One of the major ideas expressed in Buddhism is that of the Three Gems. These Gems consist of: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Three Gems are clearly expressed in three of Ninian Smart’s dimensions of religion and are also interlocking. The first Gem, The Buddha, fulfills Ninian’s described mythological dimension. The next Gem, the Dharma, expresses the doctrinal dimension. Finally, the third Gem, the Sangha, deals with the social dimension. The first Gem, the Buddha, can clearly be categorized under the mythological dimension of religion. This Gem consists of stories of the life cycles of Shakyamuni, who is the Buddha of the current era. Most of the stories however focus on the life cycle of Siddartha, in which the bodhisattva(one who has dedicated himself to achieving Buddhahood) actually achieves enlightenment and becomes Buddha Shakyamuni(Oxtoby/Segal p377). The stories explain how, “Siddhartha travels the path from a vow to seek enlightenment, to its attainment, to the teaching of others how to follow that path”(Buddhism Lecture One, Week Four). These stories and legends are considered mythological as they are not scripture for Buddhists, and they are not a direct biography of Buddha Shakyamuni’s life, yet they serve the purpose to outline a path for other Buddhists to follow to reach enlightenment (Introduction Lecture, Week One). According to Ninian Smart, “… we shall include stories relating to significant historical events under the head of the mythological dimension- again without prejudice to whether the stories accurately describe what actually occurred in history”(Ninian Smart, p8). Following this definition, the stories related to the first Gem fit perfectly within the mythological dimension. These stories hold significant meaning for Buddhists, and while they may not be 100% historically accurate, they serve as a sample path on how to