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Essence of World Religions
Buddhism
Founded 2,500 year ago in India Founder Gautama Siddhartha known as Buddha, who was the most recent in a long series of Buddhas. Major Scriptures “Tripitakä” (three baskets of wisdom) is for the Therävada sect. It is written in the Päli Präkrit language. It contains discourses (Sutta), rules of conduct (Vinaya), and analysis of doctrine (Abhidhamma). "Sutras" is for Mahäyäna sects. The major Sutras are Anguttara Nikaya, Dhammapada, Sutta Nipatta, and Samyutta Nikaya. They are written in Sanskrit overlapped with Päli language. Sects There are two main sects, Theräväda (Hinayana) and Mahäyäna. The Theräväda, or "Way of the Elders," is the more conservative of the two. It is dominant in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. The Mahayana, or “Great Vehicle," is more diverse and liberal. It is mainly found in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and among Tibetan peoples, where it is distinguished by its emphasis on the Buddhist Tantras. Zen Buddhism is a major sect of Mahäyäna.
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