Buddhism religion and philosophy founded in India in the 6th and 5th cent. B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha. One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the practice of Meditation and the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the four noble truths taught by the Buddha: existence is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; there is a cessation of suffering, called Nirvana, or total transcendence; and there is a path leading to the end of suffering, the eightfold noble path of right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Buddhism defines reality in terms of cause-and-effect relations, thus accepting the doctrine common to Indian religions of samsara, or bondage to the repeating cycle of births and deaths according to one's physical and mental actions (see Karma). The ideal of early Buddhism was the perfected saint, arahant or arhat, purified of all desires. Of the various Buddhist schools and sects that arose, the Theravada [doctrine of the elders] school of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) is generally accepted as representative of early Buddhist teaching.

Mahayana [great vehicle] Buddhism has as a central concept the potential Buddhahood innate in all beings. Its ideal for both layman and monk is the bodhisattva, the perfected one who postpones entry into nirvana (although meriting it) until all others may be similarly enlightened. Buddhism was greatly strengthened in the 3d cent. B.C. by the support of the Indian emperor Asoka, but it declined in India in succeeding centuries and was virtually extinct there by the 13th cent., while it spread and flourished in Ceylon (3d cent. A.D.) and Tibet (7th cent. A.D.; see Tibetan Buddhism). In the 1st cent. A.D. Buddhism entered China, where it encountered resistance from Confucianism and Taoism, and from there spread to Korea (4th cent. A.D.) and to Japan (6th cent. A.D.).

Two important sects that became established in the 5th cent. A.D. and have greatly increased in popularity are Zen Buddism, featuring the practice of meditation to achieve sudden enlightenment, and Pure Land Buddhism, or Amidism, a devotional Mahayana sect centered on the worship of the Buddha Amitabha, who vowed to save all sentient beings by bringing them to rebirth in his realm, the Western Paradise. Buddhism still flourishes in Asia and has an influence in the modern Western world.

Buddhism Links

BuddhaNet: Buddhist Information Network, Buddhism Online - BuddhaNet - Buddhist Information Network and The BuddhaZine - Online Buddhist Magazine. Insight Meditation Online, Australian Buddhist Directory, Asian Buddhist Directory, Buddhist File Library, Buddhist Studies

Buddha's Words - Gotaro - Sayings of Buddha; Zen and Dalai Lama information.

Buddhism Depot - Contains Virtual Buddhist Temple, Forum, Chat, Mailing List, Readings, Scriptures and other Buddhist links.

Buddhism: In search for Enlightenment on the net. - A very comprehensive on-line guide to Buddhism featuring its history, concepts, relationship to other ideas, guide to Buddhist internet organizations and selected on-line readings from the East.

Dharma & Nirvana - Introduction to Buddhist principles

Friends In The Dharma - This site gives information about our Buddhist meditation group and provides links for further studies.

Gotaro Buddha Sayings - Teachings of Buddha. Zen. Dalai Lama

The Refuge: A Sangha for the Skeptical Buddhist - Searching for a Buddhist community with respect for tradition, but that does not blindly accept the baggage of the centuries.

Sakya Resource Guide - A complete Resource Guide of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddism linking all related topics on the Internet and providing an overview of all world-wide resources, teachers, teachings, translations, history, monasteries, centres and art.

Vietnamese Buddhist Temples - Temples and Buddhist background, FAQ.