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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · World Religions and Traditions

Buddhism

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/ˈbʊdɪzəm/nounCore term

In religious studies & theology, Buddhism means: A religious and philosophical tradition based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India around the fifth century BCE.

In Turkish: Budizm

How it is used

Its main branches are Theravada (Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia), Mahayana (East Asia) and Vajrayana (Tibet and the Himalayas). Key terms include the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, nirvana and the sangha (monastic community). Followers are Buddhists; the adjective is Buddhist.

Example sentences

  1. Buddhism reached China along the Silk Road in the early centuries CE.

  2. Uyghur Buddhist manuscripts show how the tradition developed in Central Asia.

Common collocations

  • Theravada Buddhism
  • Mahayana Buddhism
  • Tibetan Buddhism
  • Zen Buddhism
  • early Buddhism
  • nirvanaIn Buddhism, the final goal of the spiritual path: the ending of craving, suffering and the cycle of rebirth.
  • enlightenmentIn Buddhism and some other Indian traditions, a state of complete understanding and freedom from ignorance, often called awakening, as achieved by the Buddha.
  • meditationA practice of training attention and awareness, for example by focusing on the breath, a word or an image, used in many religions for spiritual growth.
  • monkA man who has left ordinary life to live under religious vows, usually in a community, devoting himself to prayer, study or meditation.
  • karmaIn Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, the principle that a person's intentional actions have consequences that shape their future, including future lives.

More terms: World Religions and Traditions

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