Buddhism from Wikipedia

Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: Buddha Dhamma, "the teachings of the awakened one") is a dharmic, non-theisticreligion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. Buddhism focuses on the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha (Pali: Gotama Buddha), hereinafter referred to as "the Buddha", who was born in Lumbini in what is now Nepal around the fifth century BCE<sup class="reference" id="_ref-0">[1]</sup>. Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following the Buddha's passing, and thence into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two millennia.

Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into three traditions:

• Theravada - practiced mainly in certain parts of South Asia (mostly Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia
• Mahayana - practiced predominantly in East Asia
• Vajrayana - which is often classified with Mahayana, is practiced in Tibet and Mongolia, and surrounding regions.

The earlier non-Theravada Hinayana schools of thought that stemmed from the Indian subcontinent largely died out a millennium ago.
Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide and is considered a major world religion. According to one source ([5]), "World estimates for Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, with most around 350 million." However, estimates are uncertain for several countries. According to one analysis, Buddhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and traditional Chinese religion.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-1">[2]</sup> The monks' order (Sangha), which began during the lifetime of the Buddha in India, is amongst the oldest organizations on earth.
In Buddhism, any person who has awakened from the "sleep of ignorance" by directly realizing the true nature of reality is called a buddha. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is thus only one among other buddhas before or after him. His teachings are oriented toward the attainment of this kind of awakening, also called with various nuances enlightenment, Bodhi, liberation, or Nirvana.

Part of the Buddha’s teachings regarding the holy life and the goal of liberation is constituted by the "The Four Noble Truths" about dukkha, a term that refers to suffering or the sorrow of life. The Four Noble Truths about suffering state what are its nature, its cause, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. This way to the cessation of suffering is called "The Noble Eightfold Path", which is one of the fundamentals of Buddhist virtuous or moral life.



<table class="toc" id="toc" summary="Contents"><tbody><tr><td>Contents

• 1 Doctrines
  • 1.1 The Four Noble Truths
  • 1.2 The Noble Eightfold Path
  • 1.3 Bodhi
  • 1.4 Karma
  • 1.5 Middle Way
  • 1.6 Refuge in the Three Jewels
  • 1.7 Śīla (Virtuous Behaviour)
  • 1.8 Samadhi/Bhāvana (Meditative Cultivation)
  • 1.9 Prajñā (Wisdom)
  • 1.10 Buddhism Symbols
• 2 Buddhism after the Buddha
  • 2.1 Early Buddhism
  • 2.2 Establishment of Theravāda Buddhism (Southern Tradition)
  • 2.3 Rise of Mahayana Buddhism (Northern Tradition)
  • 2.4 Emergence of the Vajrayāna
  • 2.5 Decline of Buddhism in India and Central Asia
• 3 Main Traditions
  • 3.1 Theravāda
  • 3.2 Mahāyāna
  • 3.3 Vajrayāna
  • 3.4 Intellectualism and Buddhist worldview
• 4 Buddhist texts
• 5 Present state of Buddhism
• 6 Buddhist Culture and Art
• 7 Comparative Study
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 Notes
• 11 Headline text

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

 

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