Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world. It
             was founded by Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) in Northeastern
             India. It arose as a monastic movement during a time of
             Brahman tradition. Buddhism rejected important views of
             Hinduism. It did not recognize the validity of the Vedic
             Scriptures, nor the sacrificial cult which arose from it. It
             also questioned the authority of the priesthood. Also, the
             Buddhist movement was open to people of all castes, denying
             that a person's worth could be judged by their blood.
             The religion of Buddhism has 150 to 350 million
             followers around the world. The wide range is due to two
             reasons. The tendency for religious affiliation to be
             nonexclusive is one. The other is the difficulty in getting
             information from Communist countries such as China. It's
             followers have divided into two main branches: Theravada and
             Mahayana. Theravada, the way of the elders, is dominant in
             India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
             Mahayana, the greater vehicle, refers to the Theravada as
             Hinayana, the lesser vehicle. It is dominant in India,
             Tibet, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and
             Siddhartha Guatama was born in Kapilivastu. His father
             was the ruler of the small kingdom near the Indian/Nepal
             border. As a child, his future was foretold by sages.
             They believed that he would someday be a fellow sage or
             leader of a great empire. He led a very pampered and
             sheltered life until the age of twenty-nine. It was at that
             time that he realized that he had led an empty life. He
             renounced his wealth and embarked on a journey to seek
             truth, enlightenment, and the cycle of rebirths.
             In the first years of his journey, Siddhartha Guatama
             practiced yoga and became involved in radical asceticism.
             After a short time, he gave up that life for one of a middle
             path between indulgence and sel...