Do Buddhists worship Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Gautama Buddha or more commonly as just “The Buddha” is a central figure of Buddhism. He is recognized as a great teacher but did not claim to be a god and is not worshipped by Buddhists.

The Buddha (meaning the “awakened” or “enlightened” one) is believed to have lived in northern India sometime between 563 B.C. and 400 B.C. Verifiable details of his life are scarce. His teachings were passed down verbally for generations but not written down until four centuries after his death.

The Buddha was born into a wealthy, royal family but soon came to learn than riches and luxury do not guarantee happiness. Several years of study and meditation led him to the path of enlightenment and true happiness. He spent the remainder of his life sharing these principles, until he passed at the age of 80. Today, 400 – 500 million people practice Buddhism.

Buddhism is often said to be compatible with, or even having predicted, modern scientific concepts such as relativity theory and quantum physics. Such analogies have been publicly made by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Niels Bohr, among others.

Buddhism is considered nontheistic as adherents do not “worship” anything. In this regard, it can be thought of as more of a philosophy than a religion. Famed for their peace-loving nature, Buddhists are respectful and tolerant of all religions and have never fought a war over their beliefs.