Who or What do Buddhism followers worship?
Answers
The actual original Buddhism does not acknowledge the existence of gods. It is literally just the philosophy on the ideal way of life with the ultimate aim of enlightenment. This was the teachings of the very first Buddha (it's a wonderful story about a prince in ancient India who gave everything up in the pursuit of enlightenment).
The first Buddha was born into a world with many gods (the Hindu gods for example). After decades of “soul searching”, the first Buddha essentially realized that gods do not exist, and that if they do, they do not deserve to be worshipped as they are. True Buddhism is all about harmony, and the absolute abolisment of all wants and even needs. It is about accepting that suffering is within us, supplemented by our earthly desires, and that we can only know true peace and achieve absolute enlightment through the teachings of Buddha. Hence the pursuit of enlightment. True Buddhism ignores the concept of gods.
Of course as the centuries went by and as Buddhism spread to other parts of the world, other people just “adjusted” Buddhism to better suit their cultures. That's why there are many different versions of Buddhism now (i.e. Shinto Buddhism). One of the few true forms of Buddhism still in existence is in Nepal. As you might have guessed, it is the Dalai Lama and his followers.
Hope it helps you ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
@RUDRAKSHI