Buddhism originated in the sixth century B.C.E. Like Jainism, it was an alternate path that emerged from the fertile soil of Hinduism. It resembled Jainism in several respects: It rejected the authority of the Vedas and the caste system and offered a vision of salvation based on the actions of the individual and fueled by effort.

Whereas Jainism was extreme in its precepts, Buddhism prescribed a more moderate path or “middle way” between the desire for worldliness on one hand and the extreme asceticism of Mahavira on the other. This middle path was appealing and helped Buddhism draw in more followers.

Within a few centuries, Buddhist missionaries traveled into neighboring Asian countries and established Buddhism as one of the major religions in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Even today, Buddhists reside mainly in East and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism spread into foreign lands, it lost ground to a resurgent Hinduism in India, where Muslim conquest also diminished the number of Buddhists.