"What subject did the Buddha teach?"<O</O <O</O The best way to answer this is by quoting the Buddha himself “Know this, O Monks : Now, as formerly, I teach only of dukkha* and the elimination of dukkha.” <O</O Take good note of this answer, whether or not it agrees with what you had previously thought. We may answer this in many others ways, but this one saying of the Buddha sums up his teaching very succinctly.<O</O The Buddha taught only dukkha and the quenching of it. This renders irrelevant any questions without a direct bearing on the elimination of dukkha. Don’t consider such questions is, “Is there rebirth after death?”, or “How does rebirth take place?” These can be considered later.<O</O In short, the Buddha taught nothing other than dukkha and the elimination of it.<O</O <O</O Tip<O</O * Dukkha is most commonly translated as “suffering”, though it includes much more. Any feeling of pain, sickness, frustration, uneasiness, stress, anger, sorrow, or any form of discontent or dissatisfaction is dukkha. However, positive feelings are considered dukkha as well, since they are fleeting, subject to change and do not result in any sort of permanent satisfaction. Dukkha in its broadest sense is the general state of imperfection that it is to be in this world as a non-enlight<O</O ened individual. /* copied from "The Truth of Nature : FAQ" The Master Buddhadasa Bhikkhu */<O</O