The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Buddhism S 65

began in the third century B . C . E . The dominant form of Buddhism at that time was Theravada, “The Teachings of the Elders.” This school adheres to the letter of Siddhartha’s teaching. Carried along the oceanic trade routes southeast of India, Thera vada became the dominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia (also known as Kampuchea). The second major wave of Buddhist expan sion began roughly in the second century C . E . By this time Mahayana or “Great Vehicle” Buddhism had become dominant. Mahayana does not adhere strictly to the Buddha’s words. It strives instead to recover the Buddha’s experience of enlightenment. Carried along the land trade routes from northwest India, Mahayana became the dominant form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The third wave of expansion began in the sev enth century and carried Buddhism to Tibet and surrounding areas. The form of Buddhism that became dominant in these regions is Vajrayana, “Diamond Vehicle.” It emphasizes the special pow ers of RITUALS , diagrams, and objects. In India itself Buddhism virtually died out. First it succumbed to a Hindu revival movement centered on devotion to various gods that began about the eighth century C . E . This movement, known as BHAKTI , took lay supporters away from Buddhism. Then, starting in the 12th century Muslim invaders pillaged monasteries and con vents and forced MONKS AND NUNS to abandon the order. Indian Buddhism began to revive, however, toward the end of the 19th century. During the 20th century some North Americans and Europe ans became very interested in Buddhism ( see B UD DHISM IN A MERICA ). BELIEFS Although one sometimes hears that Buddhists are atheists, this is not quite correct. Buddhism does not generally deny the truth of other religions; instead, it tries to supplement another truth with a truth of its own. As a result, Buddhists often WOR SHIP the gods that their non-Buddhist neighbors worship. But in Buddhism it is ultimately more

[Sanskrit, DHARMA ]. I take refuge in the monastic community [Sanskrit, sangha ].” The other major tradition of Buddhism, pre dominant in east Asia, is Mahayana; it assigns the historical Buddha a somewhat lesser place. It reveres the Buddha Sakyamuni principally for having revealed the teachings and deeds of other Buddhas and BODHISATTVAS , such as A MIDA and A VALOKITESVARA , known in Chinese as Kuan Yin. Z EN B UDDHISM goes so far at to caution people against becoming overly attached to the person of the Buddha. (Recall that attachment and crav ing produce suffering.) A well-known KOAN or Zen riddle states: “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.” Further reading: Sherab Kohn, The Awakened One (Boston: Shambhala, 1994); Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught (New York: Evergreen, 1962); H. Saddhatissa. The Life of the Buddha (New York: Harper & Row, 1976); Hans Wolfgang Schumann, The Historical Buddha (London, New York: Arkana, 1989). Buddhism A religion that traces its history back to the B UDDHA , Siddhartha Gautama (c. 560–c. 480 B . C . E .). Buddhism is widely practiced throughout southeast and east Asia. It also has strong tradi tional ties to Tibet ( see T IBETAN RELIGION ). In the 20th century small but vigorous Buddhist communities were established in North America and Europe. HISTORY Siddhartha Gautama is said to have discerned the path that leads to release from suffering and rebirth ( SAMSARA ) at the age of 35. He lived almost to the age of 80. During his last 45 years he trav eled widely in India, teaching and organizing the community of wandering ascetics ( see SANGHA ). By the time of his death or, as Buddhists prefer to say, his parinirvana ( see NIRVANA ), Buddhism was firmly established. During the next 1,200 years, Buddhism spread beyond India in three major waves. The first wave, associated with the famed emperor of India, A SOKA ,