Buddhism
Buddhism, one of the major religions of the world, was founded by Siddhartha
Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India from 560 to 480 B.C. The time of the
Buddha was one of social and religious change, marked by the further advance of Aryan
civilization into the Ganges Plain, the development of trade and cities, the breakdown of
old tribal structures, and the rise of a whole spectrum of new religious movements that
responded to the demands of the times (Conze 10). These movements were derived from
the Brahmanic tradition of Hinduism but were also reactions against it. Of the new sects,
Buddhism was the most successful and eventually spread throughout India and most of
Asia.
Today it is common to divide Buddhism into two main branches. The Theravada, or
"Way of the Elders," is the more conservative of the two; it is dominant in Sri Lanka,
Burma, and Thailand (Berry 23). The Mahayana, or "Great Vehicle," is more diverse and
liberal; it is found......
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