Buddhism

Buddhism, which is a major world religion, was founded in India and based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is more commonly referred to as Buddha, or the Enlightened One. Beginning as a monastic movement, Buddhism quickly developed in a distinctive direction. Buddha not only rejected important aspects of Hindu philosophy, but also questioned the authority of the priests, denied the legitimacy of holy writings, and rejected the cult based on them. Furthermore, he opened his movement to members of all castes, opposing the teaching that a person’s spiritual worth is a matter of birth.
Today, Buddhism is branched into two major parts known to
their followers as Theravada, Way of the Elders, and Mahayana, the Great Vehicle. Followers of Mahayana refer to Theravada using the derogatory term Hinayana, the Lesser Vehicle. Buddhism has been a very significant religion in India. The number of Buddhists worldwide has been estimated to be around three-hundred and fifty mill...