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Buddhism
A silhouette of Buddha at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ...
Image File history File links Lotus-buddha. ...
| | History of Buddhism
The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. ...
| | Timeline of Buddhism
Buddhist councils
563 BCE: SiddhÄrtha Gautama, Buddha-to-be, is born in Lumbini, Ancient India. ...
// Main article: First Buddhist council Ananda reciting the Sutta Pitaka According to the scriptures of all Buddhist schools, the first Buddhist Council was held soon after the nirvana of the Buddha under the patronage of king Ajatasatru, and presided by the monk Mahakasyapa, at Rajagaha (todays Rajgir). ...
| | Foundations
Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ...
| | Four Noble Truths
Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhist Precepts
Nirvāṇa · Three Jewels
The Four Noble Truths (Pali: CattÄri ariyasaccÄni, Sanskrit: CatvÄri ÄryasatyÄni, Chinese: Sìshèngdì, Thai: à¸à¸£à¸´à¸¢à¸ªà¸±à¸ˆà¸ªà¸µà¹ˆ, Ariyasaj Sii) are one of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings. ...
The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (PÄli: Ariyo aá¹á¹haá¹…giko maggo; Sanskrit: Ä€rya á¹£á¹Äá¹…ga mÄrgaḥ; Chinese: å…«æ£é“, BÄzhèngdà o; Japanese: å…«æ£é“, HasshÅdÅ, Thai: à¸à¸£à¸´à¸¢à¸¡à¸£à¸£à¸„à¹à¸›à¸”, Ariya Mugg Paad, Mongolian qutuÉ£tan-u naiman gesigün-ü mör) is, in...
Śīla (Sanskrit) or sÄ«la (PÄli) is usually rendered into English as behavioral discipline, morality, or ethics. ...
( Sanskrit: ; Pali: निबà¥à¤¬à¤¾à¤¨ NibbÄna; Vietnamese: Niết bà n; Chinese: 涅槃; Mandarin Pinyin: nièpán, Cantonese: nihppùhn; Japanese: nehan ); Korean: ì—´ë°˜, yeolbhan; Thai: nibpan นิพพาน); Tibetan mya-ngan-las-das-pa; Mongolian É£asalang-aca nögcigsen), is a Sanskrit word that literally means to cease blowing (as when a candle flame...
Symbol of the triratna, as seen in the Sanchi stupa, 1st century BCE. The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, Three Refuges or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. ...
| | Key Concepts
Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ...
| | Three marks of existence
Skandha · Cosmology · Dharma
Saṃsāra · Rebirth · Shunyata
Pratitya-samutpada · Karma
According to the Buddhist tradition, all phenomena (dharmas) are marked by three characteristics, sometimes referred to as the Dharma seals, that is dukkha (suffering), anicca (impermanence), and anatta (non-Self). ...
The skandhas (Sanskrit: PÄli: Khandha; literally: heap or bundle) are the five constituents or aggregates through which the functioning and experience of an individual is created according to Buddhist phenomenology. ...
Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries. ...
Dharma (Sanskrit: धरà¥à¤®) or Dhamma (PÄli: धमà¥à¤®) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fÇŽ in Mandarin and hÅ in Japanese. ...
SaṃsÄra, the Sanskrit and PÄli term for continous movement or continuous flowing refers in Buddhism to the concept of a cycle of birth (jÄti) and consequent decay and death (jarÄmaraṇa), in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped...
Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded), upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates (skandhas) which make up that person, becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new group of skandhas which may again be conventionally considered...
ŚūnyatÄ, शूनà¥à¤¯à¤¤à¤¾ (Sanskrit), SuññatÄ (PÄli), stong pa nyid (Tibetan), Kuu, 空 (Japanese) qoÉ£usun (Mongolian), generally translated into English as Emptiness or Voidness, is a concept of central importance in the teaching of the Buddha, as a direct realization of Sunyata is required to achieve liberation from the cycle of...
The doctrine of PratÄ«tyasamutpÄda (Sanskrit: पà¥à¤°à¤¤à¤¿à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤¸à¤®à¥à¤¤à¥à¤ªà¤¾à¤¦à¤¾) or PaticcasamuppÄda (PÄli: पतिचसमà¥à¤ªà¤¾à¤¦à¤¾; Tibetan: ; Chinese:緣起) Dependent Arising is an important part of Buddhist metaphysics. ...
