Theravada Buddhism

Theravada, literally “The Way of the Elders,” was one of the eighteen earliest sub-schools of Buddhism. Today, the term designates the various traditions of Buddhism most prominent in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Although these traditions differ in important ways, they share with one another an emphasis on the historicity of the Buddha, the use of Pali as a liturgical language, and reliance on a particular commentarial tradition.