Theravada is the single remaining representative of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikaya schools of Indian Buddhism, which are sometimes referred to by the controversial term Hinayana. Theravada is now practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Another prominent Nikaya school, was the Sarvastivada, much of the doctrine of which was incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism. It included one of the main branches of Indian Abhidharma that was instrumental in the creation of Yogacara doctrine. Its system of monastic ru ...

Including:

• Buddhism in India - Characteristics
• Buddhism in India - Mahayana
• Buddhism in India - Vajrayana
• Buddhism in India - History
• Buddhism in India - Modern Revival

Read more here: » Buddhism in India

Including:

• Buddhism in India - Characteristics
• Buddhism in India - Nikaya
• Buddhism in India - Mahayana
• Buddhism in India - Vajrayana
• Buddhism in India - History
• Buddhism in India - Modern Revival

Read more here: » Buddhism in India: Encyclopedia - Buddhism in India

For a full account of the spread of Buddhism in India and beyond, see the History of Buddhism and the Decline of Buddhism in India. Buddhism in India - Modern Revival. The number of Indian Buddhists remains quite small; under 10,000,000 persons (excluding refugees from elsewhere) in a country of over 1,000,000,000. Revival movements have been attempted with limited success. See Neo-Buddhism for a full account. Neo-Buddhism A 20th century revivalist movement among bahujan caste and untouchable ...

See also:

Buddhism in India, Buddhism in India - Characteristics, Buddhism in India - Nikaya, Buddhism in India - Mahayana, Buddhism in India - Vajrayana, Buddhism in India - History, Buddhism in India - Modern Revival

Read more here: » Buddhism in India: Encyclopedia II - Buddhism in India - History

Religion is not meant to create conflict and division, but to promote dialogue and harmony. Buddha Purnima is an appropriate occasion to dwell a little on the Buddhist philosophy I follow, of Nichiren Daishonin, called the Soka Gakkai, which literally means "Value Creating Society".

Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, says: "The people and the society of our age might be compared to a ship in the middle of the ocean which has lost its compass. Without an accurate guide to lead them, they sail aimlessly along towards the future''.

(See also: Buddha Purnima, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Dharma: Path of Powerful Dharma Beings

One takes refuge in the Buddha's path because it allows the freedom to modulate it to one's self-awareness, provided one takes responsibility of one's own suffering. Buddhism's view of dependent origination and the inherent emptiness of all phenomena is a profound and radical one.

It dispenses with the existence of a Creator God or a Superior Being. The view is taught not as an article of faith or an exclusive revelation to a messiah or prophet, but is one that can be ascer-tained by study, debate, and direct experience.

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Buddha Day: The Significance of Vesak - Buddha Day

The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind.

As we recall the Buddha and his Enlightenment, we are immediately reminded of the unique and most profound knowledge and insight which arose in him on the night of his Enlightenment. This coincided with three important events which took place, corresponding to the three watches or periods of the night.

Read more here: » Buddha Day: The Significance of Vesak - Buddha Day

Buddhism after the Buddha

Buddhism spread slowly in India until the powerful Mauryan emperor Asoka converted to it and actively supported it. His promotion led to construction of Buddhist religious sites and missionary efforts that spread the faith into the countries listed at the beginning of the article.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhism after the Buddha

Buddhism is a philosophy and/or religion based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit; in Pali, Siddhattha Gotama), who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, as well as the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Introduction to Buddhism

Buddhism: Relations with other faiths

Some Hindus (primarily in the northern regions of India) believe that Gautama is the 9th incarnation (see avatar) of Vishnu; there are accounts of the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu that are pro- and anti-Buddhist (i.e., either Vishnu "really meant" what he said while incarnated as Buddha or he was just messing with the Nastikas). This is not a majority view, however.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Relations with other faiths

When Boddhidharma, was presented to the emperor of China, the ruler of the Middle Kingdom recounted the many great works of charity he had performed for his people, of the places of worship he had built and the religious ceremonies he had conducted.

“Tell me then”, he asked Boddhidharma, “having done all these good works, what is the merit I have earned for myself?” And the sage replied gruffly: “None whatsoever”. The Emperor was outraged. “Who is it who dares to speak to me in such an impudent manner?” he demanded. And Boddhidharma looked at the Emperor and said, “No one at all”.

This story is central to the teachings of Zen Buddhism that Boddhidharma took with him from India to China.

(See also: Zen Buddhism, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhism in India - Nikaya. Theravada is the single remaining representative of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikaya schools of Indian Buddhism, which are sometimes referred to by the controversial term Hinayana. Theravada is now practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Another prominent Nikaya school, was the Sarvastivada, much of the doctrine of which was incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism. It included one of the main branches of Indian Abhidharma that was instrument ...

See also:

Buddhism in India, Buddhism in India - Characteristics, Buddhism in India - Nikaya, Buddhism in India - Mahayana, Buddhism in India - Vajrayana, Buddhism in India - History, Buddhism in India - Modern Revival

Read more here: » Buddhism in India: Encyclopedia II - Buddhism in India - Characteristics

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in what is now Northern India and Nepal between 566 and 483 BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following his death. It continued to spread into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two millennia. With approximately 708 million followers, Buddhism is a major world religion whose adherents are called Buddhists. Buddhist denominations are historically categ ...

Including:

• Buddhism - What is a Buddha?
• Buddhism - Origins
• Buddhism - Principles of Buddhism
• Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths
• Buddhism - The Noble Eightfold Path
• Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism
• Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels
• Buddhism - The Five Precepts
• Buddhism - Meditation
• Buddhism - Buddha-dhatu Buddha-Principle, Buddha-nature
• Buddhism - Other principles and practices
• Buddhism - Vegetarianism
• Buddhism - Buddhist religious philosophy and branches
• Buddhism - Buddhism after the Buddha
• Buddhism - Principal schools of Buddhist philosophy
• Buddhism - Scriptures
• Buddhism - Relations with other Eastern faiths
• Buddhism - Buddhism in the modern world
• Buddhism - Buddhism and the West
• Buddhism - Buddhism
• Buddhism - Related systems and religions
• Buddhism - References and Links
• Buddhism - References
• Buddhism - Footnotes
• Buddhism - External links

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Buddhism Schools: The three main branches of Buddhism

Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Each branch sees itself as representing a true, original teachings of the Buddha, and some schools believe that the dialectic nature of Buddhism allows its format, terminology, and techniques to adapt over time in response to changing circumstances, thus validating dharmic approaches different from their own.

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Buddhism Beliefs: Buddhist Vegetarianism

The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats.

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs: Buddhist Vegetarianism

Hinduism and Buddhism Compared

Similiarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Buddhism: Hinduism and Buddhism Compared

Neo-Buddhism is a modern Buddhist revivalist movement in India. As a popular movement, Neo-Buddhism began on October 14, 1956 when B. R. Ambedkar, the 20th century's most prominent Untouchable converted to Buddhism along with nearly 400,000 of his followers. Neo-Buddhism - Origins. At the beginning of the 20th century, Buddhism was all but dead in India, the land of its origin. Certain tribal groups in Bengal continued to follow Buddhism, as did peoples in Ladakh and Sikkim where Tibetan culture was influen ...

Including:

• Neo-Buddhism - Origins
• Neo-Buddhism - 22 Vows
• Neo-Buddhism - Distinctive interpretation
• Neo-Buddhism - Buddhism in India after Ambedkar
• Neo-Buddhism - S. N. Goenka
• Neo-Buddhism - Recent developments

Read more here: » Neo-Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Neo-Buddhism

Greco-Buddhism, sometimes spelled Græco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between the culture of Classical Greece and Buddhism, which developed over a period of close to 800 years in Central Asia in the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, between the 4th century BCE and the 5th century CE. Greco-Buddhism influenced the artistic (and, possibly, conceptual) development of Buddhism, and in particular Mahayana Buddhism, before it was adopted by Central and Northeastern Asia from the 1st century CE, ultima ...

