What is Buddhism? Perhaps this question can be considered the ultimate paradoxical riddle or statement, in that Buddhism emphasizes transcendence of the constraining definitions that limit the mind and encourage dualistic thought. At the same time, however, Buddhism recognizes that we must live our lives in the practical reality of this world rather than the ultimate reality of interdependence in which things cannot be defined as discrete entities. Buddhism has been called a religion, a philosophy, and an ideology. The most literal translation of Buddhism to me is "path of the enlightened one, as Buddha means "awakened one," one who has awakened to his or her own true inner nature and therefore the true nature of reality. Those that follow Buddhist tradition acknowledge there have been many "Buddha's" in the past and more will come to follow. Siddhartha Gautama is the man that is the recognized Buddha of this age. He was an ordinary man, and made no claims of being a god, or any other divine origin/nature.
The "Creator" God has no real place in Buddhism, it instead emphasizes experiencing the truth for oneself, therefore it does not matter whether or not a historical Buddha ever existed. The Buddha's life is simply an example that encapsulates the teachings of Buddhism in allegorical form. Buddhists have a history of trusting their own wisdom rather than trying to interpret what might have been meant in old texts. The early stories and teachings of the Buddha were not written down until several centuries after his death at a meeting called the First Council. For this reason, they are not considered to be inerrant teachings directly from the mouth of the Buddha. The Buddha strongly encouraged his followers to "be a lamp unto themselves" and put his teachings to the test.
Buddhism, like most other world religions, has split into innumerable sects. These can largely be divided into three major groups or "vehicles." The Hinayana school is termed the "Lesser Vehicle" due to its emphasis on personal rather than collective liberation. It is also called the Theravada school, or "School of the Elders," and is widely practiced in the countries of Southeast Asia. Its teachings focus on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Some of Buddha's teachings were that Suffering is universal and inevitable. That the immediate cause of suffering is desire, but that the ultimate cause is ignorance concerning the true nature of reality. He encouraged humanity detailing a way to dispel ignorance and relieve suffering. This could be accomplished through the "Eightfold Path" which is: Right view, Right thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
I hope that this article was a bit helpful or insightful to you. It is by no means a difinitive discourse on Buddhism, and was meant only to provide a small look into Buddhism and posssibly a better understanding of some of it's most basic principals.
