God
Unlike the world’s other major religions, Buddhism has no concept of a creator God, heaven as the ultimate reward for a good life or hell as the place of eternal suffering.
Core beliefs
- Enlightenment or Buddhahood is achieved through the practice and development of morality, meditation, and wisdom
- Nothing is fixed or permanent. Change is always possible
- All life is interconnected, which means compassion is essential
Nirvana
Nirvana – the end of suffering – can be reached by following the Eightfold Path of:
- Right understanding
- Right thinking
- Right speaking
- Right acting
- Right lifestyle
- Right endeavouring
- Right mindfulness
- Right contemplation
Origins
Buddhism was established around 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama in India.
Statistics
There are around 350 million Buddhists worldwide, just over 151,000 in the UK and almost 2,000 in Tower Hamlets.
Diversity
Some of the world’s ancient, traditional Buddhist groupings include:
- Theravada
- Mahayana
- Tibetan Buddhism
- Ch’an (Chinese Buddhism) and Zen (Japanese Buddhism)
- Pure Land Buddhism
In recent years, up to ten different Buddhist traditions have established themselves in the West.
Worship
Buddhists worship wherever they can. Sometimes, they refer to their places of worship as temples or viharas. Otherwise, they are simply known as centres, shrine rooms or mediation rooms.
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