Origins and Development

The history of Buddhism began with the life of the Buddha in the 6th century BCE and continues to the present day. Buddhism encompasses an enormous diversity of practices and traditions, yet the basic teachings of the Buddha remain the clear light at the center of all.

Elephant, lotus, parasol
  • Four carved golden statues of Buddha in wall
    Dukkha: What the Buddha Meant by 'Life Is Suffering'
  • Theravada Buddhist Monk
    Introduction to Theravada Buddhism
  • Happy Buddha
    The Life of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama
  • Rinzai Zen Instruments.
    The Saying "Empty Your Cup"
  • Golden Dharma Wheel
    The Dharma Wheel (Dharmachakra) Symbol in Buddhism
  • Close-up of giant Buddha in Ngong Ping village, Hong Kong.
    What Do Buddhists Mean by 'Enlightenment'?
  • Mayanmar; Scriptures Being Read By A Buddhist Monk
    An Overview of Buddhist Scriptures
  • Japanese Nun
    Mindfulness of Mind
  • Low angle view of golden Buddha statue under cloudy sky
    The Buddhist Teachings of Self and No-Self
  • Buddha in Tea Garden
    The Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism
  • Phra Buddhasurintaramongkol
    Nirvana and The Concept of Freedom in Buddhism
  • Purple Lotus
    The Symbol of the Lotus
  • The Parasol
    The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism
  • Pink Water Lily
    Right Effort in Buddhism
  • Ladle pouring Liquid On Buddha Figurine During Festival
    Buddha's Birthday
  • Tibetan Buddhist monks sound long horns to begin Losar observance at Bodhnath Stupa, Nepal
    Losar: The Tibetan New Year
  • Body Nanoparticles
    The Five Skandhas
  • Lotus Sutra Chant
    Overview of the Lotus Sutra
  • Buddhist monks in front of Angkor wat temple, Cambodia
    The Buddha's Robe
  • Man Rising From the Ashes, Energy, Aura, Power, Reincarnation
    What Does "Samsara" Mean in Buddhism?
  • Mara and his temptations, detail from a mural in Wat Dusidaram, a temple in Bangkok, Thailand.
    The Demon Mara
  • School of Fish / Enso
    Interbeing
  • The Treats! Magazine 4th Annual White Party Sponsored By Stella Artois
    The Fifth Buddhist Precept and Drinking Alcohol
  • Swift Stream Through Forest
    Srotapanna: The Stream Enterer
  • Monk Releasing Bird
    Letting It Go
  • Golden Buddhas at Wat Arun
    Taking Refuge: Becoming a Buddhist
  • Washing Baby Buddha during Vesak
    Vesak: Most Sacred Holy Day of Theravada Buddhism
  • Baby Owls
    Right Mindfulness
  • Buddha, Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
    Rebirth and Reincarnation in Buddhism
  • Buddhist monks meditate inside the Wat Phan Tao, Chiang Mai
    Right Speech From the Buddhist Eightfold Path
  • Bird Formations
    Samskara or Sankhara
  • Giant Buddha of Kamakura and flowers
    The Essence of the Heart Sutra
  • Golden Dharma Wheel
    The Eightfold Path: The Way to Enlightenment in Buddhism
  • The Four Noble Truths in Buddhism: Life is suffering, suffering is due to desire, the cure is letting go, walk the eightfold path.
    The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism
  • Chinese Dragon, Thean Hou
    Dragons, Demons and More: a Guide to Buddhist Temple Guardians
  • A smiling stone Buddha in the forest outside of Chaya, Thailand.
    Why 'Right Intention' Is Important in Buddhism
  • Rows of Buddhas statues and heads at display
    What Is a Buddha? Who Was the Buddha?
  • Buddha
    The Buddhist Precepts
  • Giant Buddhas at the Yungang Grottoes,
    History of Buddhism in China: The First Thousand Years
  • Search For Prized Fungus A Way Of Life On Tibetan Plateau
    An Introduction to the Fourth Buddhist Precept: Truthfulness
  • Boy Smells Flower
    Sadayatana: The Six Sense Organs and Their Objects
  • Buddha and Sun
    The Search for Original Buddhism
  • Dewdrop on Leaf
    Right Concentration in Buddhism
  • White Buddha
    Buddhism and Metaphysics
  • King Menander I
    King Milinda's Questions and the Chariot Simile
  • Buddha Statue With Flowers
    Karma and Rebirth
  • A monk meditates at Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment.
    The Five Remembrances
  • hands-of-hell.jpg
    Buddhist Hell
  • Taipei Temple Dragon
    Dragons in Buddhism
  • Statues at Leshan, China
    Maha Pajapati and the First Nuns
  • Guan Yin
    Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva
  • Seeds and sprout
    Alaya-vijnana: The Storehouse Consciousness
  • Ocean Waves
    Reincarnation Without Souls?
  • Buddha's Birthday South Korea
    When Is Buddha's Birthday?
  • The Vajrapradama Mudra represents unshakable confidence and trust.
    Shraddha: The Faith of Buddhism
  • Tibetan Thangka painting of Manjusri
    Manjusri, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Wisdom
  • Blue temple Chiang Rai
    Major Mahayana Sutras
  • Pali Scirptures
    Definition of Buddhist Term: Tripitaka
  • The stone faces of Angkor Thom
    Ten Famous Buddhas: Where They Came From; What They Represent
  • Guanyin or Avalokiteshvara
    What's a Bodhisattva?
  • Thich Nhat Hanh
    Biography of Thich Nhat Hanh
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