In his first sermon the Dharmachakrapravrtana (Turning of the Wheel of Law) at Sarnath the Buddha put forth, The Middle Way, The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path.

The message of the Buddha spread rapidly, penetrating caste and class barriers. The Buddha preached that the way to salvation was not dependent on God of Divine Grace but on understanding the way things really are. It is essentially concerned with all living, suffering beings caught in the treadmill of desire and craving.