Some hagiographic legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother was Queen Maya. The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini, present-day Nepal and grew up in Kapilavastu, a town in the Ganges Plain, near the modern Nepal–India border, and that he spent his life in what is now modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. His social background and life details are difficult to prove, and the precise dates are uncertain. The details of Buddha's life are mentioned in many Early Buddhist Texts but are inconsistent. Early texts have the Buddha's family name as "Gautama" (Pali: Gotama). 10.2 Relationships with other religious traditionsīuddhism is an Indian religion founded on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, a Śramaṇa also called Shakyamuni (sage of the Shakya's), or "the Buddha" ("the Awakened One"), who lived c.6.2.2 Ashokan Era and the early schools.4.6.6 Tantra, visualization and the subtle body.4.5 Mindfulness and clear comprehension.3.2 Theravada presentations of the path.3.1 Paths to liberation in the early texts.2.1 Four Noble Truths – dukkha and its ending.Historically, until the early 2nd millennium, Buddhism was also widely practised in Afghanistan and it also had a foothold to some extent in other places including the Philippines, the Maldives, and Uzbekistan. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth-century India, is practised in the countries of the Himalayan region, Mongolia, and Kalmykia.
Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian adepts, may be viewed as a separate branch or as an aspect of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Zen, Pure Land, Nichiren Buddhism, Tiantai Buddhism ( Tendai), and Shingon, is practiced prominently in Nepal, Malaysia, Bhutan, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravāda ( Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahāyāna ( Sanskrit: "The Great Vehicle"). Widely observed practices include meditation, observance of moral precepts, monasticism, taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, and the cultivation of the Paramitas (perfections, or virtues). Buddhist schools vary in their interpretation of the path to liberation, the relative importance and canonicity assigned to the various Buddhist texts, and their specific teachings and practices. Most Buddhist traditions emphasize transcending the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana or by following the path of Buddhahood, ending the cycle of death and rebirth. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on the Buddha's teachings (born Siddhārtha Gautama in the 5th or 4th century BCE) and resulting interpreted philosophies.Īs expressed in the Buddha's Four Noble Truths, the goal of Buddhism is to overcome suffering ( duḥkha) caused by desire and ignorance of reality's true nature, including impermanence ( anicca) and the non-existence of the self ( anattā).
It is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists.
It originated in ancient India as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia.
Buddhism ( / ˈ b ʊ d ɪ z əm/, US: / ˈ b uː d-/) is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on a series of original teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha.