Buddhist

Buddhist Religion 2

Buddhism is not a single monolithic religion. Many of its adherents have combined the teachings of the Buddha with local religious rituals, beliefs and customs. Little conflict occurs, because Buddhism at its core is a philosophical system to which such additions can be easily grafted.

After the Buddha's death, splits occurred. There are now three main systems of thought within Buddhism which are geographically and philosophically separate. Each tradition in turn has many sects. One source divides the religion into three main groups by their location:

Theravada Buddhism (a.k.a. as Southern Buddhism) now has 100 million followers.

Buddhist missionaries from India took the religion to a number of countries, but it initially only achieved a foothold in Sri Lanka. It later spread from Sri Lanka to Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam. They promoted the Vibhajjavada school (Separative Teaching). By the 15th century, this form of the religion reached almost its present geographical extent.

Concepts and practices include:

Dana - thoughtful, ceremonial giving

Sila - accepting Buddhist teaching and following it in practice; refraining from killing, stealing, wrong behavior, use of drugs. On special days, three additional precepts may be added, restricting adornment, entertainment and comfort.

Karma - the balance of accumulated sin and merit, which will determine one's future in the present life, and the nature of the next life to come.

The Cosmos - consists of billions of worlds grouped into clusters; clusters are grouped

Buddhist Religion 3

into galaxies, which are themselves grouped into super-galaxies. The universe also has many levels: four underworlds and 21 heavenly realms.

Paritta - ritual chanting.

Worship - of relics of a Buddha, of items made by a Buddha, or of other symbolic relics.

Festivals - days of the full moon, and three other days during the lunar cycle are celebrated. There is a new year's festival, and celebrations tied to the agricultural year.

Pilgrimages - particularly to Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka and India.

Mahayana Buddhism (a.k.a. Northern Buddhism)