EARLY BUDDHISM AND INDIAN THOUGHTSBuddhism is a world religion, which arose in and around ancient Magadha, (modern Bihar), and is based on the teachings of Siddartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha. It spread outside of Magadha starting in the Buddha's lifetime, and with the reign of the Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, spread across and became the dominant religion. Buddhism arose in India during a period of intense intellectual and social ferment. It was a period during which