Buddhism then and now
It is popularly thought today that Buddhism is a religion containing numerous myths, traditions and mystical practices. On a close examination of the original teachings of the Buddha, we begin to recognize the error in this popular view. It is therefore extremely necessary to avoid confusing modern Buddhism, as it is practiced in different cultures today, with what was taught and practiced by Gotama the Buddha and his disciples more than twenty-five centuries ago. What is practiced today in the three main forms of Buddhist culture, whether Theravada, Mahayana, or Vajrayana, are mainly rituals and ceremonies with symbols of worship, accompanied by emotionally held traditional dogmas. This type of Buddhism is not different from any other religion with different dogmas, rituals and symbols of worship, which serve mankind only as a placebo, in temporarily reducing the anxieties and worries of life, regarding the here and hereafter.
Buddhism originally was a practical solution to the basic problem of human existence, which is the insecurity of life and the resulting anxiety that underlies all our daily concerns, troubles and tribulations. It is only through a thorough examination of the early teachings of the Buddha in comparison with the beliefs and practices of modern day Buddhists, that one may recognize the distinction between original Buddhism and the modern Buddhist traditions and practices. Without adequately understanding this important distinction between early Buddhism, and the culturally oriented modern Buddhism, it would not be possible to comprehend the important psychotherapeutic basis of the teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize at this point that whenever the term "Buddhism" is used henceforth in this paper, it is the original teachings of the Buddha that is referred to, and not to any form of modern Buddhism that is prevalent among people of any Buddhist culture today.