What is Buddhism and what are the main teachings of the Buddha?

Introduction

In fact, these two questions are very significant and difficult to answer for Buddhist people because those are the highest questions, I think.  As you know, I am a new learner and ordinary people, but not noble one so I cannot write and mention so completely. But I will try to do them as far as I can.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a faith based on the tradition of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 2500 years ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called "the Buddha," which means "awakened one," after he experienced a deep realization of the nature of life, death and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is bodhi, "awakened."

In the outstanding years of his life, the Buddha traveled and taught. However, He didn't teach people what He had realized when He became enlightened. Instead, He taught people how to realize illumination for them. He taught that awakening comes through one's own from side to side practice, not through beliefs and dogmas.

In the centuries following the Buddha's life, Buddhism extends throughout Asia to become one of the main religions of the continent. Estimates of the number of Buddhists in the world today vary extensively, in part because many Asians observe more than one religion and in branch because it is hard to know how many populaces are practicing Buddhism in collective nations like China. The most common approximation is 350 million, which makes Buddhism the fourth major of the world's religions.

Buddhism is founded on reason. Therefore it is a scientific explanation of the ordinary laws of life and not a set of dogmas lay down authoritatively; there are no dogmas in Buddhism. You know what a dogma means a dogma is a rigid system laid down by authorities as representing the truth; it is, so to speak as arrogant declaration of one’s own opinion. On Buddhism there are no such dogmas, but there are laid down a set of facts and principles for us to live by-for to follow.

Buddhism is neither a faith nor a belief, it is a way of life to be experimented with and experienced, to be followed and practiced in the world we live in, here and now. It is a vest and complete system of philosophical and psychological teaching based on a highly scientific and analytical method, going deep into all aspects of human life.

It is a path that leads man gradually through his own moral, spiritual and intellectual discipline and development, to the highest realization, to the realization of Absolute to truth. Above all, according to some scholars say, there are so many reasons about Buddhism, but our Buddha said that Buddhism is reasoning, understanding, or in other words Sammadithi. The Buddha said and invited that to the seekers come and practice not to belief.

What are the main teachings of the Buddha?

According to my opinion, all are the main teaching of the Buddha.

I cannot distinguish what are the main teaching or not, but I think the most fundamental and main are the four noble truths. All of the many teachings of the Buddha centre on the Four Noble Truths, just as the rim and spokes of a wheel centers on the hub. They are called 'Four' because there are four of them. They are called 'Noble' because they ennoble one who understands them and they are called 'Truths' because, corresponding with reality, they are true. I would like to explain them and the following are:

1.Dukkha:

2Samudaya:

3.Nirodha:

4.Magga:

1. Dukkha:To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, old age, death, and in brief, five aggregates are got also suffering.

2. Samudaya: The original of suffering is an attachment to be transient things and the ignorance.

The original of sufferings are: desire, passion, ardour, pursuit, of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity of in short time. Because objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessary follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a “self” which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self.  What we call “self” is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3Nirodha: The cessation of suffering can be attained through Nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of cliging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the case of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nibbana. Nibbana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes,fabrications and ideas. Nibbana is not comprehensible for those who have not attaines it.

4 Magga: There is a path the end of suffering- a gradual path of self-improvent, which is described in the Eightfold. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence and excessive self mortification and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth.

The afterward quality discerns it from other paths which are merely “wandering on the wheel of becoming ‘’, because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over enemy lifetime, throughout which every individual renewal is theme to karmic condition

Craving, ignorance, delusion and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

Conclusion

As you know, what is Buddhism and what are the main teachings of the Buddha? These two questions are very difficult question, because we, ordinary people cannot explain clearly to understand for the readers, learners and seekers.

I search that here and there so I got some information about Buddhism and the main teachings of the Buddha. For much more information I have to learn more about Buddhism. I hope that the more I learn about it, the more I will get. 
By Varabuddhi

Refferences:

1.     Ashin Thittila- Essential Themes of Buddhist Lecture, 1992

2.     Dr. Walpola Rahula- What the Buddha Taught , 1959

       3. Http// www. wikipedia.org