Buddhism Facts

Meaning of name "Buddhism":

The teaching founded by the Buddha is known, in English, as Buddhism

Date founded:

c. 520 BCE

Place founded:

Northeastern India

Founder:

Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha")

Adherents:

Over 350 million 

Size rank:

Fourth largest world religion 

Main locations:

China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia

Major divisions:

Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana

Sacred texts:

Pali Canon (Tripitaka), numerous Mahayana sutras

Original language:

Pali

Spiritual leader:

Monk (lama in Tibetan Buddhism)

Place of ritual:

Temple, meditation hall.

Ultimate reality:

None. Nothing is permanent

Human nature:

There is no self or soul. Human existence is nothing more than a combination of five impermanent components (skhandas).

1.  Form

2.  Sensation

3.  Perception

4.  Mental Formation

5.  Consciousness

Purpose of life:

Theravada - Become an arhat, escape the cycle of rebirth, and attain nirvana. Mahayana - Become a boddhisatva then help others attain enlightenment.

Afterlife:

Rebirth or nirvana. Nirvana is seen simply as the cessation of suffering by some and as a heavenly paradise by others.

Three Jewels/Three Refuges:

1.  The Buddha

2.  The Dhamma/Dharma (truth or teachings)

3.  The Sangha (monastic community)
 

Three Delusions:

1. Ignorance
2. Desire
3. Anger or hatred

Three Trainings:

1. Moral discipline
2. Concentration
3. Wisdom

Three Marks of Existence:

1. Impermanence (anicca)
2. Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha)
3. No-self (anatta)

Four Immeasurables or Sublime States:

1.  Loving-kindness (metta) 
2.   Compassion (karuna) 
3.   Sympathetic joy (mudita) 
4.   Equanimity (upekkha)

Four Reminders:

1. Human life is precious.
2. Death is inevitable.
3. The laws of karma cannot be avoided.
4. Suffering permeates all existence.

Four Bodhisattva Vows:

1. I vow to rescue the boundless living beings from suffering.
2. I vow to put an end to the infinite afflictions of living beings.
3. I vow to learn the measureless Dharma-doors.
4. I vow to realize the unsurpassed path of the Buddha.

Five Precepts:

1. Do not kill.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
4. Do not lie.
5. Do not use intoxicants.

Five Powers:

1. Faith and confidence
2. Energy and effort
3. Mindfulness
4. Samadhi
5. Wisdom 

Five Hindrances:

1. Sense craving
2. Anger or ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Doubt and the inner critic

Five Dhyana (Wisdom) Buddhas:

(Names in Sanskrit language)

Vairochana
Akshobhya

Amitābha
Ratnasambhava
Amoghasiddhi

Six Perfections:

1. Concentration
2. Effort
3. Ethical behavior
4. Generosity
5. Patience
6. Wisdom

Six Realms of Existence:

1. Hell-beings
2. Hungry ghosts
3. Animals
4. Humans
5. Anti-gods or demigods
6. Gods

Factors of Enlightenment

1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation
3. Energy
4. Rapture
5. Tranquility
6. Concentration
7. Equanimity

Four Noble Truths
1.    The Truth of Suffering
2.    The Truth of the Cause of Suffering
3.    The Truth of the End of Suffering
4.    The Truth of the Path leading to the End of Suffering

Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right beliefs
2. Right aspirations
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditational attainment

Ten Paramita:

1. Giving or generosity
2. Virtue, ethics, morality
3. Renunciation, letting go, not grasping
4. Wisdom and insight
5. Energy, vigour, vitality, diligence
6. Patience or forbearance
7. Truthfulness
8. Resolution, determination, intention
9. Kindness, love, friendliness
10. Equanimity 

Twelve Links of Dependent Arising:

1. Ignorance
2. Karmic formations
3. Consciousness
4. Name and form
5. Six senses
6. Contact
7. Feeling
8. Craving
9. Grasping
10. Becoming
11. Birth
12. Aging and Death

Source Via : Religion facts