A reflection on Buddhism: More than Religion

Just one man awoke while his society slept, leaving a life of splendor for the simple life: the Middle Path which all seek.

Centuries pass, and the Middle Path develops a priestly path of sages.

With six revisions of what the Buddha said, written for the record, comes a layperson's reaction to the sages' path. In essence, this is how the Mahayana path evolves, transforming kingdoms in Central Asia and in time, blooming far and wide, around the world.

Yet, to call Buddhism religion is to completely miss the point. It is not just a religion. For while most religions relieve our doubts about heaven and hell, the Buddha never discussed such things.

For it was He who set out to discover the Four Noble Truths to relieve the suffering in the continuous cycle of birth, life, and death - the wheel of life called samsara.

Links in text:

http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/bud-ser1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_Council

http://www.zip.com.au/~lyallg/RiseMahyan.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana

http://biblia.com/theology/buddhism6.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_wheel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara