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Buddhism

*** Shopping-Tip: Buddhism
see Buddhism see Buddhism {| class="infobox" style="font-size: 95%" |- ! style="background: #feb; padding: .2em 0" | Image:Dharma wheel 1.png 30px|Dharma wheel
Buddhism |- | Cultural elements of Buddhism Culture |- | History of Buddhism History |- | List of Buddhist topics List of topics |- | List of Buddhists People |- | Buddhism by region By region |- | Buddhism by country By country |- | Schools of Buddhism Schools |- | List of Buddhist temples Temples |- | Buddhist terms and concepts Concepts |- | Buddhist texts Texts |- | Timeline of Buddhism Timeline |- | style="background: #feb; padding: .2em 0" | Portal:Buddhism Portal |- |} Category:Infobox templates Buddhism ru:Ð¨Ð°Ð±Ð»Ð¾Ð½:Ð‘ÑƒÐ´Ð´Ð¸Ð·Ð¼ {{portal}} {{sisterlinkswp|Category:Buddhism}} Buddhism is a religion that originated in India and is currently practiced around the world. {| align="left" cellpadding="2" style="margin-top; border: 2px solid #af4630; background: #ffffe8; padding: 2px; font-size: 95%; margin: 5 15px 0 15px;" |Image:Dharma_wheel_1.png 30px|center|Dharma wheel | ! colspan="5" style="background: #ffeec2; text-align: center; font-size: 1.3em"|'''Buddhism''' | |Image:Dharma_wheel_1.png 30px|center|Dharma wheel |- |align=center|Buddhist terms and concepts Terms and concepts | |align=center|History of Buddhism History | |align=center|List of Buddhists People | |align=center|Schools of Buddhism Schools and sects | |align=center|By Buddhism by region region and Buddhism by country country |- |align=center|List of Buddhist topics List of topics | |align=center|Timeline of Buddhism Timeline | |align=center|List of Buddhist temples Temples | |align=center|Buddhist texts Texts | |align=center|Cultural elements of Buddhism Culture |- |}
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Category:Portal:Religion Buddhism Category:Buddhism * de:Portal:Buddhismus es:Portal:Budismo ja: :ã‚¦ã‚£ã‚ãƒ?ãƒ¼ã‚¿ãƒ« ä»?æ•™ sv:Portal:Buddhism vi: :Trang chÃnh Pháºt giÃ¡o zh: :ä¸»é¢˜/ä½›æ•™ '''Buddhism''' (PÄ?li '''Buddhadhamma''' or Sanskrit '''Buddhadharma''') is a religion and philosophy based on the Buddhadharma#In Buddhism teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in the 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient India Indian sub-continent in the Timeline of Buddhism#Before Common Era five centuries following his death, and propagated into Central Asia Central, Southeast Asia Southeast, and East Asia, as well as Eastern Europe over the next Timeline of Buddhism#Common Era two millennia. Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into two traditions, Theravada and Mahayana. Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide, and is considered a major world religions major world religion, with around 376 million followers. Image:Buddha-Sarnath-sepia.jpg thumb|200px|right|A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in [[Sarnath, near Varanasi.]]{{portal}}{{buddhism}}

Introduction
Buddhism is a major spiritual movement, with an estimated Major world religions 376 million followers worldwide. Accurate demographic data is difficult to acquire, however, because many Buddhists live in nations with governments opposed to Buddhism, and because of the growing number of Western Buddhism Buddhists in the West. There is controversy among scholars of religion concerning whether Buddhism constitutes a religion or a Philosophy Philosophical movement; these discussions closely follow the problem of ''"what is religion?"'' (see religious studies). Especially in the Western_world West, many people who are devoutly Buddhist also consider themselves to be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. In general, the aim of Buddhist practice is to end all kind of suffering in life. To achieve this state, adherents seek to purify and train the mind by following the Noble Eightfold Path, eventually to gain knowledge of "true reality" and thus attain liberation (Nirvana). Buddhist morality is underpinned by the principles of harmlessness (''ahimsa'') and moderation. Mental training focuses on moral discipline (''sila''), meditative concentration (''samadhi''), and wisdom (''prajna prajÃ±Ä?''). The Buddha is considered to be a person who discovered the true nature of reality through years of study, investigation of the various religious practices of his time, and meditation. This discovery is called enlightenment. According to the Buddha, any person can follow his example and become enlightened through the study of his words, and by leading a virtuous, moral life. While Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings (e.g., the ''Deva (deity) devas''; indeed, many are discussed in Buddhist scripture), it does not ascribe power for creation, salvation or judgment to them. Like humans, they are regarded as having the power to affect worldly events, and so some Buddhist schools associate with them via ritual. All supernatural beings, as living entities, are a part of the six-part reincarnation cycle. Buddhism is categorized under the '''shramana Shraman Tradition''' (''{{Unicode|Shramaá¹‡a ParamparÄ?}}'') of Indian philosophy, rather than the '''Vedic Tradition''' (''{{Unicode|Vaidika ParamparÄ?}}'') that is followed by Orthodox Hinduism. Buddhism is called an ''{{Unicode|Ä€rya}} Dharma'' (Aryan religion), meaning, a noble religious way of life.

