Topic > Asian Philosophies - 540

BuddhismBuddhism similar to Hinduism is also considered a philosophy and a religion, the practices of this religion are based on the teachings of Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama is the first person who practiced Buddhism and is known as Buddha, he lived between the 6th and 4th centuries BC in the Indian subcontinent and taught the practices to many students, including the eightfold path. Through these practices and understandings provided to students, it has been divided into subcultures very similar to Christianity, in the way that they all practice the same religion they differ only slightly from each other. Early Theravada Buddhism is the oldest surviving branch of the religion; which literally means "the teaching of the elders" is passed down from generation to generation. Being quite conservative, it is closer to early Buddhism than other branches. Mahayana, the second of the two largest branches, literally meaning "Great Vehicle", currently holds 56% of total practices. Mahayana is also closely related to the early practices of Buddhism. Both are the largest forms of ...