Karma (Sanskrit: करà¥à¤®à¤¨ karman, PÄli: कमा Kamma) means action or doing; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma. ...
| | Major Figures
A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists. ...
| | Gautama Buddha
Disciples · Later Buddhists Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...
A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists. ...
| | Practices and Attainment
| | Buddhahood · Bodhisattva
Four Stages of Enlightenment
Paramis · Meditation · Laity
Media:Example. ...
Lands Bhutan • China • Korea Japan • Tibet • Vietnam Taiwan • Mongolia Doctrine Bodhisattva • Bodhicitta Karuna • Prajna Sunyata • Buddha Nature Trikaya • Eternal Buddha Scriptures Prajnaparamita Sutra Avatamsaka Sutra Lotus Sutra Nirvana Sutra Vimalakīrti Sutra Lankavatara Sutra History 4th Buddhist Council Silk Road • Nagarjuna Asanga • Vasubandhu Bodhidharma A statue of a Bodhisattva, Akasagarbha. ...
The four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism are the four degrees of approach to full enlightenment as an Arahant which a person can attain in this life. ...
Pāramitā (Sanskrit) or Parami (Pāli): Perfection or Transcendent (lit. ...
Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of meditation techniques that develop mindfulness, concentration, tranquility and insight. ...
In canonical Buddhism, householder refers to a particular strata of society whose individuals are typified by having a home life and family. ...
| | Regions
Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region. ...
| | Southeast Asia · East Asia
India · Sri Lanka · Tibet
Western Countries
Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ...
The Aomori Daibutsu (Big Buddha), Aomori, Japan. ...
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...
The Indo-Greek king Menander (155-130 BCE) is the first Western historical figure documented to have converted to Buddhism. ...
| | Branches
| | Theravāda · Mahāyāna
Vajrayāna · Early schools
Theravada (PÄli: theravÄda; Sanskrit: सà¥à¤¥à¤µà¤¿à¤°à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ sthaviravÄda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and most of continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand). ...
Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...
This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...
Divisions among the early Buddhist schools came about due to doctrinal or practical differences in the views of the Buddhist Sangha following the death of the Buddha. ...
| | Texts
There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. ...
| | Pali Canon · Mahayana Sutras
Tibetan Canon Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. ...
Mahayana sutras are a very broad genre of Buddhist scriptures that began to be compiled from the first century BCE. They form the basis of the various Mahayana schools, and survive predominantly in primary translations in Chinese and Tibetan from original texts in Sanskrit or Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. ...
The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. ...
| | Comparative Studies
Culture · List of Topics
Portal: Buddhism
The cultural elements of Buddhism vary by region and include: Buddhist cuisine Buddhist art Buddharupa Art and architecture of Japan Greco-Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist sacred art Buddhist music Buddhist chant Shomyo Categories: Buddhism-related stubs ...
Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The following is a List of Buddhist topics: A Abhidharma Ahimsa Ajahn Ajahn Chah Ajanta Aksobhya Alexandra David-Néel...
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 Image File history File links Dharma_wheel. ...
This box: view • talk • edit | Asura (Sanskrit, Pāli and Korean, Tib: Lha.ma.yin, Jp: Ashura, Cn: Axiuluo) in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kāmadhātu. The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...
PÄli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ...
The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ...
Japanese ) is a language spoken by over 130 million people, in Japan and Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ...
This article is on all of the Northern Chinese dialects. ...
A silhouette of Buddha at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ...
Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries. ...
Origins and etymology
The Buddhist asuras are broadly derived, in general character, from the wicked asuras of Hinduism, but have acquired some very distinctive myths which are only found in Buddhist texts. // In Hinduism In Hindu mythology, the Asura (Sanskrit: असà¥à¤°) are a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes misleadingly referred to as demons. ...
For the etymology of asura, see Aesir-Asura correspondence. Aesir-Asura correspondence is the relation between aesir (a Proto-Germanic word) and asura (an Sanskrit word). ...
In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated "Titan" (suggesting the wars of the Greek gods and Titans), "demigod", or "antigod", none of which is entirely satisfactory. The closest analogy in European traditions may be the Norse jötnar, who range from the semi-divine to the monstrous, are sometimes at war with the gods and sometimes married to them. But the usual translation, "giants", is small improvement on "Titans". In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek: Titan; plural: Titanes) were a race of powerful deities that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. ...
The giants Fafner and Fasolt seize Freyja in Arthur Rackhams illustration to Richard Wagners version of the Norse myths. ...