Siddharta Gautama
Image:Sanchi2.jpg thumb|right|250px|The Great [[Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, India.]] {{main|Gautama Buddha}} According to the tradition, Siddhartha Gautama SiddhÄ?rtha Gautama (Sanskrit सिद्धार्थ गौतम, pronounced as "sÎ¹d-dhÎ±:rthÉ™ gautÉ™mÉ™"; in PÄ?li, ''Siddhattha Gautama'') was born in Lumbini that was a part of ancient Indian Sakya Kingdom and is now situated fully in modern Nepal around 6BC. His father was Suddhodana, a King among the Kshatriya caste. Most traditions believe that the Buddha's mother passed away at his birth or a few days later. The legend says that a seer predicted shortly after his birth that SiddhÄ?rtha would become either a great king or a great holy man; because of this, the king tried to make sure that Siddhartha never had any cause for dissatisfaction with his life, as that might drive him toward a spiritual path. Nevertheless, at the age of 29, he came across what has become known as the Four Passing Sights: an old crippled man, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and finally a wandering holy man. These ''four sights'' led him to the realization that birth, old age, sickness and death come to everyone. He decided to abandon his worldly life, leaving behind his privilege, rank, caste, and his wife and child, to take up the life of a wandering holy man in search of the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He pursued the paths of yogi and meditation meditated with two Brahmin hermits, and, although he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness, he was still not satisfied with his path. Gautama then began his training in the ascetic life and practicing vigorous techniques of physical and mental austerity. Gautama proved quite adept at these practices, and was again able to surpass his teachers. However, he found no answer to his questions. Leaving behind his caring teachers, he and a small group of close companions set out to take their austerities even further. After six years of ascetism, and nearly starving himself to death with no success, SiddhÄ?rtha began to reconsider his path. Then he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's plowing, and he had fallen into a naturally concentrated and focused state in which time seemed to stand still, and which was blissful and refreshing. After discarding asceticism and concentrating on meditation, Gautama discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way—a path of moderation away from the extremes of hedonism self-indulgence and asceticism self-mortification. He accepted a little buttermilk from a passing goatherder. Then, sitting under a pipal tree, now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Bodhi Enlightenment, and became a Buddha. Image:TrilogyDetail.JPG thumb|251px|The [[Buddha venerated by Indra and Brahma, Kanishka casket, dated to 127 127 CE, British Museum.]] For the remaining 45 years of his life till his Parinibbana, Gautama Buddha traveled in the Gangetic Plain of Northeastern India, teaching his doctrine and discipline to all â€” from nobles to street outcaste sweepers, including many adherents of different teaching. The Buddha founded Sangha, community of monks and nuns, which continue to dispense his teaching after his death.

Doctrines
Numerous distinct groups have developed since the passing of Gautama Buddah, with diverse teaching that vary widely in practice, philosophical emphasis, culture and place. However, there are certain doctrines which are common to all schools of Buddhism.

Dependent Origination
{{main|Pratitya-samutpada}} The enlightenment (Bodhi) of the Buddha Gautama was simultaneously his moksha liberation from suffering and his insight into Reality in Buddhism the nature of reality. What the Buddha awakened ''to'' (Bodhi means â€˜to awakenâ€™) was the truth of dependent origination (Sanskrit: pratÄ«tya-samutpÄ?da, Pali: paticca samuppada Tibetan: rten cing 'brel bar 'byung ba). Any phenomenon â€˜existsâ€™ only because of the â€˜existenceâ€™ of other phenomena in an complex web of cause and effect. For sentient beings, this amounts to a never-ending cycle of rebirth (samsara) according to the law of karma and vipaka. Because all things are thus conditioned and transient (anicca), they have no real, independent identity (anatta) and so do not truly â€˜existâ€™, though to ordinary, deluded minds this appears to be the case. All phenomena are thus fundamentally insubstantial and â€˜emptyâ€™ (sunyata sunya). Wise human beings, who â€˜see things as they areâ€™ (yatha-bhuta-Ã±ana-dassana), renounce attachment and clinging which cause suffering (dukkha), transform the energy of desire into awareness and understanding, and eventually attain nibbana.

The Four Noble Truths
{{main|The Four Noble Truths}} The Buddha taught that life was dissatisfactory because of craving, but that this condition was curable by following the Noble Eightfold Path (Pali: ''Ariya Atthangika Magga'', Sanskrit: ''Arya Ashtanga Marg''). This teaching is called the Four Noble Truths (Pali: ''Cattari Ariya Saccani'', Sanskrit: ''Chatur Arya Satya''). # ''Dukkha'': All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering. # ''Samudaya'': There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance (avidya). # ''Nirodha'': There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana. # ''Magga'': There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths was the topic of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment. He gave the sermon to the ascetics with whom he had practiced austerities.

The Noble Eightfold Path
{{main|Noble Eightfold Path}} Image:Konchog-wangdu.jpeg frame|Buddhist monk Geshe Konchog Wangdu reads Mahayana sutras from an old woodblock copy of the Tibetan Kanjur. The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. In order to fully understand the noble truths and investigate whether they were in fact true, Buddha recommended that a certain path be followed which consists of: #''Right View'' (samyag-dRSTi, sammaa-diTTi) #''Right Intentions'' (samyak-saMkalpa, sammaa-saGkalpa) #''Right Speech'' (samyag-vaac, sammaa-vaacaa) #''Right Conduct'' (samyak-kalmaanta, sammaa-kammanta) #''Right Livelihood'' (samyag-aajiiva, sammaa-aajiiva) #''Right Effort'' (samyag-vyaayaama, sammaa-vaayaama) #''Right Mindfulness'' (samyak-smrTi, sammaa-sati) #''Right Concentration'' (samyak-samaadhi, sammaa-samaadhi) There are numbers of way to interpret the Eightfold path. In one instance, the Noble Eightfold Path is spoken of as being a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another while other see it as the states of the 'Path' as requiring simultaneous development. It is also common to categorise into Prajna Prajna/Panna (Wisdom), Sila (Virtuous Behaviour) and Samadhi (Concentration), some systemising it further as shown below: {| | | |Right Intention |- | |Right Livelihood | Right Speech |- |Right View | | Right Conduct |- | |Right Concentration | Right Effort |- | | | Right Mindfullness |}

