Buddhism: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:35, 14 September 2006

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'''[[Theravada|Theravāda]]''' is [[Pāli]] for "the Doctrine of the Elders" (from [[Sanskrit]] '''sthavira''', Pāli '''thera''', "elder person"). The Theravāda school bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the [[Pali Canon|Pāli canon]] and its commentaries. The [[sutra|sutta]] (Sanskrit: sūtra) collections and [[Vinaya]] texts of the Pāli canon (and the corresponding texts in other versions of the [[Tripitaka|Tripiṭaka]]), are generally considered by modern scholars to be the earliest written Buddhist literature, and they are accepted as authentic in every branch of Buddhism.

Theravāda is the only surviving representative of the historical [[early Buddhist schools]]. Theravāda is primarily practiced today in [[Sri Lanka]], [[Myanmar]], [[Laos]], [[Thailand]], [[Cambodia]] as well as portions of [[China]], [[Vietnam]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]]. The ultimate aim of practice according to Theravāda Buddhism is tothe attainattainment of [[Nirvana|freedom from suffering]]. SufferingThis experienc of suffering is thaughttaught to be caused by greed, aversion and delusion, andwhile freedom from these can be attained though practicing the [[Noble Eightfold Path]]. [[Nirvana|Nibbāna]] refers to freedom from suffering, and also entails freedom from [[rebirth]].

===Mahāyāna===