ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sramana

Okay kiddo, so let's talk about Sramana. Sramana is a term that comes from ancient India, and it refers to a certain group of people who followed a particular way of life.

Now, imagine you have a group of friends who all have different ways of doing things. Some of them might like playing sports, others might prefer reading books, and still others might enjoy cooking. This is kind of like what the Sramanas were like - they had their own way of doing things, and it was different from how most people in their society lived.

The Sramanas were known for living a very simple life. They didn't care about having fancy things or lots of money. Instead, they focused on things like meditation and self-reflection. They believed that by doing these things, they could better understand themselves and the world around them.

One really important thing to know about Sramanas is that they often didn't believe in the same things as everyone else. For example, most people in ancient India believed in many different gods and goddesses. But the Sramanas didn't really believe in any of those gods or goddesses - they believed that each person had their own inner strength that they could tap into.

So, in summary: Sramana is a term that comes from ancient India and refers to a group of people who followed a different way of life than most others in their society. They focused on things like meditation and self-reflection, and didn't believe in the same gods and goddesses as everyone else.
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