Portal:Buddhism/Intro

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Icon representative of Buddhism, showing the Buddha encircled by a lotus.

Buddhism is regarded as both a major world religion and a philosophy; it is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, who lived in or around the fifth century BC. The teachings spread from their roots in India to most of Asia including China, and Japan and now exist in three main divisions: Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana.