Buddhism

Buddhism is rooted in the teachings of the Buddha, whom adherents revere as one who awakened to the nature of existence. Its foundation is the Four Noble Truths. These outline the suffering of existence, its cause, the possibility of ending it through nirvana, and the Eightfold Path to that end. Buddhists believe in a wheel of rebirth, linked to karma, by which a person's actions shape their future. Most Buddhists do not look to a creator god. Many do honour awakened beings and other supernatural figures who can help on the path.

About 324 million people practise Buddhism, just over 4% of humanity, and 98% of them live in Asia, according to the Pew Research Center. Buddhists form majorities in seven countries: Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Laos and Mongolia. There are three broad streams. Mahayana is common in East Asia, Theravada in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and Vajrayana in Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia. All three hold to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, but they differ, sometimes significantly, in how they follow that path. Practice ranges from monastic meditation to lay devotion. Communities include monks, nuns and laypeople.

Images of the Buddha are central to worship in many traditions. Devotees offer candles and flowers before statues in temples. In East Asian Buddhism, a ceremony around Vesak involves pouring water over a small statue of the infant Buddha. Vesak is the most important Buddhist festival. It commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of Gautama Buddha. Theravada communities observe these three events on one full-moon day, while Mahayana traditions mark them on separate dates. In Tibet they are commemorated on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, Saga Dawa. Local calendars and customs vary widely.

Sources: Britannica: Four Noble Truths · National Geographic Education: Buddhism · World History Encyclopedia: A Short History of the Buddhist Schools · Buddhism Around the World: A Country Guide (citing Pew Research Center) · timeanddate: Buddhist Holidays

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