Origins and Beliefs of Buddhism
The history of Buddhism begins with the life of Buddha, 25 centuries ago. It was founded on Hindu beliefs. The founder of Buddhism in this world is Buddha Shakyamuni. He was born as a royal prince in 624 B.V. in Lumbini, which was originally in Northern India; now, it is in Nepal’s territory. He was born into a royal family called ‘Shakya’, and ‘Muni’ means ‘Able one’. Buddhism began with the teachings of a holy man in India but nowadays it grew and became the fourth largest religion in the world, with an estimated 370 million followers. As it spread and grew over the centuries, Buddhism became more diverse. Many cultures influenced and have created a rich variety of Buddhist philosophies, scriptures, art and iconography, and practices. For the next 500 years, the Sangha, which is a sub-religion of Buddhism, grew from small groups to become a major religion of the Indian subcontinent. During the early period, the first Buddhist scriptures were written, and Buddhism was divided into the two major schools, Theravada and Mahayana.
The first five centuries of Buddhist history took place mostly within the Indian subcontinent. Around the year 1 CE, a new chapter of Buddhist history began when monks took the idea of dharma into China. Over the next several centuries Buddhism spread throughout southeast Asia and also from China into Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, Japan and eventually to the rest of the world. About 2,000 years ago Buddhism divided into two major schools, most often known as Theravada and Mahayana. For centuries, Theravada has been the dominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar) and Laos. Mahayana is dominant in China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea and Vietnam, and recently India. The articles linked below explain how the two schools originated and how they differ. Theravada, Mahayana Buddhism subdivided into a number of important sub-schools and sects. The schools of Mahayana are remarkably diverse; they are built upon the historical Buddha’s teachings.