Buddhism

Introduction

Buddhism, founded upon the teaching of Siddattha Gotama / Siddhartha Gautama who discovered the Dhamma / Dharma, was
born about two thousand five hundred years ago in north eastern India. In its various forms, Buddhism is a worldwide religion
with over 360 million adherents which is about 6% of the world’s population.
The resources contained in the list of subjects to the right are a basic introduction to the facts and beliefs of Buddhism. They are
a portal or window into the world Buddhism and by following the websites and bibliographies, an enquirer may discover more
and more about this faith.
The six units are based on the QCA non-statutory framework for Religious Education and the Areas of Enquiry. They provide
not only a comprehensive guide to the factual and belief structures of Buddhism, but also address the issues that Buddhism
encounters as it engages with the 21st century.
Pali is the language of the texts of the Theravada school, whilst Sanskrit is used for general Mahayana. Out of respect for these
two traditions, both terms are given: first the Pali and then the Sanskrit.