Buddhism

American  

[boo-diz-uhm, bood-iz-] / ˈbu dɪz əm, ˈbʊd ɪz- /

noun

1. a religion, originated in India by Buddha (Gautama) and later spreading to China, Myanmar (Burma), Japan, Tibet, and parts of Southeast Asia, holding that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject.

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Buddhism British  

/ ˈbʊdɪzəm /

noun

1. a religious teaching propagated by the Buddha and his followers, which declares that by destroying greed, hatred, and delusion, which are the causes of all suffering, man can attain perfect enlightenment See nirvana

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Buddhism Cultural  

1. A religion, founded by the Buddha, that emphasizes physical and spiritual discipline as a means of liberation from the physical world. The goal for the Buddhist is to attain nirvana, a state of complete peace in which one is free from the distractions of desire and self-consciousness. Buddhists are found in the greatest numbers in eastern Asia.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Buddhist
  adjective
• Buddhist
  adjective
• Buddhistical
  adjective
• pre-Buddhist
  adjective
• non-Buddhistic
  adjective
• pseudo-Buddhist
  adjective
• Buddhistically
  adverb
• pro-Buddhist
  adjective
• Buddhistic
  adjective
• non-Buddhist
  adjective
• Buddhist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Buddhism

Buddh(a) + -ism

Compare meaning

How does buddhism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Zen Buddhism vs. Buddhism

Example Sentences

A longtime supporter of Tibet and a convert to Buddhism, Gere has frequently met the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader accused by China of stoking separatism in the Himalayan region.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

“Some of the dialogue struck a chord with me. It was Buddhism and psychology. ‘Without wisdom, there is no gain.’

From Salon • May 31, 2026

Artist Matthew Thomas shows how the traditions of Buddhism and Black American abstraction both provide a sense of freedom and agility of faith.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

As “True Nature” illustrates, “The Snow Leopard” differs from Matthiessen’s previous nonfiction because it melds science with a spiritual quest, incorporating the author’s newfound zeal for Zen Buddhism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

I told him on the way, pointedly enough, that I was a student of Buddhism.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger