Buddhism

Buddhism
Links: Pages on Buddhism, Other Religions
God(s)	Atheist / Monotheist / Polytheist / Other
Adherent	Buddhist
Adherents	Buddhists
Texts	Multifaceted. Includes Pali Canon and the Mahayana sutras, depending.
Afterlife	Reincarnation until escape
Founding
Heritage	Hinduism
Area of Origin	India
When	1st millennium BCE
Founder	From traditions based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama
Numbers in the UK (Census results)
2001	144 453	2011	248 000
Buddhists Worldwide (Pew & WM)
World: 5.91%. Cambodia (96.9%), Thailand (93.2%), Myanmar (Burma) (80.1%), Bhutan (74.7%), Sri Lanka (69.3%), Laos (66%), Mongolia (55.1%), Japan (36.2%), Singapore (33.9%), South Korea (22.9%) 1

The historical evidence does not make it easy to trace the beginnings of Buddhism except that it sprung out of, and shares many basic beliefs, with Hinduism and other Vedic Faiths. "During the reign of emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE) Buddhism became a major Indian religion and was subsequently established across the whole subcontinent and beyond"₂ and is now counted as one of the great world religions_3,4,5,6. It has grown so diverse that it is very hard to define its core nature - in 1913 one scholar pointed out that "in Japan alone it has differentiated itself into thirteen main sects and forty-four sub-sects"₇. Buddhism is a well-liked and respected atheist religion_{8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19} and in the West; many attend Buddhist retreats, meditation centres and classes. Western Buddhist communities nearly all run such events for the general public. But in the West many who put "Buddhist" on census forms have merely attended some of these and who have an interest, but are not committed Buddhists, which artificially inflates the numbers.

1. Main Pages on Buddhism
2. Numbers of Buddhists Around the World, by Country
3. Calendar (2025)
4. Denominations
5. Karma
6. Religion in China
7. Links

1. Main Pages on Buddhism

• Zen Buddhism (2018)

• Buddhist Extremism (2018)

• Buddhism is an Atheist Religion (2018)

• The Evil One in Buddhism: Māra, the Buddhist Satan (2014)

• Criticisms of Buddhism: Its History, Doctrine and Common Practices (2011)

Minor pages:

• The Ethic of Reciprocity appears in many religions. Buddha said 'Let a man overcome anger by kindness, evil by good' - it is the same rule later adopted by Christians as their Golden Rule, by Pagans as the Wiccan Rede and by many others. "Ethics Of Reciprocity like the Golden Rule and the Wiccan Rede Do Not Work" by Vexen Crabtree (2015).

• The Buddhist Emperor Wang Mang was 'probably the first recorded ruler to abolish the slave trade' on "Religion and Abolition of the Historical Slave Trade" by Vexen Crabtree (2003).

2. Numbers of Buddhists Around the World, by Country

#religion

The population of 7 countries are half (or mostly) Buddhist (2011)₁. Comparing those 7 country(ies) to the rest of the world:

• Buddhist countries' average life expectancy at birth (71.6yrs) is close to the global average (71.3yrs).₂₂

• Buddhist countries' average fertility rate is 2.22, compared with the global average of 2.81. Values above 2.1 cause population growth, putting further strain on the Earth's resources. See: The Population of the Earth.₂₃

• Buddhist countries are much poorer than the global average with an average Gross National Income (GNI; per capita) of $9 323. This compares to the global average of $20 136.₂₄

• Buddhist countries' scoring on the UN's Gender Inequality Index (0.40) is worse than the global average (0.36).₂₅. See Religion Versus Womankind.

• When it comes to tolerance of homosexuality and LGBT rights, Buddhists' countries are even worse than the global average, scoring 7 on the Social and Moral Development Index LGBT component compared with the global average of 12.6.

3. Calendar (2025)

#religious_calendars

There are few Buddhist dates listed due to the complexity & multiplicity of all the various calendars in use in south-east Asia.

4. Denominations

#buddhism #china #india #japan #myanmar_(burma) #nepal #religion #sri_lanka #thailand #therevada_buddhism

As a truly ancient religion, Buddhism has developed many factions, denominations and sects - so many that it is difficult to define its core nature. In 1913 one scholar pointed out that "in Japan alone it has differentiated itself into thirteen main sects and forty-four sub-sects"₇. Here are the largest definable groups.

• Therevada Buddhism. Founded in the 5th century BCE. Older and simpler Buddhism, based mainly on the Pali texts₂₆. It can be called 'Hinayana' which means 'Small Vehicle', but is too easily used insultingly to mean 'inferior'₂₆. It's also called "Southern Buddhism" because it is popular in south-east Asia, e.g. in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand₂₆.

• Pure Land Buddhism. Founded in the 2nd century BCE. Adherents aim to get reborn into specific mystical regions that are associated with various Buddhas, as a way of speeding up the escape from samsara and the attainment of Enlightenment.

• Mahayana Buddhism. Founded in the 1st century. "Great Vehicle" Buddhism, which started with traditions from the Han Dynasty. Kaiten Nukariya₇ says in 1913 that 'very little' is known of 'Northern Buddhism' outside of the Orient, because of translation difficulties₂₆; but things are much better now and it has become the most practised form of Buddhism in the world.

• Vajrayana Buddhism. Founded in the 5th century. The newest of the three 'vehicles', with a focus more towards tantra. Popular in Nepal, China, Japan, Tibet₂₆.

• Zen Buddhism [Link]. Founded in the 7th/8th century. Forms of Zen Buddhism are at least as old as Buddhism in general₂₇. Zen is famous for its physical and mental training and its rejection of written scriptures₂₈, and the concentration on logical mental dilemmas and paradoxes. Forms of Zen Buddhism are at least as old as Buddhism in general₂₇. Zen is famous for its physical and mental training and its rejection of written scriptures₂₈, and the concentration on logical mental dilemmas and paradoxes.