Refuge in The Three Jewels
Image:Buddha-Footprint.JPG thumb|170px|Footprint of the [[Buddha with the triratana, the symbolic depiction of the Three Jewels, and the Dharma wheel, 1st century CE, Gandhara.]] ''Main article Refuge (Buddhism) and Three Jewels Triple Gems'' The right view means acknowledgement of Four Noble Truths. In practice this amount to taking Refuge (Buddhism) refuge in the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism as the foundation of their religious practice. The three jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma#In Buddhism Dharma, and the Sanghas {{ref|Sangha_TripleJewel}} Gautama Buddha presented himself as an ideal example and entreated his followers to have Faith in Buddhism faith in his example as one who was human and escaped the pain of existence. Buddhists believe that there is no otherworldly salvation from one's Karma#Buddhism karma. The suffering caused by the karmic effects of previous thoughts, words and deeds can be avoided by following the ''Noble Eightfold Path''. The Dharma#In Buddhism Dharma, that is teaching of Buddah, offers a refuge by providing guidelines for the alleviation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment. The Sangha, the group of monks or nuns possessing at least some degree of enlightenment, provides a refuge by preserving the authentic teachings of the Buddha and providing further example that the truth of the Buddha's teachings is attainable.

Sila
''Main article Pancasila and Vinaya'' Image:Sri_lanka_aukana_buddha_statue.jpg thumb|right|250px|The Buddha statue [[Aukana, in Sri Lanka ]] In Sanskrit, '''''sila śīla''''' is usually rendered into English as "behavioral discipline," or code of ethics. It is one of the "Noble Eightfold Path three practices", the second paramita pāramitā: moral purity, of thought, word, and deed. The four conditions of ''śīla'' are chaste, calm, quiet, extinguishment, i.e. no longer being susceptible to perturbation by the passions. The sila are codified in scriptures as vinaya, which set the code of conduct of monks and nuns. However, the actual content of vinaya differs slightly according to different scriptures, and different schools set different requirements for the degree of adherence to vinaya. Lay Buddhists generally undertake (at least one of) five precepts. The Five Precepts are not given in the form of commands such as "thou shalt not ...", but rather are promises to oneself: "I will (try) ..." # To refrain from harming living creatures (ahimsa). # To refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing). # To refrain from sexual misconduct. # To refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat). # To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness. In some schools of Buddhism, serious lay people or aspiring monks take an additional three to five ethical precepts, and some of the five precepts are strengthened. For example, the precept pertaining to sexual misconduct becomes a precept of celibacy. Fully ordained monks and nuns of the Theravada school also observe 227 and 311 patimokkha training rules respectively. For monks and nuns, the breaking of a code requires confession to Sangha, while the breaking of a pancasila results in expulsion from Sangha for one's present lifetime.

Meditation
''Main article Buddhist meditation'' Practice of meditation or dhyana dhyÄ?na is essential to the cultivation of mindfulness and mental concentration, which is needed to achieve insight. Almost all Buddhist schools acknowledge that Buddah taught two types of meditation, that is samatha (or samadhi) and vipassana meditation. Samatha (tranquility or concentration) meditation starts from being mindful to an object or idea, which is expanded to one's body, mind and entire surroundings, leading to state of total concentration and tranquility. This state of mind is considered a prerequisite to the attainment of insight (vipassana). This dichotomy is also sometimes discussed as "stopping and seeing." In Buddhist practice, it is said that while Samatha meditation can calm the mind, only Insight meditation can reveal how the mind was disturbed to start with, which leads to prajna (knowledge) and jnana (pure wisdom) and thus can lead to nirvana. There are wide variations in the style of meditation, from sitting cross-legged or kneeling, to chanting or walking. The most common method of meditation is to concentrate on one's breathing, because meditating on the rising and falling of one's breath can lead to both samatha and vipassana.

Buddhist texts
Image:Young_monks_of_Drepung.jpg thumb|right|274px|Young Tibetan Buddhist monks of Drepung {{main|Buddhist texts}} There are a great variety of texts in Buddhism. Different schools of buddhism place varying value on them. Some school venerate certain texts, while other treat it as a scholastic source of reference, dismissing some texts as apocryphal. The Buddhist canon of scripture is known in Sanskrit as the ''Tripitaka'' and in PÄ?li as the ''Tipitaka''. These terms literally mean "three baskets" and refers to the three main divisions of the canon, which are: *The ''Vinaya Pitaka'', containing disciplinary rules for the Sangha of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as a range of other texts which explain why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification. *The ''Sutra Pitaka Sutta Pitaka'' (Pāli; Sanskrit: Sutra Pitaka), literally or metaphorically, the actual discourse by the Gautama Buddha Buddha. *The ''Abhidhamma'' (Skt: Abhidharma) or commentary ''Pitaka'', containing a philosophical systematization of the Buddha's teaching, including a detailed analysis of Buddhist psychology. Soon after the death of the Buddah, the first Buddhist council was held presided by a monk named Mahakasyapa. The objective of the council was to record the Buddha's sayings (sutra) and codify monastic rules (vinaya). Ananda, Buddah's personal attendant, was called upon to recite the discourses of the Buddha, and Upali, another disciple, recited the rules of the vinaya. These became the basis of the Pali Tipitaka, which has been the orthodox text of reference throughout the history of Buddhism. Both the sutras and the vinaya of every Buddhist school contain a wide variety of documents including discourses on the Dharma, commentaries on other teachings, cosmological and cosmogonical texts, stories of the Buddha's previous lives, and various lists. The Theravada and other Nikaya schools believe, more or less literally, that these texts contain the actual words of the Buddha. The Theravada canon, also known as the Pali Canon after the language it was written in, contains some four million words. Later texts, such as the Mahayana Sutras, are also considered to be the word of the Buddha, but were transmitted either in secret, via lineages of mythical beings (such as the naga (mythology) nagas), or came directly from other Buddhas or bodhisattvas. Some 600 Mahayana Sutras have survived in Sanskrit, or in Chinese language Chinese and/or Tibetan language Tibetan translation.