Character of the Asuras While all the gods of the Kāmadhātu are subject to the passions some degree, the Asuras above all of them have become addicted to them, especially wrath, pride, boasting and bellicosity.
Because of their passions, rebirth as an Asura is considered to be one of the four unhappy births (together with rebirth as an animal, a preta, or a being in Naraka. The state of an Asura reflects the mental state of a human being obsessed with force and violence, always looking for an excuse to get into a fight, angry with everyone and unable to maintain calm or solve problems peacefully. The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists perception of their own relation to the natural world, on Buddhist humanitarian concerns in general, and on the relationship between Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice. ...
A hungry ghost is a kind of ghost associated with hunger common to many religions. ...
Naraka (Sanskrit) or Niraya (PÄli) (Ch: åœ°ç„ Dì Yù, Jp: Jigoku, Tib: ) is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in Buddhist cosmology. ...
In terms of power, Asuras rank above humans but below most of the other deities. They live in the area at the foot of Mount Sumeru, at least partially in the sea that surrounds it. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mount Meru (Mythology). ...
On the popular cosmic picture of the Bhavacakra, the Asuras are sometimes shown as a sixth stage of existence, and sometimes grouped together with the devas. The five-stage version was the original[citation needed], and the addition of the Asuras as the sixth was done in Tibet on the authority of Je Tsongkhapa. The Bhavacakra (Sanskrit) or Wheel of becoming, Tibetan is a complex symbolic representation of in the form of a circle (mandala), used primarily in Tibetan Buddhism. ...
This article is about Buddhist deities. ...
Je Tsongkhapa (Tsong-kha-pa) in the fifth vison of Khedrub Jey (Mkhas-grub) Tsongkhapa (Tibetan: ཙོང་à½à¼‹à½”་; Wylie: Tsong-kha-pa) (1357 - 1419) , whose name means The Man from Onion Valley, was the founder of the Geluk (Dge-lugs) school of Tibetan Buddhism. ...
The leaders of the Asuras are called Asurendra (Pāli: Asurinda) "Asura-lord". There are several of these, as the Asuras are broken into different tribes or factions. Among them are the bow-wielding Dānaveghasa Asuras, and the terrible-faced Kālakañjakas. The principal leaders are Vemacitrin (Pāli: Vepacitti), Rāhu (also called Veroca or Verocana), and Pahārāda. Vemacitrin (Sanskrit) or Vepacitti (PÄli) is the name of a leader of the Asuras who figures prominently in many Buddhist sÅ«tras. ...
Myths of the Asuras The Asuras formerly lived in the Trāyastriṃśa world, on the peak of Mount Sumeru, with the other gods of that world. When Śakra became the ruler of that world, the Asuras celebrated by drinking a lot of Gandapāna wine, a liquor so strong that Śakra forbade the other gods to drink it. Weakened by their drunkenness, the Asuras could not resist when Śakra had the whole lot of them thrown over the edge of Trāyastriṃśa into what would become the Asura-world at the base of Sumeru. A tree grows there called Cittapātali; when the Asuras saw it blossom, they saw that it was different from the Pāricchattaka (Sanskrit: Pāriyātra) tree which had grown in their old home, and they knew that they were dispossessed. The TrÄyastriṃśa (Sanskrit; PÄli TÄvatiṃsa) heaven is an important world of the devas in Buddhist cosmology. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mount Meru (Mythology). ...
Åšakra (Sanskrit) or Sakka PÄli is the ruler of the Heaven of the Thirty-three gods in Buddhist cosmology. ...
They now meditated on war. In armor and weapons, they climbed up the steep slopes of Sumeru "like ants". Śakra set out to meet them, but was forced to retreat because of their numbers. Passing through the forest where the garuḍas live on his flying chariot, Śakra saw that his passage was destroying the nests of the garuḍas and ordered his charioteer Mātali to turn back. When the pursuing Asuras saw Śakra turn about, they felt certain that he must be coming back with an even larger army, and they fled, ceding all the ground they had gained. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Despite their many wars, there was eventually a partial concord between the Trāyastriṃśa gods and the Asuras. This came about because Śakra fell in love with Sujā, daughter of the Asura chief Vemacitrin. Vemacitrin had given Sujā the right to choose her own husband at an assembly of the Asuras, and she chose Śakra, who had attended disguised as an aged Asura. Vemacitrin thus became Śakra's father-in-law.
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