Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Buddha which are referred to as “Dharma” or “the Dharma.”  Those who practice Buddhism engage in a spiritual quest to Nirvana, a state of complete enlightenment.    Like all religions, Buddhism has evolved over time, fractured and adapted as it spread through Asia and eventually the globe.  There are three main sects of Buddhism today along with several lesser-known denominations of the religion.

These different Buddhist religions are all united under some core Buddhist principles. They all accept Buddha as their spiritual teacher.  The Four Noble Truths are core to their philosophies and teachings.  Those who practice Buddhism follow the principles of the Eightfold Path and believe that Buddhahood is the highest possible state that one could achieve.

The Theravada or “doctrine of the Elders” was established around 300 BC..  Based on the teachings of Buddha, it encouraged the sangha (followers) to teach the mind to eliminate suffering through the use of meditation with the goal of achieving Buddhahood.  Theravada Buddhism established the canon of Buddhist scriptures and the laws governing the practices of Buddhist monks referred to as the Ten Precepts.

Theravada Buddhism originated in India and migrated to southeast Asia into Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries.  As it was adopted by the indigenous peoples, the Theravada was altered to incorporate the religious beliefs of the various geographic regions. It is still practiced in Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia today.

Eastern Buddhism known as Mahayana broadens the Buddhist scriptures to include other religious texts and philosophies that champion of belief in universal compassion and altruism.  These beliefs are central to their concept of an “Awakened mind.”  Practiced primarily in China, Korea and Japan, Mahayana Buddhism incorporates elements of mysticism and cosmology.  Mahayana Buddhism itself has divided into two main sects.  The version of Buddhism that puts emphasis on internalization of the spiritual path and self-reliance is called Zen Buddhism. The other form which emphasizes the need for dedication to the Amitabha Buddha in order to reach Nirvana is called Pure Land Buddhism.

Although deeply influenced by Mahayana Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism or Vajrayana is another distinct discipline of the Buddhist faith..  Also known as “tantric Buddhism,” Vajrayana incorporates text and scriptures from both Mahayana and Theraveda Buddhism along with Buddhist Tantras.  A major difference of Vajrayana Buddhism is that it teaches that Buddhahood can be achieved in a single life time without need for reincarnation.   

The method in which one achieves enlightenment is the most significant difference between the various types of Buddhism.  each value meditation and spiritual journey guided by the eightfold Path and the four Noble truths, but the attainment of Buddhahood differs in each version of the Buddhist faith.

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More than 2,500 years in the past, Prince Siddharta Gautama was born in what is currently called Lumbini in Nepal. He was born a prince and his birth was heralded with a lot of distinct signals that suggested a future of greatness. The prince's father went to a wiseman who lived inside the kingdom for guidance regarding his boy.  The sage man theorized that the prince, Siddharta Gautama, would likely either follow in his father's  footsteps and become a great king or he would become a spiritual leader.

Praying that his son would definitely develop into his heir, the king managed his best to separate the prince from those activities that could encourage him in the direction of a spiritual existence.  The prince was bombarded by luxury  and excess, all of the advantages that his royal position could offer.  Siddharta Gautama turned out to be to be an intelligent student and excellent sportsman.  He married a stunning woman whom he cherished and  they  bore a child.

At the age of 29, the prince determined that the world surrounding him was far more complex than he experienced in the walls of his palace.  Out and about among the people of the kingdom, he  observed actuality: sickness, old-age and death. The great shock of this finding left the youthful prince shaken. He made the decision then to dedicate himself to ending the suffering. Leaving his wife and child, the prince forsaked his worldly property and embarked on a spiritual quest.

Guatama started a course of study under numerous teachers to understand their methods. With the help of Alara Kalama, he began to learn meditation and learned an exalted form known as absorption.  This allowed him to attain a state of nothingness where there was no moral or cognitive dimension. While this was beneficial it was obvious to the former prince that it would not eliminate the suffering he  had observed.  Guatama continued his search for other people who might possibly assist him on his spiritual voyage.  Udraka Ramputra, helped Gautama to comprehend a state of neither perception or non-perception,  but this to wasn't precisely what he was trying to find. The next step in his quest led Gautama to Uruvilva in Northern India.  It was there that he deciced on an ascetic way, surviving a life of deprivation for nearly 6 years. This just led to the degradation of his entire body, weakness and self-destruction. Although it cost him his five followers, Gautama ended this ascetic lifestyle.

The end of this spiritual journey appeared as far away as ever, so the Buddha sat down under a Bodhi tree and proclaimed that “flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from the spot until Enlightenment has been one.”  After 40 days of thought and meditation, the Buddha finally attained Enlightenment.

It is the Buddhist understanding that at that moment he attained a state of being that exceeds anything else in the universe. Our normal experiences are based on preconceptions and conditions: how we were raised, our experiences, faults and shortcomings. Enlightenment is a state when the complex internal workings of existence become apparent and the source of human suffering discovered.

For the next 45 years, the Buddha journeyed through much of what is now northern India. He taught the way of Enlightenment to all that wanted to comprehend. This instruction had become referred to as the dharma or “the teaching of the enlightened one.     The Buddha took a number of disciples that in turn attained their own Enlightenment and so they trained others.

Buddhists believe that Buddha achieved a state of being that goes out beyond anything else in the world. If regular experience is based on conditions – parental input, psychology, views, perceptions, and so on – Enlightenment is Unconditioned. It was a state when the Buddha gained insight into the deepest workings of living and for that reason, into the cause of human suffering, the challenge that had set Him on His spiritual quest originally.

The Buddha statue we often see doesn not represent a god and didn't look at himself as a divine creature. He was simply a man who endeavored to transform himself by means of self reflection and meditation. Buddhists see him as an ideal and his quest as a guideline that can encourage them on the path to enlightenment.  Most homes that practice Buddhism will display some type of Buddha decor like a statue of Buddha, but this is intended to remind them of their own spiritual journey.