Buddhism after the Buddah
{{sect-stub}} {{main|History of Buddhism}}

First Buddhist Council (5th c. BCE)

Second Buddhist council (Nikaya Buddhism) (383BCE)

Third Buddhist council (c.250 BCE)

Rise of Mahayana - (1st century BCE-)

Emergence of the Vajrayana (5th century-)

Theravada Renaissance (11th century CE-)
Buddhism spread slowly in India until the powerful Mauryan emperor Ashoka converted to it and actively supported it. His promotion led to the construction of Buddhist religious sites and to missionary efforts that spread the faith into the countries listed at the beginning of the article. Image:Gandhara Buddha (tnm).jpeg thumb|180px|One of the first representations of the [[Buddha, 1st-2nd century CE, Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.]] From the 1st century BCE Buddhism started to emerge, receiving influences "from popular Hindu devotional cults (bhakti), Persians Persian and Greco-Roman theologies which filtered into India from the northwest" (Lowenstein, 1996). Some of these influences appear on the artistic plane with the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. Mahayana then expanded into Central Asia and to Eastern Asia. After about 500 500 CE, Buddhism showed signs of waning in India, becoming decline of Buddhism in India nearly extinct after about 1200 1200 CE. This was in part due to Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita and to the rise of the bhakti movement. Over time, the local Buddhist populations gradually assimilated into Islam, hence the concentration of South Asian Islam in the far west and east of the Subcontinent. Elements of Buddhism have remained within India to the current day: the Bauls of Bengal have a syncretic set of practices with strong emphasis on many Buddhist concepts. Other areas of India have never parted from Buddhism, including Ladakh and regions bordering the Tibetan, Nepali and Bhutanese borders. Buddhism also remained in the rest of the world, although in Central Asia and later Indonesia it was largely replaced by Islam. In China, Korea and Japan, it adopted aspects of the native beliefs of Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto, respectively. In Tibet, the Tantra Tantric Vajrayana lineage was preserved after it disappeared in India. In his lifetime, Gautam Buddha had not answered several philosophical questions. On issues like whether the world is eternal or non-eternal, finite or infinite, unity or separation of the body and the soul, complete inexistence of a person after nirvana and then death, nature of the Supreme Truth, etc, the Buddha had remained silent. Hence the Buddhist missionaries often faced philosophical questions from other religions whose answers they themselves did not know. So later Buddhists made various interpretations of Buddha's teachings and formed four major schools of thought. *'''ShÅ«nyavÄ?da''' of the ''Madhyamaka MÄ?dhyamikas'': this was a Mahayana school, popularized by Nagarjuna and '''Ashvaghosha'''. According to the MÄ?dhyamikas, there is a supreme indescribable substanceâ€”ShÅ«nyatÄ? (lit., voidness)â€”which is neither true nor false. Everything in this world arises from this voidness. Hence the world is false as compared to the ShÅ«nyatÄ?. This concept somewhat resembles the Brahman of Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Adi Sankara. (However, Shankara had condemned ShÅ«nyavÄ?da to be "contradictory to all valid means of knowledge".) *'''VijÃ±Ä?navÄ?da''' of the ''Yogacara YogÄ?chÄ?ras'': this was another Mahayana school, propounded by Asanga and Vasubandhu. According to them, only the consciousness (VijÃ±Ä?na) is true, and all objects of this world external to the mind are false. They believed in an absolute, permanent consciousness (similar to a soul) called '''Ä€laya VijÃ±Ä?na'''. This branch became famous in China, Tibet, Japan and Mongolia. *'''BÄ?hyÄ?numeyavÄ?da''' of the ''Svatantrika SautrÄ?ntrikas'': this was a Nikaya school which believed in the existence of both consciousness and material objectsâ€”but believed that the external objects can only be perceived indirectly through inference by our mind (Indirect Realism). *'''BÄ?hya-PratyakshavÄ?da''' of the ''VaibhÄ?shikas'': this was another Nikaya schoolâ€”based on an ancient Buddhist conference in Kashmir, which also believed in the existence of both consciousness and material objects (as composed of atoms). They believed that external objects are known through direct perception (Direct Realism).

