"It is just as if a man, traveling along a wilderness track, were to
see an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by people of former
times. He would follow it. Following it, he would see an ancient city,
an ancient capital inhabited by people of former times, complete with
parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. He would go to address the
king or the king's minister, saying, 'Sire, you should know that while
traveling along a wilderness track I saw an ancient path... I followed
it... I saw an ancient city, an ancient capital... complete with
parks, groves, & ponds, walled, delightful. Sire, rebuild that city!'
The king or king's minister would rebuild the city, so that at a later
date the city would become powerful, rich, & well-populated, fully
grown & prosperous.
"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by
the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that
ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened
Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view,
right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That is the ancient
path, the ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of
former times. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct
knowledge of aging & death, direct knowledge of the origination of
aging & death, direct knowledge of the cessation of aging & death,
direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of aging &
death. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge
of birth... becoming... clinging... craving... feeling... contact...
the six sense media... name-&-form... consciousness, direct knowledge
of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation
of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the
cessation of consciousness. I followed that path.
"Following it, I came to direct knowledge of fabrications, direct
knowledge of the origination of fabrications, direct knowledge of the
cessation of fabrications, direct knowledge of the path leading to the
cessation of fabrications. Knowing that directly, I have revealed it
to monks, nuns, male lay followers & female lay followers, so that
this holy life has become powerful, rich, detailed, well-populated,
wide-spread, proclaimed among celestial & human beings."
So, all Buddhas essentially practice and preach the same religion.