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Buddhism
- Buddhist - Buddha
Bud·dhism (b  d z  m,
b dz-)
n.
- The teaching of Buddha that life is permeated
with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases,
and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct, wisdom, and
meditation releases one from desire, suffering, and rebirth.
- The religion represented by the many groups,
especially numerous in Asia, that profess varying forms of this doctrine and
that venerate Buddha.
buddhism
\Bud"dhism\, n. The religion based
upon the doctrine originally taught by the Hindoo sage Gautama Siddartha,
surnamed Buddha, ``the awakened or enlightened,'' in the sixth century b. c.,
and adopted as a religion by the greater part of the inhabitants of Central and
Eastern Asia and the Indian Islands. Buddha's teaching is believed to have been
atheistic; yet it was characterized by elevated humanity and morality. It
presents release from existence (a beatific enfranchisement, Nirv[^a]na) as the
greatest good. Buddhists believe in transmigration of souls through all phases
and forms of life. Their number was estimated in 1881 at 470,000,000.
Golden
Rule
*Hurt
not others with that which pains yourself.* ~Udana-Varga
Overview:
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in
numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It was founded in Northern
India by the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In 535 BCE,
he attained enlightenment and assumed the title Lord Buddha (one who has
awakened)
As Buddhism expanded across Asia, it evolved into two main forms, which
evolved largely independently from each other:
- Theravada Buddhism (sometimes called Southern Buddhism;
occasionally spelled Therevada) "has been the dominant school of
Buddhism in most of Southeast Asia since the thirteenth century, with the
establishment of the monarchies in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos."
- Mahayana Buddhism (sometimes called Northern Buddhism) is largely
found in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia.
To which might be added:
- Tibetan Buddhism, which developed in isolation from Theravada and
Mahayana Buddhism because of the isolation of Tibet.
Since the late 19th century:
- Modern Buddhism has emerged as a truly international movement. It
started as an attempt to produce a single form of Buddhism, without local
accretions, that all Buddhists could embrace.
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