NagaBuddha?

Buddha protected by Naga, by กสิณธร ราชโอรส - Wikimedia Commons

I've been a Buddhist for forty years now. A Theravada Buddhist, actually.
What does this mean?

It means that I believe the Buddha, some twenty-five centuries ago, was enlightened by His own effort.

It means that I believe in the Four Noble Truths He discovered and proclaimed

1. That life is full of suffering (Dukkha)
2. That the cause of suffering is attachement (Samudaya)
3. That there is an end to suffering (Nirodha)
4. That there is a path to that end (Magga) - which has three concomitant aspects: morals (Sila), meditation (Samadhi) and wisdom (Panna)

It also means that I believe in the three characteristics of all composed things

1. That they are impermanent (Anicca)
2. That they are impregnated with suffering (Dukkha)
3. That they do not have an independent, permanent self (Anatta)

That's it.

From these nine nouns you can deduce all of the Buddhist scriptures - several hundred volumes of all traditions. Cool, isn't it?

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Now, about the Serpent - Naga.
Muccalinda was the king of serpents and he protected the Buddha from a storm, right after His enlightenment.

But the word 'naga' has other meanings, namely 'naked' as in 'Naga Babas', the wandering sadhus of India and Nepal - not Buddhist, mind you, but mostly Shaiva (devotees of Shiva) and Vaishnava (devotees of Vishnu).

Sadhu in Kolkhata, By Milei Vencel  - Wikimedia Commons

I have been recently in the largest Muslim country of the world, Indonesia, in an island whose people are mostly Hindu, Bali. I was certainly surprised to see Buddharupas (images of the Buddha) everywhere.

I asked my Balinese friend if there are many Buddhists in Bali. His answer?

 - Buddha, Hindu, same.