trace out the growth of Buddhism explain the main teaching of Buddha
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Answer:
Siddharta Gautama was a prince in a kingdom near the present day border of India and Nepal. Upon his enlightenment, his followers began to call him Buddha, which means, "Enlightened One".
Siddharta discovered that he needed to find another way — something in between his rich and impoverished lifestyles. He resolved to follow the Middle Path
Small communities of monks and nuns, known as bhikkus, sprung up along the roads that Buddha traveled. Devoted to his teachings, they dressed in yellow robes and wandered the countryside to meditate quietly. For almost 200 years, these humble disciples were overshadowed by the dominant Hindu believers. But the rise of a great empire changed all that.
Ashoka promoted Buddhist expansion by sending monks to surrounding territories to share the teachings of the Buddha. A wave of conversion began, and Buddhism spread not only through India, but also internationally. Ceylon, Burma, Nepal, Tibet, central Asia, China, and Japan are just some of the regions where the Middle Path was widely accepted.
With the great spread of Buddhism, it traditional practices and philosophies became redefined and regionally distinct. Only a small minority practiced the earliest forms of Buddhism, and Buddhist influence as a whole began to fade within India. Some scholars believe that many Buddhist practices were simply absorbed into the tolerant Hindu faith.
Today there are approximately 350 million Buddhists in the world.
The teachings of Buddha
Buddha, also known as Sakyamuni Buddha , is the founder of Buddhism. Lord Buddha attained “Enlightenment” under the Bodhi tree. After attaining nirvana, Lord Buddha became a figure providing the wisdom he obtained and helped billions of people to end their suffering and attaining the state of Nirvana.
Two main branches of Buddhism are Theravada Buddhism , and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada is widely supported by people of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and Mahayana Buddhism is widely supported by East Asia.