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The major religions in the subcontinent are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Strong Indian, Chinese, Burmese and other Southeast Asian influences are still evident in traditional Thai culture. Buddhism, Animism and Westernization also play a significant role in shaping the culture.
Buddhism (/ ˈ b ʊ d ɪ z əm / BUUD-ih-zəm, US also / ˈ b uː d-/ BOOD-), [1] [2] [3] also known as Buddha Dharma, is an Indian religion [a] and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. [7]
During the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom (1287–1552), Theravada Buddhism was the dominant religion in Burma, with strong ties to Sri Lankan Buddhism. [152] One of their kings, Dhammazedi , is particularly known for his reformation of Burmese Buddhism from the Sri Lankan Mahavihara tradition between 1476 and 1479. [ 153 ]
The earliest Buddhist art is from the Mauryan era (322 BCE – 184 BCE), there is little archeological evidence for pre-Mauryan period symbolism. [6] Early Buddhist art (circa 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) is commonly (but not exclusively) aniconic (i.e. lacking an anthropomorphic image), and instead used various symbols to depict the Buddha.
Buddhism and Jainism are two Indian religions that developed in Magadha and continue to thrive in the modern age. Gautam Buddha and Mahavira are generally accepted as contemporaries. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently. [ 2 ]
Followers of Buddhism called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Saugata. [10] Other terms were Sakyans or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India. [11] [12] Sakyaputto was another term used by Buddhists, as well as Ariyasavako [13] and Jinaputto. [14] Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez states they also used the term Bauddha. [15]
Historically, the roots of Buddhism lie in the religious thought of Iron Age India around the middle of the first millennium BCE. [5] This was a period of great intellectual ferment and socio-cultural change known as the Second Urbanisation, marked by the growth of towns and trade, the composition of the Upanishads and the historical emergence of the Śramaṇa traditions.
This list shows the distribution of the Buddhist religion, practiced by about 535 million people as of the 2010s, [1] [2] representing 7% to 8% of the world's total population. It also includes other entities such as some territories. Buddhism is the State religion in four countries — Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. [3]