Including:

• Greco-Buddhism - Historical outline
• Greco-Buddhism - Religious interactions
• Greco-Buddhism - Alexander the Great in Bactria and India 331-325
• Greco-Buddhism - The Mauryan empire 322–183 BCE
• Greco-Buddhism - The Greek presence in Bactria 325 to 125 BCE
• Greco-Buddhism - The Indo-Greek kingdom and Buddhism 180 BCE –10 CE
• Greco-Buddhism - The Kushan empire 1st–3rd century CE
• Greco-Buddhism - Artistic influences
• Greco-Buddhism - The anthropomorphic representation of the Buddha
• Greco-Buddhism - A Hellenized Buddhist pantheon
• Greco-Buddhism - Greco-Buddhism and the rise of the Mahayana
• Greco-Buddhism - Conceptual influences
• Greco-Buddhism - Gandharan proselytism
• Greco-Buddhism - Intellectual influences in Asia
• Greco-Buddhism - Greco-Buddhism and the West
• Greco-Buddhism - Exchanges
• Greco-Buddhism - Religious influences
• Greco-Buddhism - Notes

Read more here: » Greco-Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Greco-Buddhism

The history of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. Throughout this period, the religion evolved as it encountered various countries and cultures, adding to its original Indian foundation Hellenistic as well as Central Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian cultural elements. In the process, its geographical extent became considerable so as to affect at one time or another most of the Asian continent. ...

Including:

• History of Buddhism - Life of the Buddha
• History of Buddhism - Early Buddhism
• History of Buddhism - 1st Buddhist council 5th c. BCE
• History of Buddhism - 2nd Buddhist council 383 BCE
• History of Buddhism - Ashokan proselytism c. 260 BCE
• History of Buddhism - 3rd Buddhist council c.250 BCE
• History of Buddhism - Hellenistic world
• History of Buddhism - Asian expansion
• History of Buddhism - Sunga persecutions 2nd–1st c.BCE
• History of Buddhism - Greco-Buddhist interaction 2nd c. BCE–1st c. CE
• History of Buddhism - Rise of Mahayana 1st c.BCE–2nd c.CE
• History of Buddhism - Mahayana expansion 1st c.CE–10th c.CE
• History of Buddhism - India
• History of Buddhism - Central and Northern Asia
• History of Buddhism - South-East Asia
• History of Buddhism - Emergence of the Vajrayana 5th century
• History of Buddhism - Theravada Renaissance 11th century CE—
• History of Buddhism - Expansion of Buddhism to the West
• History of Buddhism - Notes

Read more here: » History of Buddhism: Encyclopedia - History of Buddhism

India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with one of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion plays a central and definitive role in the life of the country and most of its people. The faith of more than 80% of the people is Hinduism, considered the world's oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Buddhism and Jainism are Indian-born religious systems that are strong and influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í F ...

Including:

• Religion in India - Hinduism
• Religion in India - Buddhism
• Religion in India - Jainism
• Religion in India - Christianity
• Religion in India - Islam
• Religion in India - Ayyavazhi
• Religion in India - Zoroastrianism
• Religion in India - Sikhism
• Religion in India - Judaism
• Religion in India - Bahá'í Faith

Read more here: » Religion in India: Encyclopedia - Religion in India

"Yona" (also sometimes "Yonaka") is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate ancient Greek people. Its equivalent in Sanskrit is the word "Yavana". "Yona" and "Yavana" are both transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (Homer Iāones, older *Iāwones), who were probably the first Greeks to be known in the East. Yona - Old World usage. This usage was shared by many of the countries east of Greece, from the Mediterranean to India and China: Egyptians used ...

Including:

• Yona - Old World usage
• Yona - Indian references
• Yona - Role in Buddhism
• Yona - Invasion of India
• Yona - Scientific abilities
• Yona - Other references
• Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature
• Yona - Later meanings
• Yona - Contemporary usage
• Yona - Notes
• Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia - Yona