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Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama based Buddhism on his life experience. It began after Gautama, who used to live an extravagant life because he was the son of a warrior king, felt empty from high class life and so he went around exploring. After encountering the miseries of real life, away from a warrior-king son's privilege, he came to a realization. The realization is that life is all sorrow then came the next step of finding out how to escape the sorrow. Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, became a monk and renounced his high class status to meditate. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. He found out that to get rid of suffering one must abandon desires.
He then went around India spreading his teachings which helped spread Buddhism. Another way Buddhism was spread when Asoka the king of the Mauryan empire converted to Buddhism and became a devout believer which helped spread Buddhism because he ordered missionaries to neighboring lands throughout Southeast and Southwest Asia. It also spread during the era of warring states in china under the Chou dynasty when people needed some comfort from the harsh realities of War. Buddhism also sought to reform against Hinduism because of the corrupt Caste system. There are two major sects, there is more, Theravada and Mahayana.
Theravada Buddhism is associated with South East Asia and is perhaps closer to the original Indian form of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is associated with north through Tibet and China, as it took on more local customs.

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The Four Noble Truths:  comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings
1) Life has inevitable suffering
2)Suffering comes from desires/wanting
3) Suffering stops when desire/wanting stops
4)The end of suffering is contained in the Eight Fold Path

The Eight Fold Path:
are the steps to end suffering.
They are as follows:

1. Right understanding (Samma ditthi)

2. Right thought (Samma sankappa)

3. Right speech (Samma vaca)

4. Right action (Samma kammanta)

5. Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)

6. Right effort (Samma vayama)

7. Right mindfulness (Samma sati)

8. Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

Karma: is the peaceful or the evil action a person commits during one's life time. Peaceful action can involve the absence of evil action or presence of good acts. Bad action in Buddhism is similar to the modern definition.

The Cycle of Rebirth:
Buddhism teaches that when a person dies they are reborn and that this process of death and rebirth will continue until Nirvana, the end of rebirth and becoming one with the divine, is attained. Karma plays a major role in rebirth, the more positive karma one has the closer they are to nirvana and vice versa.

Nirvana (Samsara): extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion. When these emotional and psychological defilement are destroyed by wisdom, the mind becomes free, radiant and joyful and at death one is no longer subject to rebirth.

The "Middle Way" : is how Buddha described the eight fold path that one should not practice the extremes, completely indulging in desires or completely denying oneself worldly needs.

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Mahayana Buddhism stresses:

Buddhism is for the masses not just monks

The role of the Bodhisattva – altruistic beings working for the improvement of the world. – Everyone has the capacity to be a Bodhisattva

Non-Dualism – Ultimate reality beyond all divisions

Living in the present moment

Theravada Traditions

(“The School of the Elders”)

Generally spread south to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Often referred to as ‘original Buddhism’ Closest to oldest recording teachings (Pali Cannon) of the Buddha.

Close relationship between lay followers and monastic communities.Theravada Buddhism is a big part of daily life in countries like Thailand

Vipassana (Insight Meditation):

Popular in West, related to Theravada Buddhism. Emphasises – control of breath and retreats