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Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, meaning approximately Law of the Awakened One) is a religion, a practical philosophy, and arguably a psychology, focusing on the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni (Siddhārtha Gautama), who lived in ancient India most likely from the mid-6th to the early 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following the Buddha's passing, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two millennia. Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into three traditions: Theravāda (Sanskrit: Sthaviravāda), Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide, and, with about 708 million adherents, it is considered a major world religion. Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world.
When used in a generic sense, a Buddha is generally considered to be a person who discovers the true nature of reality through years of spiritual cultivation, investigation of the various religious practices of his time, and meditation. This transformational discovery is called bodhi - literally, "Awakening" (more commonly called "Enlightenment"). Any person who has become awakened from the "sleep of ignorance" by directly realizing the true nature of reality is called a Buddha. Śākyamuni is said to have been only the latest of many of these; there were other Buddhas before him and there will be others in the future. According to the Buddha, any person can follow his example and become enlightened through the study of his words "Dharma" and putting them into practice, by leading a virtuous, moral life, and purifying his mind. Concisely put the aim of Buddhist practice is to put an end to this mass of suffering we call existence. "I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering" (The Buddha). To achieve this state, adherents train and purify the mind by following the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Middle Way, eventually arriving at an understanding of the true nature of all things, thus ending (nirodha) all ignorance and unhappiness and attaining liberation: (Pāli nibbāna).
Gautama the Buddha
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Buddhism :: Religion and Spirituality
Buddhist monks on hunger strike for control over Bodh Gaya #temple ( http://bit.ly/6CzDgA ) #bodhgaya #mahabodhi #buddhism
TeddyKawakami (T Kawakami) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:43:54 -0000
Buddhist monks on hunger strike for control over Bodh Gaya #temple ( http://bit.ly/6CzDgA ) #bodhgaya #mahabodhi #buddhism
Tiger Woods oughta slap the SH*T outta Brit Hume for dissin' Buddhism like that. How very Fox News of him to go there.
ghettopeople (The Ghetto People) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:43:17 -0000
Tiger Woods oughta slap the SH*T outta Brit Hume for dissin' Buddhism like that. How very Fox News of him to go there.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. - Buddha < so true. #buddhism
camiloolea (Camilo Olea) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:41:59 -0000
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. - Buddha < so true. #buddhism
Chinese court jails #Tibetan #Buddhist cleric ( http://bit.ly/74tMyX ) #buddhism
TeddyKawakami (T Kawakami) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:41:05 -0000
Chinese court jails #Tibetan #Buddhist cleric ( http://bit.ly/74tMyX ) #buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism as environment protector ( http://bit.ly/8gcadu ) #climate #tibet
TeddyKawakami (T Kawakami) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:38:53 -0000
Tibetan Buddhism as environment protector ( http://bit.ly/8gcadu ) #climate #tibet
RT @saeedjones: Okay. For real. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It's on. #buddhism
jesusmbaez (Jesus Baez) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:38:09 -0000
RT @saeedjones: Okay. For real. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It's on. #buddhism
Buddhism Comes to Main Street - Article by Jan Nattier in The Wilson Quarterly (Spring 1997). Discusses the history and cultural and ethnic issues that form the most crucial differences within American Buddhism.
Buddhism in Brazil - Academic references on the expansion of Buddhism in Brazil. Also a web directory of Brazilian Buddhist centers, temples, monasteries, and Buddhist texts translated to Portuguese.
Buddhism in Europe - An annotated bibliography on Buddhism's historical development and contemporary state of affairs in Europe.
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Buddhism Past and Present - A 13 week distance education unit taught online from La Trobe University. Explores the origins and evolution of the Buddhist tradition and its contemporary place in society and follows the progress of Buddhism through Indian history focusing on its responses to local cultural, political and economic conditions.
Meta Description: [ description of the content of the web page ]
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Buddhist and Indological Studies -
Meta Description: [ Selected Resources for the Study of Buddhism, Indian Philosophy and Culture and the Encounter between India and the Western World (Buddhist Texts in Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Central Asian Languages, Chinese and in Modern European Languages, Sanskrit Literature in General, Other Indian Languages T... ]
Buddhist Country Statistics - Lists Top 10 countries with most Buddhists, top 10 countries with highest percentage of Buddhists.
Meta Description: [ Adherents.com presents the Top 10 countries with highest percentage of Buddhists; and Top 10 Countries with most Buddhists. ]
Buddhist Scriptures Information Retrieval (BUDSIR) - Project to record the 45 volumes of the Pali Tipitaka onto computer, together with the development of an application program for searching it. Project has completed a Thai translation of the Tipitaka, and versions of the original Pali text using Thai and Roman scripts, as well as a Thai-Pali dictionary.
Buddhist Studies Virtual Library -
Cambridge Buddhist Institute - Serves as a focus for those interested in Buddhist studies in Cambridge, UK, both in the University of Cambridge and in the region.
Center for Buddhist Studies, National Taiwan University - Online Buddhist texts. Many in Chinese.
Chan and Zen Buddhism - A compilation of important links to materials for the study of Chan and Zen Buddhism, primarily for the use of college students.
College of Buddhist Studies - Offers certificate in Buddhist Studies. Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Electronic Buddhist Text Initiative (EBTI) - Shares information and provides a system of organization for the task of inputting Buddhist canonical text collections.
