Buddhism

A visionary named Gautama Buddha who the son of a rich nobleman was sheltered by his parents from seeing any of life's hardships such as poverty, disease, and human suffering. One day he wandered away and observed these things, and was deeply moved. He developed a program of "right living" and traveled around teaching. He taught reincarnation and karma and developed a way for humans to escape the cycle of death and rebirth. Those who manage to do this become "Buddhas" and become "enlightened." This means that upon death, they lose their individuality and become absorbed in the "One Mind." However, Buddhas can somehow choose to defer this final merging and instead live in a spiritual realm where they assist others in their quest of becoming Buddhas.

Since Buddhism is an oriental religion, most Buddhists don't really have any exposure to Christianity. Those who do would consider Jesus Christ to be either a teacher or a Buddha. Jesus, however, did not teach that the goal of life is to lose our identity and merge into the "One Mind." If Jesus was a Buddha, he certainly was not a very good one since he got the teachings all wrong. Jesus Christ taught that after death we retain our individual identity and that, in addition, we will all one day receive a resurrected body (the same kind of body that Jesus received when he was raised from the dead).

In contrasting the teachings of the Buddha with the teachings of Jesus Christ it is clear that either Buddha is wrong or Jesus is wrong — they can not both be simultaneously true. I believe that Buddha was wrong and that Jesus is who he claimed to be — the One God incarnate who died on the cross to save a fallen world. The Buddha died from eating poisonous mushrooms and he's still physically dead, but Jesus sacrificed his life in our place on the cross and was raised from the dead in a resurrected body three days later.

The modern New Age Movement borrows heavily from Buddhist teaching and philosophy.

According to Vatican II, the most recent Council of the Catholic Church, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination.

Two major branches of Buddhism are recognized: Theravada ("The School of the Elders") and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Theravada—the oldest surviving branch—has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana is found throughout East Asia and includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Tiantai (Tendai) and Shinnyo-en. In some classifications Vajrayana—a subcategory of Mahayana practiced in Tibet and Mongolia—is recognized as a third branch. While Buddhism remains most popular within Asia, both branches are now found throughout the world. Estimates of Buddhists worldwide vary significantly depending on the way Buddhist adherence is defined. Lower estimates are between 350–500 million.

source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism