Concise explanation of Buddhism, please!

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O Bhikkhus, what I have taught is comparable to the leaves in my hand. What I have not taught is comparable to the amount of leaves in the forest.
 
Bahman said:
O Bhikkhus, what I have taught is comparable to the leaves in my hand. What I have not taught is comparable to the amount of leaves in the forest.
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The Parable of the Simsapa Leaves

At one time the Blessed One was staying at Kosambi in the Simsapa Grove. Then the Blessed One, taking a few Simsapa leaves in his hand, said to the monks: “What do you think, monks? Which are the more numerous, the few leaves I have here in my hand, or those up in the trees of the grove?”

“Lord, the Blessed One is holding only a few leaves: those up in the trees are far more numerous.”

"In the same way, monks, there are many more things that I have found out, but not revealed to you. What I have revealed to you is only a little. And why, monks, have I not revealed it?

"Because, monks, it is not related to the goal, it is not fundamental to the holy life, does not conduce to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquillity, higher knowledge, enlightenment or Nibbana. That is why I have not revealed it. And what, monks, have I revealed?

"What I have revealed is: ‘This is Suffering, this is the Arising of Suffering, this is the Cessation of Suffering, and this is the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering.’ And why, monks, have I revealed it?

"Because this is related to the goal, fundamental to the holy life, conduces to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquillity, higher knowledge, enlightenment and Nibbana, therefore I have revealed it.

“Therefore, monks, your task is to learn: ‘This is Suffering, this is the Arising of Suffering, this is the Cessation of Suffering, this is the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering.’ That is your task.”

– Simsapa sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 56.31

rossum
 
rossum said:
The Parable of the Simsapa Leaves

At one time the Blessed One was staying at Kosambi in the Simsapa Grove. Then the Blessed One, taking a few Simsapa leaves in his hand, said to the monks: “What do you think, monks? Which are the more numerous, the few leaves I have here in my hand, or those up in the trees of the grove?”

“Lord, the Blessed One is holding only a few leaves: those up in the trees are far more numerous.”

"In the same way, monks, there are many more things that I have found out, but not revealed to you. What I have revealed to you is only a little. And why, monks, have I not revealed it?

"Because, monks, it is not related to the goal, it is not fundamental to the holy life, does not conduce to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquillity, higher knowledge, enlightenment or Nibbana. That is why I have not revealed it. And what, monks, have I revealed?

"What I have revealed is: ‘This is Suffering, this is the Arising of Suffering, this is the Cessation of Suffering, and this is the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering.’ And why, monks, have I revealed it?

"Because this is related to the goal, fundamental to the holy life, conduces to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquillity, higher knowledge, enlightenment and Nibbana, therefore I have revealed it.

“Therefore, monks, your task is to learn: ‘This is Suffering, this is the Arising of Suffering, this is the Cessation of Suffering, this is the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering.’ That is your task.”

– Simsapa sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 56.31

rossum
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And what causes the cycle longer? It is knowing the truth, isn’t it? Why Buddha died then? Do we have two cycles, one here and one in heaven? This is kinda paradoxical.
 
Another concise intro to Buddhism is in my opinion found in how they address the philosophical “problem of evil.”

All living beings are motivated by a desire to be happy and avoid suffering. The entire medicine of Buddhist practice is an explanation of how to do this. In the Buddhist view, “evil” is a kind of ignorance which primarily (perhaps exclusively) injures the person doing the “evil” through the ineluctable workings of the law of karma.

I have found this view helpful in my personal understanding of Luke 23:28-29 or Jesus own explanation of the way of the cross.
 
A concise explanation of Buddhism or any other major world religion can be found in Huston Smith’s The Religions of the World, a classic introduction to the subject.
 
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