I once heard this really influential Hindu teacher claim that the Buddha taught the “path of awareness” and of logic, scientific method, etc. And that the Buddha is only expanding on one of the 112 paths taught by Shiva, so the Buddha’s work is nowhere comparable to Shiva (To which we can agree how can you compare a god to the literal Buddha, the one who found the cure to suffering?) I’m wondering where such a blatant mischaracterisation of Buddhism actually began in history? Of course logic, awareness, etc. are super important but we see the Buddha criticise logic too, in favour of experience. And “awareness” is so bland and dry, what about the four divine abodes, Jhānas, the Buddha talking about joy and happiness, it’s all there everywhere basically in the Suttas. How did the world mischaracterise his teaching in this way?
This is a common rhetorical technique against other religions… probably we started it when the Buddha claimed that other religions only teach the path to heaven while we teach both that and the path beyond, so our teachings are superior. You also see that rhetoric deployed by Tibetan Buddhists to argue for the superiority of the Vajrayāna over the Theravāda, which they claim is just one of the paths they teach. 
That may or not be.
For me, I’m looking to end my suffering, so I’m happy to stick with a teacher who is a specialist in that 
Thinking to discredit the Tathāgata, he actually praises him; for it is praise of the Tathāgata to say of him: ‘When he teaches the Dhamma to anyone, it leads him when he practises it to the complete destruction of suffering.’
~ MN 12
Yup! It’s pretty clear in the Suttas that what the Buddha taught is the Only path out of suffering, that’s how the Buddha and his Great disciple presented it to be, it’s one of the “Lion’s Roars”. He never presented by isolating it to an “awareness” path.
And would you not want to be aware? Do you want a path that leads to unawareness? It’s very strange
Yes I see your point Bhante. I think my aversion to the description was that it was used to imply that what the Buddha taught was just a small part of what this greater being taught.
Oh, even more hilarious is when some Hindus claim (based on the Puranas?) that the Buddha was actually an avatar of Vishnu incarnated to deceive the unwise into abandoning the path of True Power 
found in the Vedas 
Don’t worry buddy. Your secret animal sacrifices are safe from me!
Yeah! That would imply that the first disciples of the Buddha were demons for goodness sake. It’s also a bit ironic to me because I remember a Sutta where Vishnu comes and recites a verse in the Buddha’s presence, same happens with shiva. It would be kinda funny if Hindus are worshipping gods who worship the Buddha!
Yeah, that’s indeed the rhetoric we deploy against them 
Is it true? You can get jhāna and ask Shiva and Vishnu yourself I guess 
This is incorrect according to Suttas, which teach that there are many paths, eg.: Mn75:
The eightfold path is the best of paths
For it leads safely to the Deathless.
MN 75 does mention that there are other paths, but the other paths will cheat you.
“Māgaṇḍiya, suppose a person was blind from birth. They couldn’t see sights that are dark or bright, or blue, yellow, red, or magenta. They couldn’t see even and uneven ground, or the stars, or the moon and sun. They might hear a sighted person saying: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d go in search of white cloth. But someone would cheat them with a dirty, soiled garment, saying: ‘Sir, here is a white cloth for you, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d take it and put it on, expressing their gladness: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’
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What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Did that person blind from birth do this knowing and seeing, or out of faith in the sighted person?”
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“They did so not knowing or seeing, but out of faith in the sighted person.”
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“In the same way, the wanderers of other religions are blind and sightless. Not knowing health and not seeing extinguishment, they still recite this verse: ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’ For this verse was recited by the perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas of the past:
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‘Health is the ultimate blessing;
extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.
Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold
it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.’
Not sure which statement in MN75 states the other parts will cheat you.
If it would cheat someone then that would not be the path. While there indeed can be many that seem like path but are not in fact, this doesn’t prove that there is just one path.
If you are unconvinced, MN44, states that the Eight-fold Path (MN75 states the ultimate one, safe one) is a subset of Three Practice Categories. Now, whether someone actually practiced and succeeded in a different path at that time is whole different question.
“But ma’am, is the noble eightfold path conditioned or unconditioned?”
“The noble eightfold path is conditioned.”
“Are the three spectrums of practice included in the noble eightfold path?
Or is the noble eightfold path included in the three practice categories?”“The three spectrums of practice are not included in the noble eightfold path.
Rather, the noble eightfold path is included in the three practice categories.Right speech, right action, and right livelihood: these things are included in the spectrum of ethics.
Right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion: these things are included in the spectrum of immersion.
Right view and right thought: these things are included in the spectrum of wisdom.”
I said the Only path out of suffering, that’s not a possible endgoal shared by other paths due to their wrong views. How is that incorrect?
It’s what the sutta is all about.
“Māgaṇḍiya, suppose a person was blind from birth. They couldn’t see sights that are dark or bright, or blue, yellow, red, or magenta. They couldn’t see even and uneven ground, or the stars, or the moon and sun. They might hear a sighted person saying: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d go in search of white cloth. But someone would cheat them with a dirty, soiled garment, saying: ‘Sir, here is a white cloth for you, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d take it and put it on, expressing their gladness: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’
Immediately, the Buddha reveals what the simile is about:
“In the same way, the wanderers of other religions are blind and sightless.
If you wrote the following, then I would fully agree:
MN 75 does mention that there are other paths, but the other paths can cheat you.
However, if someone can cheat you, that doesn’t prove that everyone will, right. Thus, by stating the following, you make a claim that every other path will cheat you. It’s a bold dramatic claim of non-existence of any other correct path. Maybe you can prove your point with another Sutta, but certainly not with this one.
MN 75 does mention that there are other paths, but the other paths will cheat you.
Yes, but is there a Sutta that states: this is the only path out of suffering, and there is none other. If not, you are making a claim.
AN4.241, Dhp 274 and also MN 11 states that only the Buddha fully understands all the grasping, and is the only teaching that’s emancipating and leading to peace.