In 1954, archaeologists unearthed an early viking settlement on Sweden's island of Helg. In this settlement, they found a number of interesting objects. Most notable of these was a small statue of the Buddha.
Though it is possible one of the settlement's vikings was a practicing Buddhist, it is also possible that the statue was taken during a viking raid.
Buddhism is a nontheistic religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly referred to as the Buddha or "the awakened one". Alive during the birth of philosophy, the Buddha shared the spotlight with such great thinkers as Lao-Tse, Confucius, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths, which are as follows:
1. Dukkha, that life is filled with unsatisfactoriness 2. Samudaya, that dukkha is caused by craving and ignorance 3. Nirodha, that there is a cure for dukkha 4. Magga, that the cure for dukkha is following the Noble Eightfold Path.
To follow the Noble Eightfold Path means that one has Right Understanding, Thought, Speech, Action, Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration.
I wonder if those vikings' ships were fitted with a Dharma wheel...
