We are accustomed to saying that the Buddha founded Buddhism. Yet this idea, though widely repeated, is historically and spiritually inaccurate. So, what is Buddhism all about?
Siddhartha Gautama—known to the world as the Buddha—never called himself the founder of a religion, nor did he coin the word Buddhism. That name emerged centuries later, long after his passing, when Western scholars sought to categorize the world’s traditions into familiar religious boxes.
To understand the Buddha’s intent, we must look beyond labels. The Buddha was not a prophet or preacher; he was a seeker who discovered something profound about existence. His life’s mission was not to create followers but to awaken minds.
The Prince Who Sought the Truth
Born into a Sanatani family, deeply rooted in Sanatana Dharma—the eternal way—Siddhartha Gautama was surrounded by wisdom, ritual, and privilege. Yet within the walls of his palace, he felt the weight of unanswered questions. The sights of old age, sickness, and death struck him like lightning. They revealed the fragility of worldly joy and the inevitability of suffering.
One night, he renounced his royal comfort to embark on a journey not of conquest, but of understanding. His departure was not rebellion—it was a continuation of India’s oldest spiritual quest: the pursuit of truth through experience, not dogma. He sought to know why beings suffer, and whether liberation from that suffering was possible.
Awakening Without a Religion
Years of meditation and austerity led him to a middle way between indulgence and self-torture. Beneath the Bodhi tree, Siddhartha found what he was seeking—not through faith, but through direct realization. He saw that all things arise and pass away, that craving binds us to suffering, and that freedom lies in awakening the mind.
But nowhere did he proclaim: “This is a new religion.” He simply shared the Dhamma—the truth of reality, timeless and self-existent. He invited others not to believe, but to see. His teaching was open to all, free of hierarchy, scripture, and ritual. It was an invitation to discover the eternal truth within one’s own consciousness.
His famous call was simple:
“Ehipassiko — Come and see for yourself.”
This is not the voice of a founder. It is the voice of a liberator.
Religion Binds. The Buddha Freed.
The word religion stems from religare, Latin for “to bind.” Religions bind their followers to beliefs, doctrines, and systems. The Buddha’s message was the opposite. His teaching aimed to unbind the human mind—from ignorance, desire, and false identity.
In the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha gave one of the most radical declarations in the history of spirituality:
“Do not believe anything merely because it is said… or because it is tradition… or because it is scripture. But when you know for yourselves that something is wholesome, good, and beneficial, then follow it.”
These are not the words of a priest, but of a scientist of the spirit. His Dhamma was an experiment in awareness—a path of inquiry, not worship.
The Sanatani Spirit: Beyond Labels
Buddha was not separate from Sanatana Dharma; he was one of its purest expressions. He did not reject the eternal law—he realized it. Where the Vedas spoke of Atman and Brahman, the Buddha pointed to direct experience. He replaced speculation with observation, and theology with mindfulness.
He said even his teachings should be discarded once understood:
“My teaching is like a raft. Once you cross the river, you do not carry the raft on your back.”
Such a statement could never come from someone intent on founding a religion. It comes from one who values freedom above all else.
How the Name ‘Buddhism’ Arose
The term Buddhism is a modern construct. It first appeared in English in the early 19th century when scholars sought to classify Asian spiritual traditions. The Buddha’s followers had long referred to themselves simply as Bhikkhus (monastics) or practitioners of the Dhamma. For centuries, the teachings spread as a way of life, not a religion. Only later did it become institutionalized—complete with temples, rituals, and sects.
Thus, “Buddhism” is not what the Buddha created—it is what history created around him. What he taught was Dhamma, the timeless truth that needs no name, no founder, and no boundary.
Experience Is the True Scripture
For the Buddha, truth is not something to believe—it is something to experience. Books, rituals, and philosophies are tools, not truths. Each person must awaken through their own insight, through seeing directly the impermanence and interdependence of all things.
This is why he said, “Be a light unto yourself.” Liberation cannot be borrowed, nor granted. It must be lived, here and now, through awareness and compassion.
Conclusion: The Unfounded Founder
Buddha did not create Buddhism. He did not preach a new faith; he awakened to an eternal truth. He was not a founder of religion, but a revealer of reality. He was a Sanatani who transcended boundaries, pointing toward the formless essence of existence.
To call him the founder of Buddhism is to mistake the finger for the moon. The Buddha did not give us a religion—he gave us a mirror, so we might see ourselves clearly.
His message remains timeless:
Freedom is found not in belief, but in awakening.