Of the many religions that originated in the Indian peninsula, Buddhism is the one that, during the last decade, has known the biggest enthusiasm and the greatest increase in interest in the West (Baumann & Prebish, p. 85). In fact, this increase in interest is reflected by the numerous stories related by the media as well as the various research conducted by university scholars since the dawn of the 21st century (ibid.). Buddhism, however, is a religion of long history. More precisely, Buddhism takes roots in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a sage that lived during the 6th century B.C. in a region near the Ganges river. The sage is believed to have found the answer to the question of suffering, which gave him the status of "The Enlightened" or Buddha[ CITATION Boe99 l 1036 ]. This essay will first emphasize on this historical context, before exploring the different forms to which Buddhism has evolved, the major ones being the Theravada, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. These branches, as various as they might appear, are ultimately based on the same teachings, the ones of Siddhartha Gautama, the initial Buddha. From these different perceptions, we will see how some specific practices have emerged and interestingly, how they all have some spiritual aspect that needs to be discovered and understood in order to utterly perceive their meaning and potential.
Understanding Buddhism as a faith system requires first to explore the life of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as Buddha. Siddharta was born in the clan of the Shakayas, which was ruling over a small country in what is actually southern Nepal. In the intention to protect his son, Siddhartha's father made sure that he was kept inside the walls one of his palaces, and prevented him from experiencing things that ordinary people do. More specifically, his father made sure that he did not see old, sick and dead people, as well as those who are dedicated to spiritual practices [ CITATION Boe99 l 1036 ].