Nature of Buddha and Nirvana
Image:Buddha_image_-_white_stone.jpg thumb|left|A stone image of the Buddha. {{main|Buddha-nature}} The term "Buddha" is derived from the verbal root "budh", meaning "to awake up" or "to comprehend" and "a" one, literally meaning "the one who is awake"[http://www.plumvillage.org/teachings/DharmaTalkTranscripts/summer98/1998%20July%2023%20%20The%20Practice%20of%20Mindfulness.htm]. It is written in Devanagari script as {{lang-hi.html">dental consonant dentals, and "dh" is an Aspiration (phonetics) aspirated stop. The word "Buddha" denotes not just the historical Buddha Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama who lived some 2,500 years ago, but also a type of person, of which there have been many throughout the course of time. (As an analogy, the term "president" refers not just to one person, but to everyone who has ever held the office of presidency.) The historical Buddha is one member of the spiritual lineage of Buddhas, which is thought to extend beyond history into the past and into the indefinite future. Shakyamuni Buddha did not generally claim any divine status for himself - although in some Mahayana sutras, he does declare that he is the "god above the gods - superior to all the gods" (''Lalitavistara Sutra''); he also did not say that he was inspired by a god or gods. He is instead Dharma (Ultimate Truth - variously construed by Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism) made manifest. A Buddha is anyone who has fully awakened to the true nature of existence, liberated himself from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, has eradicated all negative qualities and developed all positive qualities, possibly including omniscience. (Buddhas do not claim to be Omnipotence omnipotent, unlike the God of Christianity, Islam or Judaism.) All sentient beings can free themselves from suffering as Gautama did, regardless of ageing age, Biological sex, or caste. The Mahayana and Theravada schools of thought differ on whether this includes animals as well; Mayahana Buddhism holds that, despite the incredible difficulties involved, animals can theoretically achieve bodhi enlightenment. In both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, however, the Buddha is viewed as one who, in past lives, had in fact been born as an animal at various times during his progress through Samsara. But only as a human being was he able to achieve full Awakening (bodhi). The doctrines of the Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras contain a set of "ultimate" (''nitartha'') teachings — rejected, by the Theravadins — on the immanence of a hidden, deep-seated reality within all sentient beings which is linked to the eternality of the Buddha and Nirvana. This immanent yet transcendent essence is variously called, in the key tathagatagarbha sutras which expound it, the ''Buddha-dhatu'' ("Buddha-element", Buddha-nature) or the Tathagatagarbha. This ''Buddha-dhatu'' is empty of all that is contingent, changeful, painful and impermanent. In the Nirvana Sutra, it is called by the Buddha the "True Self" (to distinguish it from the "false" worldly self made up of the five skandhas). It is no less than the unfabricated, uncreated, uncompounded, immaculate, immortal, all-knowing, radiantly shining Principle of blissful Buddhahood - the very Dharmakaya,/ Dhammakayaæ³•èº«. This ''Tathagatagarbha'' / ''Buddha-dhatu'', inherent in all beings, can never be destroyed or harmed, and yet is concealed from view by a mass of obscuring mental and moral taints within the mind-stream of the individual being. Once the ''Buddha-dhatu'' is finally seen and known by the faithful Buddhist practitioner, it has the power to transform that seer and knower into a Buddha. The doctrine of the ''Tathagatagarbha'' / ''Buddha-dhatu'' is stated by the Buddha of the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra to be the "absolutely final culmination" of his Mahayana Dharma. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha (transcending his mere physical form) is viewed as a boundless, beginningless and endless being, present in all times and all places, yet beyond the reach of logic or mundane conceptualisation. He is regarded as the very embodiment of ungraspable, eternal yet realisable Dharma - ultimate Truth or "Enlightenment" (bodhi). In essence, all perfect Buddhas are seen by Mahayana Buddhism as One in nature - all are soteriology salvational channels or vessels of Dharma. The principles by which a person can achieve bodhi enlightenment are known as the Buddhadharma#In Buddhism Buddhadharma, or simplyâ€”the Dharma#In Buddhism Dharma, meaning (in this context) "law, doctrine, or truth".

Major sects
Image:Dazu.jpg thumb|right|250px|Stone [[Dazu Stone Carvings|carvings at Dazu near Chongqing, China.]] Buddhism is usually divided into two main branches: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. The followers of Theravada Buddhism take the scriptures known as the Pali Canon as normative and authoritative; the followers of Mahayana Buddhism base themselves chiefly on the "Mahayana sutras" (sutra/sutta is generally a scripture in which the Buddha himself gives instruction), as well as on various versions of the vinaya. Whereas the Theravadins (followers of Theravada Buddhism) adhere solely to the Pali suttas and their commentaries, the adherents of Mahayana accept both the suttas and the Mahayana sutras as authentic and valid teachings of the Buddha, aimed at different types of person and different levels of spiritual penetration. For the Theravadins, the Mahayana sutras are deviant works of poetic fiction, not issuing from the Buddha himself; for the Mahayanists, the Pali suttas (or "agamas", as such scriptures are also known) do indeed contain basic, foundational (or provisional) and therefore very precious teachings of the Buddha, while for those same Mahayanists the Mahayana sutras articulate the Buddha's higher, advanced and deeper doctrines, reserved for those who follow the Bodhisattva-Path, which includes the desire and the effort to achieve not only personal liberation, but to attain buddhahood in order to benefit all living beings. Hence the name '''Mahayana''', lit, ''the Greater Vehicle'', which has room for both the general masses of sentient beings and those more developed. Mahayanists often refer to Theravada as belonging to the '''Hinayana''', literally ''the Lesser Vehicle''. This term is now widely seen as either inaccurate or derogatory, although it does actually appear in the famous Mahayana scripture, the Lotus Sutra (amongst others). Most adherents of Mahayana use the term Hinayana in a respectful way referring to several historical Hinayana schools that may or may not include the currently existing Theravada. Nevertheless, because of the negative connotation, some now prefer to use the term Shravakayana ÅšravakayÄ?na (Skt. Vehicle of Hearers) instead. An alternative categorisation of Buddhism follows the major languages of the Buddhist canon, which exists in PÄ?li Pali, Tibetan, and China Chinese collections. (Some texts exist in original Sanskrit.) This would serve to divide East Asian Mahayana Buddhism from the Vajrayana form of Mahayana found in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Korea, Japan (Tendai), Northern India (Sikkim & Ladakh/Leh), and Mongolia. In many works Chan (ç¦ª or Seon or Zen) is set out as a distinct school; this is due to the fact that Chan is a heavily Sinicization sinified form of Mahayana Buddhism, having developed and evolved for many centuries within Buddhism in China China then traveling to Korea before being passed on to Japan. Still some others consider Zen (the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character character ç¦ª) to be a unique product of Japan and its island culture: fusion of Bushi ideas, Daoist philosophy, and Mahayana Buddhism. Although Buddhists concur that taking refuge should be undertaken with proper motivation (complete liberation) and an understanding of the objects of refuge, the Indian scholar Atisha identified that in practice there are many different motives found for taking refuge. His idea was to use these different motivations as a key to resolving any apparent conflicts between all the Buddha's teachings without depending upon some form of syncretism that would cause as much confusion as it attempted to alleviate. The various motives for taking refuge are enumerated as follows, typically introduced using the concept of the "scope" (level of motivation) of a practitioner: * Worldly scope: to improve the lot of this life - this is ''not'' a Buddhist motivation. * Low scope: to gain high rebirth and avoid the low realms. * Middle scope: to achieve Nirvana (liberation from rebirth). * High scope: to achieve Buddhahood in order to liberate others from suffering, the basis of the Mahayana path. * Highest scope is also sometimes included: to achieve Buddhahood as soon as possible - in this life - which is the scope of the highest teachings on the Vajrayana (tantric) path.

