“佛陀”实际上是一个尊称，用于称呼名为悉达多·乔达摩的人。悉达多生活在大约公元前500年的北印度，也就是现在的尼泊尔地区。

通常，当人们提到“佛陀”时，他们指的是悉达多。佛陀的教义构成了我们现在所称的佛教的基础。

关于悉达多·乔达摩（释迦牟尼佛）的存在几乎没有学术争议，然而，他生活中的一些具体事件仍有争议。

与许多古老的传统一样，原始的佛教教义现在已经演变为关于教义的教义，这为个人的解读提供了更多空间，但也让现代所讲述的历史的准确性受到质疑。

尽管如此，我们仍然可以通过流传下来的教义了解很多关于佛陀的信息。我们知道，佛陀的教义主要集中在两个主题上：人类的痛苦问题和终止痛苦的方法。佛陀教导的生活方式，旨在鼓励追随者去实践，而不是仅仅当做一套理念去信奉。

佛陀的教义，统称为佛法，引导我们向内观察，关注自己的内心，以便更清晰地了解自己和看透现实的真相。

  Buddha is a title that was given to a man named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha lived around 500 BCE in northern India and what is now Nepal.

  Generally, when people refer to “the Buddha”, they're referring to Siddhartha, the man whose teachings became the foundation of what we now call Buddhism. 

  There is little scholarly debate around Siddhartha’s existence; however, there is some debate around specific events in his life.

  As is common with many ancient traditions, the original Buddhist teachings have evolved into teachings about the teachings. This opens up more room for individual teachers’ interpretations but brings into question the historical accuracy of modern-day retellings.

  However, we can still tell a lot about the Buddha by his teachings that have been passed down. We know that they center on two main themes: the problem of human suffering and the methods that can bring about the cessation of suffering. The Buddha taught a method of living intended to be practiced, rather than a set of ideas he asked his followers to believe.

  His teachings, known collectively as the dharma, invite us to look inward and study our own minds in order to gain a clearer understanding of ourselves and of the nature of reality.