"Buddhadharma" redirects here. For the magazine, see Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly.

Standing Buddha statue at the Tokyo National Museum. One of the earliest known representations of
the Buddha, 1st–2nd century CE.

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Buddhism ( /ˈbʊdɪzəm/ or /ˈbuːdɪzəm/)[1][2] is a religion[3][4]and dharma that encompasses a variety

of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the
Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. Buddhism originated in Ancient Indiasometime
between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, from where it spread through much of Asia, whereafter
it declined in India during the Middle Ages. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally
recognized by scholars: Theravada (Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahayana (Sanskrit: "The
Great Vehicle"). Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers or
over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists.[web 1][5]
Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of
various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices.[6][7] Practices of Buddhism
include taking refugein the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, study of scriptures, observance
of moral precepts, renunciation of craving and attachment, the practice
of meditation(including calm and insight), the cultivation of wisdom, loving-
kindness and compassion, the Mahayana practice of bodhicitta and the Vajrayana practices
of generation stage and completion stage.
In Theravada, the ultimate goal is the cessation of kleshas (destructive mental states including
ignorance, attachment, and aversion) and the attainment of the sublime state of Nirvana, achieved
by practising the Noble Eightfold Path (also known as the Middle Way), thus escaping what is seen
as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.[8] Theravada has a widespread following in Sri
Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren
Buddhism, Shingon and Tiantai (Tendai), is found throughout East Asia. Rather than Nirvana,
Mahayana instead aspires to Buddhahood via the bodhisattva path,[note 1] a state wherein one remains
in the cycle of rebirth to help other beings reach awakening.
Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian siddhas, may be viewed as a third branch or
merely a part of Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth
century India,[10] is practised in regions surrounding
the Himalayas, Mongolia[11] and Kalmykia.[12] Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or rainbow
body.[13]

Contents
[hide]
 1Life of the Buddha
 2The problem of life: endless rebirth
o 2.1Four Noble Truths – dukkha and its ending
o 2.2The cycle of rebirth
o 2.3Liberation
 3The path to liberation: Bhavana (practice, cultivation)
o 3.1Refuge in the Three Jewels
o 3.2The Buddhist path
o 3.3Śīla – Buddhist ethics
o 3.4Samadhi (dhyana) – meditation
o 3.5Prajñā – insight
o 3.6Devotion
 4Buddhist texts
o 4.1Pāli Tipitaka
o 4.2Theravada texts
o 4.3Mahayana sutras
o 4.4Śālistamba Sutra
 5History
o 5.1Historical roots
o 5.2Indian Buddhism
o 5.3Spread of Buddhism
 6Schools and traditions
o 6.1Timeline
o 6.2Theravada school
o 6.3Mahayana traditions
 7Buddhism today
o 7.1Demographics
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11Sources
o 11.1Printed sources
o 11.2Online sources
 12External links

Life of the Buddha

"The Great Departure", relic depicting Gautama leaving home, first or second century (Musée Guimet)
Main articles: Gautama Buddha and Śramaṇa
Buddhism is an Indian religion[14] attributed to the teachings of the Buddha,[15][16] supposedly born
Siddhārtha Gautama, and also known as the Tathagata ("thus-gone") and Sakyamuni("sage of the
Sakyas"). The details of Buddha's life are mentioned in many Early Buddhist Texts but are
inconsistent, and his social background and life details are difficult to prove, the precise dates
uncertain.[17][note 2]
The evidence of the early texts suggests that he was born as Siddhārtha Gautama in Lumbini and
grew up in Kapilavasthu,[note 3] a town in the plains region of the modern Nepal-India border, and that
he spent his life in what is now modern Bihar[note 4] and Uttar Pradesh.[25][17] Some hagiographic
legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother was queen Maya, and he
was born in Lumbini gardens.[26] However, scholars such as Richard Gombrich consider this a
dubious claim because a combination of evidence suggests he was born in the Shakyas community
– one that later gave him the title Shakyamuni, and the Shakya community was governed by a small
oligarchy or republic-like council where there were no ranks but where seniority mattered
instead.[27][note 5] Some of the stories about Buddha, his life, his teachings, and claims about the society
he grew up in may have been invented and interpolated at a later time into the Buddhist texts.[30][31]

Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath, India, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. It was built by Ashoka.
According to the Buddhist sutras, Gautama was moved by the innate suffering of humanity and
its endless repetition due to rebirth. He set out on a quest to end this repeated suffering. Early
Buddhist canonical texts and early biographies of Gautama state that Gautama first studied
under Vedicteachers, namely Alara Kalama (Sanskrit: Arada Kalama) and Uddaka Ramaputta
(Sanskrit: Udraka Ramaputra), learning meditation and ancient philosophies, particularly the concept
of "nothingness, emptiness" from the former, and "what is neither seen nor unseen" from the
latter.[32][33][note 6]