BuddhismBuddhism ranks among the world's oldest and most influential world religions. It was founded some 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, in northeast India. Today Buddhism has spread to nearly every region of the world. The doctrine of the Buddha centers on the Four Noble Truths, the Law of Dependent Origination, a reinterpretation of the Hindu concept of karma, and the rejection of the existence of a permanent, unchanging, and stable self. Much of the practice of Buddhist monks focuses on meditation, scriptural learning, and ritual performances; the practice of Buddhist laymen finds expression in the observation of moral precepts, veneration of the Buddha, and provision of offerings to the monks.
Kinnard, Jacob. "Buddhism." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1: Religions and Denominations, Gale, 2015, pp. 55-84. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3602600018/GVRL?u=erieccn_main&sid=GVRL&xid=e98fa856. Accessed 5 Jan. 2021.