The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born in the 6th century B.C.E. in Northwestern India. The Buddha was the son of an aristocrat and grew up in a world of affluence and privilege. His father, Suddhodana took every precaution to make sure Siddhartha didn't experience anything that would hurt his happiness. However, one day, Siddhartha snuck out of the palace walls, to which he was limited, to witness a world of misery and pain. He then left his life of ease and royal extravagance, to search for a solution to human suffering. During a meditation, in which he was sitting under a tree, the Buddha attained enlightenment at the age of 35 and spent his life teaching. He taught for 45 years and only slept for about two hours a day.
             However, at around 500 B.C., there formed two great traditions within Buddhism, the Theravada or synonymously Hinayana tradition, and the Mahayana tradition.
             Theravada, or "Path of the elders" (Ellwood 135), is the school of Buddhism, which emphasizes the historical Buddha, and has adopted a conservative adherence to the Buddha's teachings. The Theravada school is predominant in the Buddhist countries of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
             The other tradition, Mahayana, which means "The Great Vehicle" (Ellwood 469), is predominant in the northern tier of Buddhist countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, and corners of India and Russia. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the Bodhisattva, or the Buddha nature in all things, and utilizes the uses of many methods and paths of enlightenment.
             Theravada and Mahayana have a lot of similarities. For instance, both accept Sakyamuni Buddha as their Teacher. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are exactly the same in both schools and the Paticca-samuppada, or the "Dependent Organization", is also the same in both schools. In addition to these similarities, they both reje...