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Buddhism Buddhism originated in north India in the fifth century BCE. For over a thousand years it flourished there, sending out teachers south and west. Then it declined in India itself under the impact of Islam in the 10th to 12th centuries CE. There are two major divisions of Buddhism: the Southern school (known as Theravada), and the Northern school (Mahayana). Theravada or “Teaching of the Elders” is considered to be the older school and its holy books, the Pali Canon, the ones closest to the words of the historical Buddha. The Pali Canon has shaped Buddhism in much of southeast Asia. Mahayana or “Great Vehicle” arose around 2000 years ago and its teachings have shaped Buddhism throughout China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia. Theravada Buddhism is flourishing today in much of southeastern Asia. The Mahayana version continues to have a significant presence in Japan, Mongolia and Vietnam. Actually, more than half of the world’s population lives in countries where Buddhism is now, or has been, dominant, but of late it has been subject to greater suppression and persecution than at any time in its history. Still, over the last hundred years or so, Buddhism has spread throughout Europe, North America and Australia. Since the 1960s Buddhism’s influence has increased as a result of a great number of young people traveling to Buddhist countries, and there is an increasing number of Buddhist centers and monasteries outside Asia. It is virtually impossible to estimate the numbers of Westerners who Practice Buddhism. Relatively few have joined organized religious orders. Many people find some aspect of Buddhist teaching helpful, though they may not describe themselves as Buddhist. Source: Joanne O’Brien and Martin Palmer, The State of Religion Atlas, 1993. Demographics Worldwide: Approaching 330 million adherents. Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1994. United States: A recent study shows 1,082,000 Buddhists (0.5% of the United States population). Table Source: The ARIS 2001 study. |
Teaching About Religion |
in support of civic pluralism |