The Buddha did not teach Buddhism. He taught the Dharma, a Sanskrit word
that means “the truth,” “the way of things,” “the natural laws of mind and
body.” He taught the truths of suffering and its causes, the end of
suffering and its path. In eighty-four thousand discourses (a classical
number used to mean “a lot”) the Buddha expounded in both simple and subtle
ways the profound meaning of the Dharma. His teachings were always to
specific people and were geared to the temperaments and capacities of each
of his listeners.
-Joseph Goldstein, from One Dharma (HarperOne)