Buddhist

Church Directory · Non-Christian

Buddhism follows the awakening of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, and is lived in monasteries, temples, and lay practice across Asia and the world.

Organizations in This Tradition

Organization Nichiren Buddhism the Japanese school devoted to the Lotus Sutra and the chanting of its title. Organization Pure Land the Mahayana school of devotion to Amitabha Buddha, the largest form of Buddhism in East Asia. Organization Soka Gakkai a lay Buddhist movement of the Nichiren tradition, based in Japan with members worldwide. Organization Theravada the oldest surviving school, dominant in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, keeping the Pali Canon. Organization Tibetan Buddhism the Vajrayana Buddhism of Tibet and the Himalayas, in its Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya schools. Organization Zen the Mahayana school of meditation seated in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

Religious Art & Images

Art Entry A Gandhara Buddha The Buddha in human form from the workshops of Gandhara (1st–3rd century CE): Apollo's face, a Roman toga's folds, and the lakshanas of the Buddha — the image that changed Buddhist art forever. 1st–3rd century CE Art Tradition Buddhism Symbols before images, the Buddha image after Gandhara and Mathura, and a scholarly debate that is not settled. Art Entry The Bharhut Railing The carved sandstone railing of the Bharhut stupa (c. 150–100 BCE), its medallions crowded with jataka tales and labeled in Brahmi — and the Buddha, in scene after scene, present only by symbol. c. 150–100 BCE Art Entry The Great Stupa at Sanchi The oldest stone stupa in India, begun under Ashoka and crowned with four carved gateways: the reliquary mound as Buddhism's first monumental art, and its first aniconic center. 3rd century BCE – 1st century CE Art Entry The Hanging Temple A monastery of forty halls pinned to a cliff face on Mount Heng, holding altars to Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha under one roof — the Three Teachings in a single building. Origins 6th century; present fabric Ming–Qing Art Entry The Sand Mandala Monks lay down a palace of the deities grain by grain in colored sand, contemplate it for days — and then sweep it away and pour it into running water. Medieval origins; practiced today Art Entry The Tibetan Thangka A portable scroll painting of a Buddha or deity in exact iconometric proportion — a meditation support, a teaching diagram, and a presence, rolled for the road and unrolled for the rite. Tradition from the 11th century; pictured example 18th century

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