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BUDDHISM
...based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama
Quotation:
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"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 & 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 1 |
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 first known 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:
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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." |
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Mahayana Buddhism (sometimes called Northern Buddhism) is largely found in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia.
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To which might be added:
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Tibetan Buddhism,
which developed in isolation from Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism because of the remoteness of Tibet. |
Since the late 19th century:
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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. |
Topics covered in this section:
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