Place of Origin North East India Founder Siddhartha Guatama (The Buddha) Sacred Text The Tripitaka is a very large book. The English translation of it takes up nearly forty volumes. Sacred Building Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Pagodas of China and Japan are the best known. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa. Major Festival The main Buddhist festival of the year is Buddha Day / Wesak / Vaisakha, the celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. The festival is a celebration of much color. Homes are decorated and lanterns are made of paper or wood. Buddhists also visit their local temples for services and teachings, and give offerings to monks. The Lotus flower symbolizes purity and divine birth. The lotus flower grows in the mud at the bottom of a pool, but rises above the surface to become a beautiful flower. People should do the same. Remember the flower withers and dies which shows nothing is perfect. Symbols The Dharma Wheel symbolizes the cycle of life, death and rebirth The Laughing Buddha is regarded as one of the gods of wealth, who brings prosperity, success and financial gains to the occupants in the house. Buddhism is the religion in many Asian countries. It is a religion about suffering and the need to get rid of it Buddhism is different from many other faiths because it is not centered on the relationship between humanity and God. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. A key concept is the attempt to reach Nirvana, the most enlightened, blissful state one can achieve. A state without suffering.