A Brief History of Buddhism 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 period of Brahman tradition. Buddhism rejected important views of Hinduism. He did not recognize the validity of the Vedic Scriptures, nor the sacrificial worship that arose from them. He also questioned the authority of the priesthood. Furthermore, the Buddhist movement was open to people of all castes, denying that a person's worth could be judged by his or her blood. The religion of Buddhism has 150 to 350 million followers worldwide. The wide range is due to two reasons. One is the tendency for religious affiliation to be non-exclusive. The other is the difficulty of obtaining information from communist countries like China. Its followers 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 Theravada as Hinayana, the lesser vehicle. It is dominant in India, Tibet, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia. Siddhartha Guatama was born in Kapilivastu. His father was the ruler of the small kingdom near the border between India and Nepal. As a child, his future was predicted by the wise men. They believed that one day he would become a sage or the leader of a great empire. He led a very pampered and protected life until the age of twenty-nine. It was at that moment that he realized that he had led an empty life. He renounced his wealth and embarked on a journey in search of truth, enlightenment and the cycle of rebirths. In the early years of his journey, Siddhartha Guatama practiced yoga and engaged in radical asceticism. After a short time he renounced that life for a compromise between indulgence and self-sacrifice. He meditated under a bo tree until he achieved true enlightenment by rising through a series of higher states of consciousness. After realizing this inner religious truth, he went through a period of internal struggle. Renaming himself Buddha (meaning enlightened), he wandered from place to place, preaching and spreading his teachings by word of mouth. He also gained disciples, who were grouped into a monastic community known as a sangha. As he approached his death, Buddha rejected a successor. He told his followers to work hard to find their salvation. After his death, it was decided that a new way was needed to maintain the unity and purity of the community, since the Buddha's teachings were only uttered.