It is estimated that 93% of the people in Thailand and Cambodia are practicing Buddhists. They are also numerous in Burma, Bhutan, Laos, and Sri Lanka. By comparison, Buddhists make up only 36% of Japan's population, 9% of Nepal's, and only 0.8% of India's population. 1)
According to Buddhist tradition, the young Gautama was born into a royal family and, according to a prophecy, was to become either a great king or a great prophet. Since his father preferred the former eventuality for his son, he forbade mentioning any religion or human suffering to him. It was only at the age of 29, after leaving home, that Gautama learned of the existence of religion. 2)
The largest golden Buddha statue in the world is 9.8 ft high, weighs over 5 tons, and has a gold content of 40%-99% depending on the location. It was made around the 14th century. During the Burmese invasion in the 18th century, to protect it from looting, it was covered with a layer of plaster and transported to Bangkok. It remained in oblivion for 200 years, the golden statue was accidentally discovered in the 20th century during restoration works. Today's market value of the used metal is about 250 million dollars. 3)
Kalmykia is an autonomous Russian Federation republic located on the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea. The traditional religion of the Kalmyks is, quite unexpectedly, Tibetan Buddhism. This region in Russia is the only place in Europe where Buddhists make up most of the population. 4)
The Longmen Grottoes, also Dragon Gate Stone Caves, is one of the temples carved into the limestone rocks stretching along the Yi He River in eastern China. In 1915-1916, the city government estimated that the caves contained 97306 Buddha figures. However, a recent count showed that there are 142289 statues. 5)
Buddhism is a religion (philosophical-ethical system) in which the concept of a personal God plays a secondary role (or even none at all). It is a non-theistic system that neither affirms nor denies the existence of a god. 6)
The ultimate goal of all Buddhists is to achieve enlightenment and liberation from the circle of successive incarnations. 7)
The term “Buddhism” is a Western neologism and was created relatively recently by Western scholars. Earlier in the East, the name dharma, sasana, or buddahasasana was used to describe these practices. 8)
Buddhism is based on the Four Noble Truths, which are the foundation of Buddhism, and the Eightfold Path, which is meant to lead to the cessation of suffering. The Four Noble Truths arose from Buddha Siddhartha Gautama's experience of “Awakening” (Enlightenment). Awakening is realized after prolonged meditation practice, or suddenly. “Awakened” is Sanskrit for “buddha,” and this was the name Gautama took when he began preaching his teachings. 9)
The Buddha taught for 45 years. He left no direct transmissions; all his knowledge was passed on to his disciples, who wrote it down or passed it on orally after his death. He preached his teachings while traveling through northern India. At first, he mainly transmitted the teachings of Theravada (the longest-established Buddhist school among the early Buddhist schools, and its teachers derived their teachings directly from the Buddha), which were used to free oneself from one's suffering. The Great Way teachings, which emphasize the importance of wisdom and compassion to help oneself and others, are based on them. Finally, the Buddha gave the Vajrayana teachings (related to the practice of tantras), which served to recognize the nature of the mind. 10)
In the 11th and 12th centuries, Theravada Buddhism (so-called Southern Buddhism) was known in Southeast Asian countries ( Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia Cambodia, Laos, and Bali). In contrast, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism (so-called Northern Buddhism) appeared in China, Japan, parts of Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and in the early 16th century, also in Mongolia. 11)
The First Noble Truth about Suffering - talks about the five clusters of existence associated with attachment to suffering. 12)
The Second Noble Truth about the Cause of Suffering - says that the cause of suffering is desire. 13)
The Third Noble Truth of Cessation of Suffering - cessation of suffering is the complete disappearance and cessation, renunciation, abandonment, liberation, and abandonment of desire. 14)
The Fourth Noble Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering - the path to it is the Noble Eight-Step Path. 15)
The Noble Eight-Step Path is a set of basic precepts of Buddhism. 16)
“Awakening” (bodhi) is a term used by the Buddha to name his inner experience. 17)