Buddhists
Buddhists, also called Bauddha, are people who follow Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy that began in the Indian subcontinent in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It was founded by the Buddha.[1]
People can be Buddhists in different ways. Some follow Buddhism as a religion, while others follow it as a culture or way of life. Many Buddhists practice meditation, mindfulness, and ethical living without taking part in formal religious rituals.[2]
Buddhists include both monks and nuns, and lay followers. Monks are called bhikkhus and nuns are called bhikkhunīs. Lay followers are called upāsakas (men) and upāsikās (women). Monks and nuns usually live in monasteries, while lay Buddhists live normal family lives and support the monastic community.[3]
There are many schools of Buddhism. The two largest are Theravāda Buddhism, which is common in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, and Mahayana Buddhism, which is common in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.[4]
Today, there are about 510 million Buddhists in the world. Buddhism has also become popular in some Western countries, especially because of interest in meditation and mindfulness practices.[5]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Gethin, Rupert (1998). The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. pp. 23–25.
- ↑ Harvey, Peter (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism. Cambridge University Press.
- ↑ Keown, Damien (2005). Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
- ↑ "Buddhism". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ↑ "How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020". Pew Research Center.
