Buddhism

====Saṃsāra====
{{Main|Saṃsāra (Buddhism)}}
''Saṃsāra'' means "wandering" or "world", with the connotation of cyclic, circuitous change.{{sfnp|Klostermaier|2010|p=604}}{{sfnp|Juergensmeyer|Roof|2011|pp=271–272}} It refers to the theory of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental assumption of Buddhism, as with all major Indian religions.{{sfnp|Juergensmeyer|Roof|2011|pp=271–272}}{{sfnp|Trainor|2004|p=58, Quote: "Buddhism shares with Hinduism the doctrine of Samsara, whereby all beings pass through an unceasing cycle of birth, death and rebirth until they find a means of liberation from the cycle. However, Buddhism differs from Hinduism in rejecting the assertion that every human being possesses a changeless soul which constitutes his or her ultimate identity, and which transmigrates from one incarnation to the next.}} Samsara in Buddhism is considered to be ''[[dukkha]]'', unsatisfactory and painful,{{sfnp|Wilson|2010}} perpetuated by desire and ''[[Avidyā (Buddhism)|avidya]]'' (ignorance), and the resulting [[karma]].{{sfnp|Juergensmeyer|Roof|2011|pp=271–272}}{{sfnp|McClelland|2010|pp=172, 240}}{{sfnp|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|pp=18–19, chapter 1}} Liberation from this cycle of existence, ''nirvana'', has been the foundation and the most important historical justification of Buddhism.{{sfnp|Conze|2013|p=71, Quote: "Nirvana is the ''raison d'être'' of Buddhism, and its ultimate justification."}}{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=119}}

Buddhist texts assert that rebirth can occur in six realms of existence, namely three good realms (heavenly, demi-god, human) and three evil realms (animal, hungry ghosts, hellish).{{refn|group=note|name=realms2|Earlier Buddhist texts refer to five realms rather than six realms; when described as five realms, the god realm and demi-god realm constitute a single realm.{{sfnp|Buswell|2004|pp=711–712}}}} Samsara ends if a person attains [[nirvana]], the "blowing out" of the afflictions through insight into [[impermanence]] and "[[anatta|non-self]]".{{sfnp|Buswell|Gimello|1992|pp=7–8, 83–84}}{{sfnp|Choong|1999|pp=28–29, Quote: "Seeing (''passati'') the nature of things as impermanent leads to the removal of the view of self, and so to the realisation of nirvana."}}{{sfnp|Rahula|2014|pp=51-58}}