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Buddhism
Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology. ...
Image File history File links Lotus-buddha. ...
| | History
The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. ...
| | Dharmic religions
Timeline of Buddhism
Buddhist councils
map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (yellow) and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ...
563 BCE: SiddhÄrtha Gautama, Buddha-to-be, is born in Lumbini, Ancient India. ...
// 1st Buddhist council (5th century BC) The first Buddhist council was held soon after the death of the Buddha under the patronage of king Ajatasatru, and presided by a monk named 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
The Five Precepts
Nirvāṇa · Three Jewels
The Four Noble Truths (Pali: CattÄri ariyasaccÄni, Sanskrit: CatvÄri ÄryasatyÄni, Chinese: Sìshèngdì) 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) is, in the teachings of the Buddha, declared to be the way that leads to...
The five precepts (Pali: Pañcasīla, Sanskrit: Pañcaśīla Ch: 五戒 wǔ jiè, Sinhala: පන්සිල්) constitute the basic Buddhist code of ethics, undertaken by lay followers of the Buddha Gautama. ...
(Devanagari , Pali: NibbÄna िनबà¥à¤¬à¤¾à¤¨ -- Chinese: 涅槃; Pinyin: nièpán, Japanese: 涅槃, nehan, Korean: ì—´ë°˜, yeol-bhan, Thai: Nibpan นิพพาน ), is a Sanskrit word that literally means extinction (as in a candle flame) and/or extinguishing (i. ...
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) or Dhamma (PÄli) 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) or stong pa nyid (Tibetan), generally translated into English as Emptiness or Voidness, is a concept of central importance in the teaching of the Buddha, intimately related to the doctrine of the three marks of existence (ti-lakkhana). ...
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:ç¸èµ·) 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. ...
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, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or mental development. // Methods of meditation The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha...
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 (Simplified Chinese: è—ä¼ ä½›æ•™) is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and 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. ...
| | Schools
There are many divisions and subdivisions of the schools of Buddhism. ...
| | Theravāda · Mahāyāna
Vajrayāna · Early schools
Theravada (PÄli: थेरवाद 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 continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest...
Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
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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 Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
This box: view • talk • edit | Madhyamaka (Also known as Śunyavada) is a Buddhist Mahayāna tradition popularized by Nāgārjuna and Aśvaghoṣa. The school of thought and its subsidiaries are called "Madhyamaka"; those who follow it are called "Mādhyamikas." A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, SiddhÄrtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...
A statue depicting Nagarjuna at the Samye Ling Monastery, Dumfriesshire, Scotland NÄgÄrjuna (నాగారà±à°œà±à°¨ in Telugu, é¾æ¨¹ in Chinese) (c. ...
AÅ›vaghoá¹£a (?80-?150 CE) (Devanagari: अशà¥à¤µà¤˜à¥‹à¤·) was an Indian philosopher-poet, born in Saketa in Central India. ...
According to the Mādhyamikas, all phenomena are empty of "self nature" or "essence" (Sanskrit: Svabhāva), meaning that they have no intrinsic, independent reality apart from the causes and conditions from which they arise. Dharma (Sanskrit: धरà¥à¤®) or Dhamma (PÄli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ...
The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...
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:ç¸èµ·) Dependent Arising is an important part of Buddhist metaphysics. ...
Madhyamaka is the rejection of two extreme philosophies, and therefore represents the "middle way" between eternalism (the view that something is eternal and unchanging) and nihilism (the assertion that all things are intrinsically already destroyed or rendered nonexistent. This is nihilism in the sense of Indian philosophy, and may differ somewhat from Western philosophical nihilism). Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, nothing) is a philosophical position which argues that the world, especially past and current human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. ...
According to Tibetan sources, Indian Madhyamaka schools were eventually divided into
- The Svātantrika Madhyamaka, who differed from the Prāsaṅgika in that they believed conventional phenomena could exist for themselves without existing ultimately. Thus they felt that positive assertions in logical debate served a useful purpose, and did not restrict themselves to using only prasaṅga methods.
- The Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka, whose sole avowed technique is to show by prasaṅga (or Reductio Ad Absurdum) that any positive assertion (such as "asti" or "nāsti", "it is", or "it is not") made about, or view proclaimed of, phenomena must be regarded as merely conventional (saṃvṛti or lokavyavahāra). Therefore there is no position that constitutes the ultimate truth (paramārtha), including the views and statements made by the Prāsaṅgikas themselves, which are held to be solely for the purpose of defeating all views. The Prāsaṅgikas also identify this to be the message of the Buddha who, as Nāgārjuna put it, taught the Dharma for the purpose of refuting all views.
- The Yogācāra Madhyamaka, which asserts that all phenomena are nothing but the 'play of mind' and hence empty of concrete existence, and that mind, in its turn, is empty of defining characteristics. This philosophy is thus a synthesis of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra.
Madhyamaka, Interdependence and Emptiness
The immediate implication of the essenceless of self is one of universal interdependence -- for even causes and conditions are empty of inherent existence or essence, as stated by Nagarjuna in the very first chapter of the Mulmadhyamakakarika. This means there is no first or ultimate cause for anything that occurs, essentially, all things are causally indeterminate, dependent on innumerable causes and conditions which are themselves dependent on innumerable causes and conditions. The interdependence of all phenomena, including self, is fundamental to Mahayana Buddhism, for it is the metaphysical justification for the ethic of bodhicitta (enlightenment or awakening mind) -- the selfless inclination to work for the benefit of all sentient beings for as long as time and space abide (see Santideva's bodhicaryavatara, a key work on Mahayana ethics, which explains this connection in the 9th chapter). This is the meaning of the expression pragnaparamita, or "perfection of wisdom", the sixth of the Six Perfections of the bodhisattva path, and the collective title of the key Mahayana sutras that Nagarjuna is interpreting in his works. This is also often explained as the teaching on emptiness that occurred at Vulture Peak, Raj Gir, and has been categorized as the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. Thus when, for example, The Heart Sutra states "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" -- the question empty of what can be answered by saying empty of inherent existence or essence. Thich Nhat Hahn, in The Heart of Understanding, explains in great detail the connections between Madhyamaka, emptiness and interdependence as related to the Heart Sutra. This is an important exegesis, as it also explores the connection between Madhyamaka philosophy and environmental ethics, an area still very much under-explored, East and West. The Svatantrika Madhyamaka school of Buddhism is a form of Madhyamaka in which reasoning is used to establish that phenomena (dharmas) have no self-nature, and further arguments to establish that the true nature of all phenomena is emptiness. ...
Prasangika is a sub-school of Madhyamaka Buddhism that holds the method of logical consequence (prasanga) to be the only valid method of demonstrating the nature of the Two Truths to opponents in debate. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Media:Example. ...
Dharma (Sanskrit: धरà¥à¤®) or Dhamma (PÄli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ...
Shentong (also, zhentong; Tibetan: གཞེན་སྟོང་; Wylie: gzhen-stong), also sometimes called “Yogacara Madhyamaka,†is a philosophical sub-school found in Tibetan Buddhism whose followers hold that the nature of mind is empty of other (i. ...
YogÄcÄra (Sanskrit: yoga practice), also spelled yogÄchÄra, is an influential school of philosophy and psychology that developed in Indian Mahayana Buddhism starting sometime in the fourth to fifth centuries C.E., also commonly known as Consciousness-only (Sanskrit: CittamÄtra). ...
Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese: ThÃch Nhất Hạnh; IPA: is an expatriate Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk. ...
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