Buddhism

A promise of release from an unending cycle of reincarnation, escape to a better place, this is a wonderful thing… until the leader of this belief system dies with no instruction for the future. When Buddha died, his religion of Buddhism split into many different schools, the most revered were Theravada, “The Way of the Elders”, and Mahayana, “Great Vehicle”. These two paths ultimately led to the same place but each lead followers in different directions. The course of history was greatly affected, people attempted to become more caring and nonviolent as well as more educated. Ultimately, despite Buddhism’s spread, it was simply used as means to an end by those in power, giving it great influence and importance within the ancient world.