THE BUDDHA'S PURPOSE:

"Remember, our purpose here is not to make more Buddhists; it is to make more enlightened beings. When you teach Buddhism, don't encourage people to become Buddhists; just encourage them to cultivate the qualities of love, compassion, universal responsibility and wisdom within themselves. If some special people with strong karmic connections want to formally become Buddhists then that is acceptable; but in general, the emphasis should be on a commitment to inner spiritual values, not to any specific religious tradition." -- H.H. the Dalai Lama

THE  BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS: What the Buddha discovered was a system of practices which can help achieve a spiritual transformation in which one is no longer vulnerable to suffering. The Buddha’s system consists of a method of daily living called the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Buddha’s method does not incorporate the concept of a personal God or individual divine Creator. But while the Buddha himself did not endorse or encourage the concept of an ultimate Creator-God, neither did he categorically deny the possibility of such a God.  He simply said that the issue was not relevant to achieving the particular type of spiritual transformation he was interested in, and he relegated such inquiries to the "useless speculation" category.  He advised his followers to not waste time with such speculative issues, but to instead pursue matters which can make a real practical difference to one's life, and to the lives of others.

This apparent theological neutrality has resulted in Buddhism being absorbed into the existing cultures and belief systems of many countries. For example, there are some Christian priests who live according to the Buddha’s teachings, and who follow the Buddha’s Eightfold Path at the same time as acting on their Christian convictions.  Also, in countries like Tibet, the Buddha's teachings were integrated with the pre-existing deity-based religions gradually, over the centuries, without any military conflict or political aggression involved.