Is Buddhism the best religion in the world?
Many people don't think of Buddhism as a religion at all, but
more of a philosophy or way of life. Buddhism has no central dogma
of faith (a canon or collection of writing or knowledge that
outlines what an adherent to a religion must believe), and it
doesn't require that adherents worship anything, so it is unlike
most religions. It is like a religion insofar as it deals with
issues of spirituality, the afterlife and cosmology, but it
approaches those issues much in the way a scientist approaches
understanding the universe. Buddhism encourages people to think
deeply about what it means to be alive in this world, and to treat
each other with great compassion, and those two things, I think,
make Buddhism "good."
Although this is purely opinion, based on the history of other
religions, Buddhism seems to be greater in comparison. if you look
at the wars and social upheavals caused by Buddhism and another
religion (Islam or Christianity for example) they cannot compare.
This is to say Buddhism is more peaceful and "down to earth" than
others. Also, conversion by force or greed is non-existent in
Buddhism. Yet these people have still been persecuted through
history. The Buddhist philosophy spread from India by missionaries,
though India itself was fixed on Hinduism at the time, it caught on
in Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Mongolia, and southern Asia countries.
It was isolated from the western world until immigrants brought the
belief to America in the 19th century. Now, Buddhism is the
philosophy of over 400 million people across the world.