Muhammad (570-632 A.D.) and Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.) were the key figures in the establishment of Islam and Buddhism, respectively. As two of the major religions on the planet, Buddhism and Islam rule billions of peoples psychological behaviors. They both direct their believers to evolve into more intelligent and spiritual beings. The foundation of each religion was formed during the lives of their respective founders. Each man sought to spread the ideas and beliefs that they thought to be true. Although they were successful in gaining believers and followers, each man had to employ various techniques to accomplish this same goal. Some techniques were similar, many were very different. The major themes that would guide their beliefs and actions as leaders were the time period in which they were born, their religious experiences, and successfully implementing the skills and techniques necessary to accomplish the goals they set out to achieve. Although Muhammad and the Buddha were born in two separate areas about 1100 years apart, the similarities of the two societies were strikingly similar. Both men were born into an age of violence and spiritual emptiness that resulted from a shift in the marketplace and feelings that the old ways were no longer fitting. The tribal system of the Arabian Peninsula around 600 CE kept everyone captive in an endless cycle of blood-feuds. Life was a constant war between tribes where one tribe sought revenge for wrongdoings it felt that it had suffered. Individuals needed the protection of large tribes so that they could not be killed without impunity. Needless to say, it was a very violent time period. At this time, some people were making the shift from a tribal way of life to one of commerce and trade. The Quraysh tribethe dominant tribe of the area for many yearsbegan to engage in trade, and became very wealthy from it. Acquisition of wealth became the new priority of many peopl...
