Welcome to the Buddhism page ring!

Buddhism is a religion that originiated in ancient India around 5th century BCE. Buddhism believes that suffering comes from craving and ignorance and that one can liberate themselves from suffering with meditation and acting morally.

Origins

The founder, Siddharta Gautama or better known as Buddha, was born into a royal family in Lumbini (modern day Nepal) and was shielded from the outside world by his father because a prophecy told his father that Siddharta would one day become either a great king or a wandering holy man.

This failed and Gautama, searching yet not finding an answer that completely satisfied him, sat in deep meditation under a tree (now known as the Bodhi Tree) and realized Nirvana. He subsequently spent the next 45 years teaching his realization until he died at 80.

Schools

There are three main schools of Buddhism, those being Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

Theravada

Theravada, otherwise known as the School of the Elders is the oldest form of Buddhism and is dominant in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Rituals are minimal since practitioners spend more time dedicating their time to meditation.

Mahayana

Mahyana (The Great Vehicle) is most popular in East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan) and it aims to save all beings, not just oneself. Practitioners vow themselves to postpone Nirvana (liberation from rebirth) in favor to help others achieve enlightenment.

Vajrayana

Vajrayana or The Diamond Vehicle is the most popular in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal & India (parts of both). They claim that enlightenment can be achieved faster through certain techniques developed within Vajrayana and use certain objects like prayer wheels, bells and vajra (tool symbolizing the characteristics of both a diamond and a thunderbolt).