Theravada
*The '''Theravada''' school, whose name means "Doctrine of the Elders", bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the Pali Canon, which is a collection of what are known as ''agama (text) agamas'' or ''nikaya'' sutras. The nikaya sutras are generally considered by modern scholars to be the oldest of the surviving types of Buddhist literature, and they are accepted as authentic in every branch of Buddhism. Theravada is the only surviving representative of the historical Nikaya Buddhism Nikaya branch. Nikaya Buddhism and consequently Theravada are sometimes referred to by the Mahayana as Hinayana or "small vehicle", although this is considered by some to be impolite. Native Theravada is practiced today in Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and portions of China, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The aim of Nikaya Buddhism is to achieve liberation from rebirth and thus Nirvana.

Mahayana
*The '''Mahayana Mahāyāna''' (literally "Great Vehicle") branch emphasizes universal compassion, or bodhicitta, and the selfless ideal of the bodhisattva, whose goal is to achieve Buddhahood in order to be of greatest benefit to other sentient beings. In addition to the Nikaya scriptures, Mahāyāna schools recognize all or part of a genre of scriptures that were first put in writing around 1 CE. These scriptures were written in some form of Sanskrit, except a few manuscripts in Prakrit, and are concerned with the purpose of achieving Buddhahood by following the path of the bodhisattva over the course of what is often described as kalpa countless eons of time. Because of this immense timeframe, some Mahāyāna schools accept the idea of working towards rebirth in a Pure Land. The Pure Land is normally conceived of as a state which is not enlightenment in itself but which is a highly conducive environment for working toward enlightenment, although some sources indicate that it is synonymous with enlightenment. Native Mahāyāna Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, and most of Vietnam. The various sub-sects of Mahayana Buddhism include: various schools within Pure Land Buddhism (the dominant variety of Mahayana Buddhism) and Zen. Sub-sects within Mahayana are also due to the variations of local cultural interpretations. ie. Chinese Buddhism, Korean Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, and Vietnamese Buddhism.

Vajrayana
*The '''Vajrayana Vajrayāna''' or "Diamond Vehicle" (also referred to as Mantrayana, Tantrayana, Tantra Tantric or esoteric Buddhism) shares the basic concepts of Mahāyāna, but also includes a vast array of spiritual techniques designed to enhance Buddhist practice. Vajrayana Buddhism exists today in the form of two major sub-schools: Tibetan Buddhism and Shingon Buddhism. One component of the Vajrayāna is harnessing psycho-physical energy as a means of developing profoundly powerful states of concentration and awareness. These profound states are in turn to be used as an efficient path to Buddhahood. Using these techniques, it is claimed that a practitioner can achieve Buddhahood in one lifetime, or even as little as three years. In addition to the Theravada and Mahāyāna scriptures, Vajrayāna Buddhists recognise a large body of texts that include the Buddhist Tantras. Native Vajrayana is practiced today mainly in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia (in Russia), Siberia (in Russia), areas of India, and -- among the Shingon (''ZhÃ¨nyān'', 真言) and Tendai schools -- in China and Japan.

Present State of Buddhism
Numbering over 350 million people, Buddhists spread all over the nations of South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, China, Korea and Japan. Small Buddhist communities are also found in Western Europe and North America. The following is a comprehensive aspect of the dominant forms of Buddhism along with the primary regions with which they are associated. *Theravada Buddhism: parts of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (where it is imposed as the state religion),Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Vietnam (along the Mekong Delta frontier with Cambodia, the so-called "Khmer Krom" region), and parts of China (in Yunnan, Guangxi, and Sichuan). *Mahayana Buddhism: most of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and most of Vietnam. *Vajrayana Buddhism: **Tibetan Buddhism: found in Tibet (and adjacent areas of China), North India, Bhutan, Nepal, southwestern China, Mongolia and, various Constituent republic of Russia that are adjacent to the area, such as: Amur Oblast, Buryatia, Chita Oblast, Tuva Republic, and Khabarovsk Krai. There is also Kalmykia, another constituent republic of Russia that is the only Buddhist region in Europe. **Shingon Buddhism or "True Word" Buddhism: found in Japan. At the present time the teachings of all three branches of Buddhism have spread throughout the world and are now easily available in western countries, and increasingly translated into local languages. It is believed that China is the only country where all of the major sects of Buddhism have significant numbers of followers. Image:Flag of Buddhism.svg thumb|right|The international [[Buddhist flag was designed in Sri Lanka in the 1880s with the assistance of Henry Steele Olcott and was later adopted as a Buddhist symbolism symbol by the World Fellowship of Buddhists.]] : ''Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.'' : — Albert Einstein Estimates of the number of Buddhists vary between 230 million and 500 million, with 350 million being the most commonly cited figure. [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html] *Mahayana MahÄ?yÄ?na remains the most common form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore. Overseas Chinese Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia have brought Mahayana Buddhism into Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. *Theravada TheravÄ?da predominates in most of Southeast Asia, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. It also has seats of recognition in Malaysia and Singapore. *Vajrayana VajrayÄ?na is predominant in Tibet, Mongolia, portions of Russia and Siberia, and portions of India, especially those areas bordering Tibet. Kalmykia, while geographically located in Europe, is culturally closely related to Mongolia and thus its Buddhism is more properly grouped with Asian than with Western Buddhism. While in the West, Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive; in the East, Buddhism is regarded as familiar and part of the establishment. Buddhist organizations in Asia frequently are well-funded and enjoy support from the wealthy and influential. In some cases, this has led critics to charge that certain monks and organizations are too closely associated with the powerful and are neglecting their duties to the poor.

