Buddism isn't a religion per say. It's a way of life. Buddists don't neccessarily believe in a divine, merely the divine in ourselves. They try to do all that they can to become all that they physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually can. Strengths are that they live far longer because they do not polute their bodies with all that we do. They are humble and kind people. They are usually very well educated. Weaknesses include very few points. If you enjoy poluting your body and sleeping very little from working and playing too hard and do not really care for spirituality then it's not the way of life for you! In response to the comment below: If you follow Buddism then aren't you in fact a 'Buddist'! Fact of the matter is that they do not consume as many free radicals as we do in their diet so they are healthier and it is the Budist way to be healthy (so your body works as best it can), kind (because the Buddist view on life is Karma; what goes around comes around) and intelligent (because there is more to advancing yourself than just the physical and spiritual but to understand the world around us aswell). Before you say that you not need to be intelligent to uderstand the world (I can see that one coming) the definition of intelligence is: The ability to understand your knowledge.

The most pronounced weakness in Buddhism was recognized by the Buddha himself…the basic concepts are near impossible to teach. Buddhism great strength is its resilience. Time and again since the Buddha, powerful forces (political, religious, and social) have tried to wipe his teachings off the planet. They knew that where his dharma takes root, people become more compassionate. People start to feel at one with others. And when the barriers between Self and Others fall, the manipulation of the masses through greed and hate can’t work. But no matter how much it is suppressed, the Buddha’s dharma finds a way to come back. In each culture that the seeds of dharma fall a new strain is born. A strain that incorporates the local customs and myths to break through the illusions those very same customs and myths cast upon that society. It’s as if the dharma is a key that changes to match the lock on the door to contentment in each culture.

Some people say that Buddhism isn't a religion at all. I disagree with that, in that Buddhism is concerned with the relationship between the individual and the whole of life; and that's what the root of the word "religion" alludes to -- "binding together" the whole and the parts. As to strengths and weaknesses, the main strengths of Buddhism are its emphasis on awareness and its rejection of the need for belief in metaphysical/magical ideas or beings for salvation. The main weakness of Buddhism is that it can't really be packaged up in a neat little set of concepts which can be spoon-fed to the hungry masses. Its not like you can just decide to "believe in Buddha" and obtain some benefit from that. Buddhism is primarily about practice, not belief, and that means that understanding only comes with sustained personal effort.