Description

Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent thatencompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largelybased on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who iscommonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one". TheBuddha lived and taught in the eastern part of the Indiansubcontinent sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.[1] Heis recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacherwho shared his insights to help sentient beings end their suffering(dukkha) through the elimination of ignorance (avidyā) by way ofunderstanding and the seeing of dependent origination(pratītyasamutpāda) and the elimination of craving (taṇhā), andthus the attainment of the cessation of all suffering, known as thesublime state of nirvāņa.[2] Two major branches of Buddhism aregenerally recognized: Theravada ("The School of the Elders") andMahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Theravada has a widespreadfollowing in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos,Thailand, Myanmar etc.). Mahayana is found throughout East Asia(China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan etc.) and includesthe traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, TibetanBuddhism, Shingon, and Tiantai (Tendai). In some classifications,Vajrayana—practiced mainly in Tibet and Mongolia, and adjacentparts of China and Russia—is recognized as a third branch, whileothers classify it as a part of Mahayana. While Buddhism remainsmost popular within Asia, both branches are now found throughoutthe world. Estimates of Buddhists worldwide vary significantlydepending on the way Buddhist adherence is defined. Conservativeestimates are between 350 and 750 million.[3][4][5] Higherestimates are between 1.2 and 1.7 billion.[6][7][8] It is alsorecognized as one of the fastest growing religions in theworld.[9][10][11][12] Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature ofthe path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of variousteachings and scriptures, and especially their respectivepractices.[13] The foundations of Buddhist tradition and practiceare the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings), andthe Sangha (the community). Taking "refuge in the triple gem" hastraditionally been a declaration and commitment to being on theBuddhist path, and in general distinguishes a Buddhist from anon-Buddhist.[14] Other practices may include following ethicalprecepts; support of the monastic community; renouncingconventional living and becoming a monastic; the development ofmindfulness and practice of meditation; cultivation of higherwisdom and discernment; study of scriptures; devotional practices;ceremonies; and in the Mahayana tradition, invocation of buddhasand bodhisattvas.