wanted to find a way to help them.

One day, Gautama Buddha decided to leave his palace and go out into the world to look for answers. He first tried following different spiritual teachers, but none of those methods worked for him. So he go into deep meditation for days under a tree. During that meditation, Gautama Buddha became enlightened. He found the answers he was looking for and became known as Buddha, which means "enlightened one".

Buddha taught many people how to cultivate compassion and connect with their inner selves by following the Eightfold Path - this was a set of guidelines designed to lead you to a state of pure happiness and understanding. The Eightfold Path was focused on things like meditation, truthfulness, kindness to all living creatures, and following a moral code. It was said that anyone who followed the Eightfold Path would be able to find happiness and inner peace.

Over time, the teachings of Buddha became a part of Hinduism because they were so powerful and meaningful. Even today, many Hindus practice Buddhism as well. In Hinduism, Gautama Buddha is considered to be one of the ten avatars of the god Vishnu, who is believed to take incarnation to guide humans to attain liberation from cycle of life and death.

Overall, Gautama Buddha taught a message of inner peace and enlightenment that has lived on for thousands of years and still influences millions of people around the world.