Foundation of Buddhist Thought - A two-year intermediate level online course taught by Geshe Tashi Tsering.
Meta Description: [ An in-depth two year taught correspondence course in Buddhist Studies devised particularly for western students by Geshe Tashi Tsering. ]
H-Buddhism - H-Net discussion group that serves as a medium for information exchange regarding academic resources, research projects, and scholarly publications for specialists in Buddhist Studies. Features archive, search, links to related resources, subscription details, and job listings.
Meta Description: [ The Buddhist Scholars Information Network (H-Buddhism) serves as a medium for the exchange of information regarding academic resources, new research projects, scholarly publications, university job listings, and so forth, for specialists in Buddhist Studies who are currently affiliated with acade... ]
Institute of Buddhist Studies - A seminary and graduate school affiliated with the Graduate Theological Union and associated with the Buddhist Churches of America. IBS offers a systematic educational program specializing in Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies and culminating in a fully accredited Master of Arts degree which is jointly administered with the GTU.
Meta Description: [ Institute of Buddhist Studies seeks to provide a program of education and training for students wishing to pursue a career in the Shin Buddhist ministry, and for those wishing to study the Shin Buddhist tradition at the graduate school level as well as to foster the development of Shin Buddhist t... ]
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International Buddhist Research and Information Center - Scholarly institution primarily focused on the study and preservation of Pali language Buddhist texts. Offers Pali language courses by email.
International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism - International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism (IRIZ) at Hanazono University (Kyoto, Japan) is an academic research institution devoted to the study of Zen Buddhism, serving the needs of researchers, students, teachers, and practitioners of Buddhism. 48.000 character Chinese character database.
Japanese Buddhism - About Buddhism in Japan: the introduction to Japan; and the different sects, with dates.
Meta Description: [ About Buddhism in Japan. ]
Journal of Buddhist Ethics - An electronic academic journal dedicated entirely to Buddhist ethics. Research articles as well as discussions and critical notes submitted to the journal are subject to blind peer review.
Karmapa International Buddhist Institute, New Delhi - Offers a four-year program of Buddhist. Founded by HH the 16th Karmapa and emphazises the teachings of the Karma Kagyü school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Meta Description: [ The Karmapa International Buddhist Institute is a college for advanced Buddhist studies. KIBI's purpose is to foster wisdom and compassion through the study and translation of the great Buddhist treatises. ]
Major of Seon Studies - Information on this program offered by South Korea's Dongguk University, including required courses.
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Naropa Institute: Master of Divinity in Buddhist Studies - Offers Tibetan and Indian Buddhism, and Tibetan and Sanskrit language classes.
Origins of Buddhism - A Christian analysis of the history and development of Buddhism.
Meta Description: [ This chapter takes the Buddhist system from its rise in India to the spread of the Theravadin system and the developments of the subsequent Mahayana and Hinayana systems. ]
Pali Language Sources and Resources - Original language of Buddhist sutras.
Resources for the Study of Buddhism - Links to both general Buddhist resources and specialized materials on Zen, Chinese Buddhism, Yogacara Buddhism, and various Buddhist sutras.
Meta Description: [ Site contains links to both general Buddhist resources and specialized materials on Zen, Chinese Buddhism, Yogacara Buddhism, and various Buddhist scriptures (sutras/suttas). ]
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Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry - Offers a broad education in traditional Buddhist values critically applied to contemporary needs. The nature of this education is meditative, transformative and creative. It is non-religious and non-sectarian in nature.
Siddhartha University - Nepal - The first and the only Buddhist University in Nepal.
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Sparsabhumi - Buddhist and Indological Studies - Selected Resources for the Study of Buddhism, Indian Philosophy and Culture and the Encounter between India and the Western World (Buddhist Texts in Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Central Asian Languages, Chinese and in Modern European Languages, Sanskrit Literature in General, Other Indian Languages Texts, Buddhist and Indian Art and Western Classical Texts of Interest to the Indologist and the Buddhist Scholar)
Meta Description: [ Selected Resources for the Study of Buddhism, Indian Philosophy and Culture (Buddhist Texts in Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Sanskrit Literature Indian Languages Texts, Buddhist and Indian Art ]
Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project - Download site for the first public domain electronic version of the Sri Lankan version of the Pali Canon.
Stanford Center for Buddhist Studies - Serves to coordinate, support, and develop the university's resources for Buddhist studies and other Asian religions in four general areas: scholarly research, academic communication, teaching, and public outreach.
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The Buddhist Library - Located in Singapore.
Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna's Middle Way - Academic thesis on early Buddhism, the historical context of Nagarjuna, Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika, and the Philosophy of Madhyamika.
Tipitaka.org - The Vipassana Research Institute publishes the Tipitaka in the pali language on a CD-ROM.
Meta Description: [ The Pali Tipitaka ]
UK Association for Buddhist Studies - Acts as a focus for Buddhist Studies in the UK, and is open to academics, post-graduates, and unaffiliated Buddhist scholars or interested Buddhist practitioners. Based at the University of Sunderland.
University of Bristol, Centre for Buddhist Studies -
University of the West - Ch'an-affiliated Buddhist University, based in Rosemead, California.
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