Buddhism in the West
Image: MenanderCoin.jpg thumb|250px|The [[Indo-Greek king Menander I Menander (155-130 BCE) is the first Western historical figure documented to have converted to Buddhism.]] {{main|Western Buddhism}} A distinctive feature of Buddhism has been the continuous evolution of the practice as it was transmitted from one country to another. This dynamic aspect is particularly evident today in the West. Occasional intersections between Western civilization and the Buddhist world have been occurring for thousands of years, from the influence of ancient Greece through Greco-Buddhism, to the Beat Generation, to the development of Buddhist practices adapted to accommodate Western sensibilities, Buddhism continues to grow in the West.

Relations with other faiths
Some Hindus (primarily in the northern regions of India) believe that Gautama is the 9th incarnation (see avatar) of Lord Vishnu; there are accounts of the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu that are pro- and anti-Buddhist (i.e., either that Vishnu "really meant" what he said while incarnated as Buddha or that he was intentionally tricking those who follow unorthodox doctrines). For more information, see Buddha and Vishnu. Traditionally, there has been a sharp distinction between Buddhism and what is today called "Hinduism"; this distinction is more accurately between Astika and Nastika philosophies, that is, philosophies in India which either affirmed the Vedas as divinely revealed scriptures or else regarded them as fallible human inventions. Thus Buddhism is theoretically a heresy vis Ã vis orthodox Indian philosophy, though there are many syncretism syncretic or ecumenical tendencies within either group which are accepting of the beliefs and practices of the other. Most modern Hindus deeply revere Gautama Buddha. Buddha Purnima, a festival celebrating the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most popular Hindu festivals. In the Japanese religion of Shinto Shintoism Buddha is seen as a Kami (god). The BahÃ¡'Ã Faith states he was an independent Manifestation of God. Siddhartha Gautama is thought to have been sanctified by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Josaphat (saint) Josaphat based on a mistaken account of his life that made him out to be a Christian convert. Some Islam Muslims believe that Gautama Buddha is Dhul-Kifl, one of the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an. It has also been suggested that the influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar may have given rise to Buddhism. {{citation needed}} Buddhist scriptures describe various penances (''tapas'') undertaken by Gautama Siddhartha which appear identical to Jain penances (e.g., cupping the hands to consume alms, plucking of hair, the penance by five fires, etc. ). These penances were later renounced by Gautama as activities not leading to Nirvana (Final Liberation). Buddhist writings reflect that Jainism was an already established faith — rather than a newly founded or reformist one — by the time Buddha lived. Early Buddhists posited the existence of 24 previous Buddhas (Buddhas who walked the earth prior to Siddhartha Gautama, as established in the Buddhist text ''Mahavanso'' 1:100:1 among others) many of whose names are identical to those of the 24 Jain ''Tirthankaras'' and other traditional Jain figures. Suggesting close correlations between the teachings of the Jains and Buddha, the ''Majjhima Nikaya'' relates dialogues between Buddha and several members of the ''Nigantha'' (Jain) community, sometimes resulting in the latter's acceptance of Buddha as a teacher. (See also ''Jainism'' and ''Jainism and Buddhism'') In many instances, both philosophies continue to share similar Prakrit terminology for important themes and teachings but may differ significantly in interpretation and meaning. This method of teaching adopted by the Buddha points to the pragmatic aspect of Buddha's style of teaching wherein the Buddha uses words and terms that are familiar to the audience instead of introducing new and complex technical jargon. In this way, Buddhism sought to appeal to a broad audience. Jainism is an ancient religion and school of thought that predates Buddhism. One of its two most revered teachers, Mahavira MahÄ?vÄ«ra (599 BC 599 - 527 BC 527 BCE according to Jains, though some scholars prefer 549-477 BCE^{#fn 1 1}), was possibly a senior contemporary of the Buddha whose philosophy, sometimes described as dynamism or vitalism, was a blend of the earlier Jain teacher Parsvanatha PÄ?rÅ›vanÄ?tha's (877-777 BCE) order and the reforms instituted by Mahavira himself. (The ''Majjhima Nikaya'' relates an incident wherein a disciple brings Buddha the news that the Nigantha Nattaputta, i.e. Mahavira, had passed away, thereby suggesting the latter's seniority.) Debates between Buddhists and Jains are recorded in Jain texts, and dialogues between Jains and the Buddha are included in Buddhist texts. (See also the "Origins" section, above.) The relationships between Taoism (Chinese folk religion still popular today) and Buddhism are complex, as they influenced each other in many ways while often competing for influence. The arrival of Buddhism forced Taoism to renew and restructure itself and address existential questions raised by Buddhism. Buddhism was seen as a kind of foreign Taoism and its scriptures were translated into Chinese with Taoist vocabulary. Chan (Seon or Zen) Buddhism in particular holds many beliefs in common with philosophical Taoism. Confucianism also has much in common with Buddhism, and historically, people have practiced both. Some would argue however, that Confucianism is in fact not a religion, but a philosophy. Whatever the case, Buddhism shares many commonalities with Neo-Confucianism , which is Confucianism with more religious elements. In fact, the ritual of ancestor worship normally practiced by Confucianists, has been adapted to Chinese Buddhist beliefs. In term of the relationship to Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the Buddha was not satisfied with the concept of one Almighty God (Ishvara, lit., ''the Supreme Lord''). Buddha said that the ever-changing world goes on as per the rules of PratÄ«tya-SamutpÄ?da. Also, the hypothesis of God would raise philosophical problems, like why is the world ever-changing and full of sorrow (the problem of evil), and why at all did He create the world? {{citation needed}} If He created the world for any intention, this would be against His self-perfection. Yet at another instance, the Buddha had claimed that ''"the Supreme Reality is indescribable and inutterable"''. In this sense, it is better to call Buddhism agnostic. The existence of demigods is recognized. However, in practice, Karma had taken the place of God in Theravada, and the Buddha himself is venerated like God in Mahayana. {{citation needed}}

