Important Figures
Siddhartha Gautama is known as the Buddha, which is the founder of Buddhism. He achieved nirvana after many years of studying and meditating. No one really knows about him, all we have are legends. Its said that he was born in 563 BCE in Nepels, when he was born he could walk and talk. He made the Four Noble Truths based off cravings, observations and experiences. Later the Eight Fold Path was made. If you follow the Eight Fold Path you will achieve nirvana.
The Buddha statue below is not what Buddha actually looked like. Buddhism is a lose religion that has many variations. There are many different statues, like the pictures below. The Buddha statue has many different features, some statues have female features, look healthier and bigger in weight then other statues. The pose is a common position that is the Buddha trademark.
![Picture](/uploads/1/9/6/7/19671341/1384456952.png)
Dali Lama is the leader of the main branch of Tibetan Buddhism. It is believed that he is the god of compassion that comes down to Earth to help people. He is considered the ruler of Tibet until 1959. Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism that began in Tibet over 1,400 years ago. Tibetan Buddhism followers believe in reincarnation, which is the idea that after death a human's soul is born again in a new body. When a Dali Lama dies, Tibet Buddhist leaders use different ways to discover where he will be reborn. The Dali Lama is equal to being called the Pope, its a known name that you become. The leaders look for a child born soon after the previous Dalai Lama dies. The child must pass many tests to prove that he is the Dalai Lama. As of now they are up to the 14th Dali Lama.