Buddhism is the name of the religion, and its followers are known as Buddhists.
Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha, which means 'enlightened one'. The Buddha was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, who is said to have lived nearly 2,500 years ago in India.
Today there are around 376 million Buddhists living around the world, with approximately 180,000 living in the UK.
Five key facts
Watch to find out how Hivin lives his life according to Buddhist teachings, including how he worships and what he eats.
My name is Hivin and I'm a Buddhist. I follow the teachings of the Buddha, who lived two and a half thousand years ago. He said that life was full of suffering and that suffering was caused by desire and wanting things. So the way to stop suffering is to stop wanting things - and we do that by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Buddha isn't a god, but we use a statue of him to help us concentrate on his teachings when we meditate. Meditation is a mixture of calming the body and thinking deeply about something. We can do this at home or in the vihara, which is a place where Buddhist monks live. One way of doing this is to chant sutras together in the shrine room or prayer hall.
In Buddhism, we have a lot of holy books and the oldest is called the Tripitaka or Pali canon. I especially like a small part of it called the Dhammapada, which is a collection of Buddhist sayings.
Buddhist monks and nuns wear simple robes. The colour depends on the denomination or branch of Buddhism that they belong to but they're usually autumn colours: yellow, orange, brown, maroon. Monks and nuns also shave their heads to show that they've stopped worrying about the way they look. The rest of us don't have to dress in any special way, but on special occasions we wear white as a sign of purity.
Buddhists have five precepts, which are rules to follow. The first one is to not kill anything, so many Buddhists choose to not eat meat. I sometimes eat meat, but today it's all vegetarian!
What do Buddhists believe and how do they worship?
Click the image below to discover more about Buddhism.
Religious symbol
The dharmachakra, also known as wheel of dharma, is widely used as the symbol of Buddhism. It shows a wheel with eight spokes, representing the Noble Eightfold Path and the teachings of the Buddha.
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are the basis of the Buddha’s teachings, and they explain why people suffer and how they can end that suffering. Click on the picture below to discover more about The Four Noble Truths.
Denominations
There are two main groups in Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana.
Theravada was the tradition spread by King Ashoka who lived in India 100 years after the Buddha died. It states that each person has to find their own enlightenment (the truth about the meaning of life which the Buddha gained) through meditation and help from wise monks. Their special books are written in an ancient Indian language called Pali and they will remember the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha during the festival of Wesak.
Mahayana is split into the Northern Traditions (found in countries such as Tibet and Nepal) and the Eastern Traditions (found in countries such as China and Japan). Their special books are written in another ancient language of India called Sanskrit and during the festival of Wesak they only celebrate the birth of the Buddha.
Mahayana Buddhists believe there are many different ways to gain enlightenment and that the Bodhisattvas will help them. A Bodhisattva is someone who can gain enlightenment but decides to stop this from fully happening in order to help others gain enlightenment as well.
Meditation
Meditation is important in all branches of Buddhism. It can help clear the mind, so that negative thoughts of anger or hatred can be replaced with positive ones of loving kindness and peace. By meditating frequently, Buddhists hope to develop insight and wisdom, helping them to see the true nature of things.
There are many different forms and aims of meditation. The two major traditions are called samatha and vipassana.
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