#  Introduction to Buddhism 

 



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  [### The Path of Awakening

 ](/the-path-of-awakening)In the 5th century BCE, Siddhartha Gautama became Buddha (“the Awakened One”); his teachings would spread throughout Asia and the world. The two main contemporary streams of Buddhism are the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, with Vajrayana, a subset of...



 

 

   ![Path of Awakening](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/path_of_awakening.jpg?itok=evgHzPA2) 

 



 

 

   [### Prince Siddhartha: Renouncing the World

 ](/prince-siddhartha-renouncing-the-world)Living in luxury, the young Prince Siddhartha traveled outside his palace and encountered the Four Sights: an old person, a sick person, a dead person, and a wandering ascetic. He left his royal life to live in the forest, and he began his training in...



 

 

   ![Prince Siddhartha](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/prince_siddhartha.jpg?itok=FWoWAvBJ) 

 



 

 

   [### Becoming the “Buddha”: The Way of Meditation

 ](/becoming-the-%E2%80%9Cbuddha%E2%80%9D-the-way-of-meditation)Under the Bodhi Tree, Siddhartha defeated the demon Mara. Siddhartha attained nirvana, the “blowing out” of the flames of desire. In that moment Siddhartha became the Buddha ("the Awakened One"), and he is now called *Shakyamuni Buddha*, the “Sage of the...



 

 

   ![Becoming the Buddha](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/becoming_the_buddha.jpg?h=98801c40&itok=QJV5wo5e) 

 



 

 

   [### The Dharma: The Teachings of the Buddha

 ](/the-dharma-the-teachings-of-the-buddha)After achieving enlightenment, the Buddha gave his first sermon, teaching his disciples about suffering and the way to escape it. This teaching includes the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Noble Path. The truths that the Buddha...



 

 

   ![The Dharma](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/the_dharma.jpg?itok=dABqHHCo) 

 



 

 

   [### The Sangha: The Buddhist Community

 ](/the-sangha-the-buddhist-community)The Buddha established the *Sangha*— originally a community of celibate monks and nuns who follow strict discipline and teach the *Dharma* to fellow Buddhists. Some consider the *Sangha* to include both monastics and Buddhist laypeople.



 

 

   ![The Sangha](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/the_sangha.jpg?itok=aOlCiNUm) 

 



 

 

   [### The Three Treasures

 ](/the-three-treasures)All Buddhists “take refuge” in the Three Treasures—*Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha*—but interpretations of these Three Treasures differ widely across Buddhist traditions.



 

 

   ![Three Treasures](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/three_treasures.jpg?itok=-wcfBU2Q) 

 



 

 

   [### The Expansion of Buddhism

 ](/the-expansion-of-buddhism)As Buddhism spread through Asia, it formed distinct streams of thought and practice: the Theravada ("The Way of the Elders" in South and Southeast Asia), the Mahayana (the “Great Vehicle” in East Asia), and the Vajrayana (the “Diamond Vehicle” in Tibet)...



 

 

   ![The Expansion of Buddhism](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/1.png?itok=CyBV66FL) 

 



 

 

   [### Theravada: The Way of the Elders

 ](/theravada-the-way-of-the-elders)The Theravada school of Buddhism took root in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Its major characteristics include the importance of Pali Canon of scripture and commentary; the veneration of the historical Shakyamuni Buddha; and the spiritual model of the *arah*...



 

 

   ![Theravada](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/theravada.jpg?itok=Gb69892h) 

 



 

 

   [### Mahayana: The Great Vehicle

 ](/mahayana-the-great-vehicle)Emerging in the early centuries CE and flourishing in East Asia, the Mahayana tradition allows for the flexibility of the scriptural canon and forms of practice and considers itself open to a broader group of people than other streams of Buddhism. It...



 

 

   ![Mahayana](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/mahayana.jpg?itok=_aPU2_8T) 

 



 

 

   [### Vajrayana: The Diamond Vehicle

 ](/vajrayana-the-diamond-vehicle)The major stream of Buddhism in Tibet, the Vajrayana emerged in the 7th century out of the Mahayana tradition. This form of Buddhism, sometimes called “Tantric Buddhism,” asserts that distinctive ritual practices and objects such as *mantras, mandalas,* and...



 

 

   ![Vajrayana](/sites/g/files/omnuum10836/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/pluralism/files/vajrayana.jpg?h=9b6abfb4&itok=aEOj4TJY)