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Image:Buddhasunset crop.jpg

A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand.

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Buddhism is often described as a religion^[1] and a collection of various philosophies, based initially on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha.^[2] To many, however, Buddhism is not a religion, nor a philosophy or a set of doctrines, but rather teachings to guide one to directly experiencing reality. ^{[3] [4]} Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism began around 5th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in what is now Nepal and taught primarily in northern India, and is hereafter referred to as "the Buddha." ^[5]

Contents [hide] 1 Origin 2 Divisions 3 Buddhism Today 4 Some Teachings 4.1 Bodhi 4.2 Middle Way 4.3 Refuge in the Three Jewels 4.4 Sīla (Morality cultivation) 4.5 Samadhi/Bhāvana (Meditative cultivation) 4.6 Prajñā (Wisdom) 4.7 Buddhism and intellectualism 5 Indian Buddhism 5.1 Early Buddhism 5.1.1 Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka 5.1.2 Sutta Nipata 5.1.3 Sceptical scholars 5.1.4 Śīla: virtuous behavior and the precepts 5.1.5 The Four Noble Truths 5.1.6 The Noble Eightfold Path 5.2 Councils 5.3 Schisms 5.3.1 Further developments 5.4 Rise of Mahayana Buddhism 5.5 Emergence of the Vajrayāna 6 Main traditions 6.1 Southern (Theravāda) Buddhism 6.2 Eastern (East Asian) Buddhism 6.3 Northern (Tibetan) Buddhism 7 Buddhist texts 8 Buddhist symbols 9 Comparative study 10 See also 11 References 12 Suggested Reading 13 Notes 14 External links

[edit] Origin

This short section requires expansion.

Gautama, whose personal name according to later sources was Siddhartha, was born in ancient India. It is believed that he was born in the city of Lumbini (which is now part of Nepal)^[6] and raised in Kapilavastu, near the modern town of Taulihawa, Nepal.^[7] He is believed to have descended in the great lineage of either the Vedic Rishi Gotama or Rishi Angirasa according to Buddhist texts. ^[8] ref> The Buddha claimed that in a previous life, he was the Brahmin sage Kapila, hence the name Kapilavastu of His ruling capital. ^[9] The traditional story of his life is as follows; little of this can be regarded as established historical fact. Born a prince, his father, King Suddhodana, was supposedly visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha was born and told that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu). Determined to make Siddhartha a king, the father tried to shield his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Despite his father's efforts, at the age of 29, he discovered the suffering of his people, first through an encounter with an elderly man. On subsequent trips outside the palace, he encountered various sufferings such as a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These are often termed 'The Four Sights.'^[10]

Gautama, deeply depressed by these sights, sought to overcome old age, illness, and death by living the life of an ascetic. Gautama escaped his palace, leaving behind this royal life to become a mendicant. For a time on his spiri