5. Karma

#afterlife #buddhism #christianity #hinduism #india #jainism #karma #new_age #reincarnation #sikhism #taoism #vedic_religions

William James says that Buddhism, like Christianity, is more "complete" than many other religions because it has attempted complex explanations of why suffering exists. See The Problem of Evil: Why Would a Good God Create Suffering?.

“Karma is an important concept in a range of Vedic religions and cultures, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism_29,30, all stemming from Indian beliefs. Karma is a universal principal and cosmic law, like the Tao of Taoism₃₁. Unlike Taoism, individual beings (and the entire universe) go through a large number of incarnations₃₂. It is closely linked to the concept of continual rebirth (reincarnation)₃₃. Although belief in Karma is a good tool for improving motivation to treat others well, it also has a worrying implication: Karma creates blames on those suffering from disabilities and other ailments, unfairly insinuating that they deserve their problems.

Original Jain beliefs had it that all actions had negative karma and only complete serenity and detachment could help the situation₃₄. Later Jain beliefs came closer Hindu and Buddhist ideas: Acts of merit such as pilgrimages and worship can improve your next fate₃₅. Eventually, beings can break free from the cycle and scape the evil world in which we all are trapped. In Hinduism and Jainism this liberation is called moksha₃₂ and can come realisation that "the inner atman and the universal brahman are identical"₃₂. It is held back by any accumulated karma₃₂. In Buddhism the result is the attainment of enlightenment and nirvana. Western New Age movements have also taken on the concept "though sometimes with a degree of misunderstanding"₃₅. All in all, more people on Earth believe in Karma through a series of rebirths than in any other religious principle._{33,34,35,36,37,38}”

"How Does Karma Work in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017)

“Karma. A volitional action which is either wholesome or unwholesome, and in consequence either rewarded or punished.”

"Buddhist Scriptures" by Edward Conze (1959)₃₉

In Buddhism, karma is not simple₄₀. There are many streams of cause and effect (niamas). Ken Jones in "The Social Face of Buddhism"₄₁ writes "all, however, are also expressions of a Universal Consciousness, alayavijnana. The 'law' of kamma and the 'law' of cause and effect are thus not synonymous in Buddhism. Kammaic 'law' is simply one kind of cause and effect relationship"₄₀. Buddhism "rejects a fatalstic view of karma"₃₅ which means that individuals can do something about it, by changing their behaviour, improving their outlook, avoiding bad deeds, and engaging in ethical behaviour₄₀. Karma isn't just about actions: a lot of it is about internal state of mind, internal desire and internal psychology₄₀. When it comes to Buddhism's multistreamed laws of cause and effect, thought crime has ramifications across multiple lifetimes.

“Buddhists believe that we are tied to the cycles of death and birth through desire and can be born again in many different forms. But they believe they can find a way to escape this cycle, to be finally released from reincarnation to reach nirvana.”

"Religions of the World" by Breuilly, O'Brien & Palmer (1997)₃₆

“Traditional and canonical Buddhism extends the span of kamma through successive rebirths. The succession, however, is that of a vital energy, not of a reincarnated personality.”

"The Social Face of Buddhism" by Ken Jones (1989)₄₀

“Karma was a pivotal concept in Indian thinking, around which turned the whole question of why life is as it is. ... It can act as an explanation of why misfortune happens when it is not recognisably the result of particular actions. [...] The importance of karma is that i[t] demonstrates the practicality of Buddhist teachings. Ethical considerations become paramount, because liberating oneself from the dis-ease of samsaric existence is a karmic matter.”

"Buddhism" by Clive Erricker (1995)₃₈

Bad karma resulting from previous bad decisions, in this life or in former lives, can cause suffering in the current incarnation. The Buddha said:

“Evil in the future is the fruit of bodily offence. Evil is the fruit of offence by word, by thought, in the future life. If I offend in deed, in word, in thought, should not I, when the body breaks up, after death be reborn in the Waste, the Way of Woe, the Downfall, the Purgatory?”

The Buddha
In Anguttara Nikaya Part 2, Chapter 1:1₄₂

There are many variations in specific beliefs between different Buddhist groups. One of the most unique is Mahayanan belief that upon finally achieving nirvana, the result is not annihilation, but, eternal existence in a place free from karma, without the worry of reincarnation. Some branches call it Pure Land, and also tell stories that there are various plains of distance at various distances from it; being reborn in them improves your chances of getting to Nirvana.₄₃

6. Religion in China₄₄

#buddhism #china #confucianism #eastern_religion #religion_in_china #taoism

Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Chinese folk religion are the four main forms of religion in China; their beliefs and practices have intermingled and interchanged over thousands of years, and most local communities combine parts of all of them_{45,46,47,48,49}. China's earliest dynasties continued folk practices that have existed since pre-history, with religious leaders being shamans and guides speaking on behalf of the spirit world₅₀ and a multitude of local gods and practices, and some of those ancient practices persist today in rural areas. Despite liberalisation over the past several decades, large numbers of Chinese - two thirds - do not consider themselves religious at all₅₁ and most new religious movements are suppressed_52,53.

Although Buddhism can be found in China from the 1st century CE, it didn't have much influence₄₆ until after the tumultuous era at the end of the Han dynasty in the 3rd century CE when Confucianism fall out of favour₅₄.

“... although it was not until at least the fifth century that reliable translations and scholarly study were being carried out in China. Buddhism complemented existing Chinese thought by adding a religious dimension related to the explanation of suffering and the path to liberation. Buddhist thought also added to Chinese metaphysics.”

"The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen (1999)₄₆

For more, see:

• "Religion in China" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).