Among the most important religions in Asian countries is Buddhism. The doctrine was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the late 6 th century, and over the years, it has assumed different forms. However, in each of these cases, Buddhism employs the teachings the life experiences, and the spirit of Buddha (dharma) as a basis for leading a religious life (Vail, 2018) . As of today, Buddhism encompasses various traditions, beliefs, and practices. The historical Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born in the 5 th century BCE in Lumbini (present-day Nepal). Gautama developed and became a leader of a sect of wanderers (Sangha), one of the many factions that existed in India during his time. The time that Gautama lived was one that was undergoing various changes in its social structure in that during this time, people were questioning the authority and significance of the Vedic religion, religiously and philosophically (Vail, 2018) .
The Vedic religion which was founded by the Nomadic society before Gautama’s time declined with the development of an urban context society. Therefore a large number of the Indian society including Gautama decided that this religion was unsatisfactory to them and thus opted for a new one. Gautama thus set up a community which as time went by it gradually developed into a religious movement. After the death of Gautama, his teachings became the core values of Buddhism (Vail, 2018) .
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History of Buddha
Gautama was born in the early 6 th century into a small clan known as the Shakyas in Lumbini. His father ruled the tribe while his mother died seven days after giving birth to him. However, a religious person foretold that Gautama would accomplish greater deeds by either being a great military leader, a king or a spiritual leader (The Biography, 2018) . As any loving father would do to his son, Gautama’s father prevented him from ever knowing the suffering that human beings endured in the world. His father raised him in extravagance riches in their palace home and further went ahead and prevented him from ever knowing human miseries and religion. However, when he ventured outside the palace walls in his late 20s, he was confronted by the harsh reality of human frailty. His continued explorations and discoveries of the human world made him leave his wife, son and kingdom to live a life of solitude from which he vowed to find a solution to the worldwide sufferings of human beings. (The Biography, 2018) . He, therefore, took a path of studying various religious teachings and practices, and after an extended period of spiritual struggles, he receiv ed pure enlightenment and was reborn as Buddha ("he who is awake"). Throughout the remainder of his life, he traveled and preached the Dharma by leading other people towards the path of enlightenment (The Biography, 2018) .
Teachings of Buddhism
Buddhism like many other religions in the world consists of many different traditions which however share universal teachings. The Awakened one taught his followers the truths of compassion for suffering. He explained some essential doctrines of Buddhism such as;
Three Marks of Reality
The Four Noble Truths,
The Eight-Fold Path
Three Marks of Reality
Anicca (impermanence) states that although all accustomed worldly things in the long-run come to an end, they are unstable. It focuses on the fact that anything we feel through our senses is consisting of parts and their being dependent on peripheral environments. Things come into being and cease to exist (Coseru, 2012) .
Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) states that anything found in the physical world or even the psychological realm can allow one permanent deep satisfaction (Coseru, 2012) . As we strive for our desires as human beings, we end up suffering and straining ourselves, and after achieving our desires, we experience glee and fulfillment which wears out quickly thereby leaving us bored. To counteract boredom, we collect and amass possessions instead of sharing with others who may need them. The cycle then continues.
Anatta (no-self) states that everything in this world is not, or have permanent self’s, whether they are matters that concerning the physical body or the cosmos in general, in addition to any mental intrigues which are not permanent (Coseru, 2012) . One of the teachings taught by Buddha is that all aspects of our self are not correct as they were formed in the realm of ignorance.
The Four Noble Truths
The first Noble Truth taught by Buddha gives an indication of life as suffering. Human beings live a life full of pleasures and pains of the body and mind. The Buddha teachings indicate that pleasures are not representations of permanent happiness in that they are inevitably connected to suffering as we continuously endure wanting them. Consequently, we want them to continue while at the same time we want our pains to go so that we can receive pleasure. (Vail, 2018) . The second Noble Truth states that continuously wanting some things causes suffering for sense of desires and for stuff to be the opposite of the way they are. As humans, we consistently refuse to accept life as it is. The third Noble Truth states that suffering has an end while the fourth Noble truth offers the means to an end (Vail, 2018) . Therefore, individuals who follow this path that is set out by Buddha will attain Nirvana (Vail, 2018) .
The Eight-Fold Path
This path which is mostly represented by an eight-spoked wheel (wheel of dharma) consists of the Four Noble Truths, Right to Speech, Right of Intention, Right to Endeavour, Right to Livelihood, Right of Action, Right of Concentration and Right of Mindfulness (Vail, 2018) . It is identified by the principle of the middle way which shown in the life of Buddha. The middle way is a representation of rejections of all extremes of thought, emotion, action, and lifestyle rather than extreme chagrin of the body or a life of taking part in various enjoyments (Vail, 2018) .
Major Buddhist Traditions and their development from the Early Buddhism Teachings
Buddhism is broken into three primary schools which include the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Theravada is the path of the older people and is mostly associated with a conservative nature. These Buddhist monks have their monasteries located in cities thus making it ideal for them to beg for food. Mahayana, on the other hand, allows for everyone, not only the monks to achieve Nirvana by helping others to save themselves (Vail, 2018) . Consequently, Vajrayana is part o f Mahayana tradition and it incorporates chants and rituals to achieve supernormal powers and is part of obstinate. The Vajrayana, however, is similar to Mahayana in that both combine their ceremonies with emblematic items that include candles, bell, images, hand gestures and visual exercises when conducting meditations.
All these three branches of Buddhism can trace back their lineage to the original teachings of Buddha, and these branches share all the three realities. Moreover, the four noble truths are also the fundamental concepts to understanding life. Although it is said that these three branches practice their worship in different ways, it is believed that the Eight-Fold Path is the way to secure Nirvana (Vail, 2018) . So while each one of the branches of Buddhism is different, all of them draw their history and beliefs all the way to Buddha and his pursuit of Nirvana by mode of temperance.
References
Coseru, C. (2012, Oct 3). Mind in Indian Buddhist Philosophy. Retrieved from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mind-indian-buddhism/
The Biography. (2018, March 19). Buddha Biography. Retrieved May 31, 2018, from The Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587
Vail, F. L. (2018). The Origins of Buddhism. Retrieved May 2018, from Asia Society: https://asiasociety.org/education/origins-buddhism