See also

Buddhism
*Buddhists *History of Buddhist schools *Buddha *Buddhism by country *Buddhist terms and concepts *Buddhist texts *Cultural elements of Buddhism *Faith in Buddhism *God in Buddhism *Nirvana *List of Buddhist topics *List of Buddhists *Kilesa *Virtue *Forgiveness (contains section on Buddhism)

Related systems and religions
*Eastern philosophy *Hinduism *Jainism *Taoism *Zoroastrianism *Manicheanism *Sikhism

Related modern concepts
*Simulated reality

References
*{{cite book | author=Coogan, Michael D. (ed.) | title=The Illustrated Guide to World Religions | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2003 | id=ISBN 1-84483-125-6}} *{{web-cite|ref=Dhammananda_64|author=K. Sri Dhammananda|page=http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/whatbelieve.pdf|title=What Buddhists Believe|site=Buddhist Mission Society of Malaysia|date=1964}} ISBN 9834007127. *{{cite book | author=Gethin, Rupert | title=Foundations of Buddhism | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1998 | id=ISBN 0192892231}} *{{cite book | author=Gunaratana, Bhante Henepola | title=Mindfulness in Plain English | publisher=Wisdom Publications | year=2002 | id=ISBN 0861713214}} *{{cite book | author=Lowenstein, Tom | title=The vision of the Buddha | publisher=Duncan Baird Publishers | year=1996 | id=ISBN 1903296919}} *{{cite|ref=Hanh_74|author=Thich Nhat Hanh|title=The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching|publisher=Broadway Books|date=1974}} ISBN 0767903692. *{{cite book | author=Robert A. F. Thurman Thurman, Robert A. F. (translator) | title=Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti: Mahayana Scripture | publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press | year=1976 | id=ISBN 0271006013}} *{{cite|ref=Rahula_74|author=Walpola Rahula|title=What the Buddha Taught|publisher=Grove Press|date=1974}} ISBN 0802130313. *{{cite|ref=White_74|author=Kenneth White|title=The Role of Bodhicitta in Buddhist Enlightenment Including a Translation into English of Bodhicitta-sastra, Benkemmitsu-nikyoron, and Sammaya-kaijo|publisher=The Edwin Mellen Press|date=2005}} ISBN 0773459855. *{{cite book | author=Yamamoto, Kosho (translation), revised and edited by Dr. Tony Page | title=The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra| publisher=(Nirvana Publications 1999-2000)}} *{{cite|ref=Yin_98|author=Yin Shun, Yeung H. Wing (translator)|title=The Way to Buddhahood: Instructions from a Modern Chinese Master|publisher=Wisdom Publications|date=1998}} ISBN 0861711335.

Notes
# {{note|Sarvabuddhavishayavatarajnanalokalamkarasutra}} SarvabuddhavishayavatarajÃ±analokalamkarasutra as cited by ElÃas Capriles in ''[http://eliascapriles.dzogchen.ru/philosophicalschools.zip The Four Schools of Buddhist Philosophy]: Clear Discrimination of Views Pointing at the Definitive Meaning. The Four Philosophical Schools of the Sutrayana Traditionally Taught in Tibet with Reference to the Dzogchen Teachings''. Published on the Web. # {{note|ChNN_Dream_Yoga_book}} ChÃ¶gyal Namkhai Norbu ''Dream Yoga And The Practice Of Natural Light''. Edited and introduced by Michael Katz, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY, ISBN 1âˆ’55939âˆ’007âˆ’7, p. 42 # {{note|Dr.A.Berzin_on_appearances}} Dr. A. Berzin. ''[http://www.berzinarchives.com/tantra/alaya_impure_02.html Alaya and Impure Appearance-Making]'' # {{note|Elas_Capriles_book1}} ElÃas Capriles. ''[http://eliascapriles.dzogchen.ru/buddhismanddzogchen1.zip Buddhism and Dzogchen]: the Doctrine of the Buddha and the Supreme Vehicle of Tibetan Buddhism. Part 1 - Buddhism: a Dzogchen Outlook''. Published on the Web. # {{note|Sangha_TripleJewel}} Thanissaro Bhikkhu. ''[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/refuge.html#goi Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha]''. Third edition, revised, 2001

External links
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