Buddhism

American  

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

noun

Buddhisms plural

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

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Buddhisms
  plural

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

See Examples For:

Buddhism Buddhisms

Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism all attach moral significance to voluntary self-denial.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

"I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with this 'hip' image of Buddhism, as it lowers the barrier to entry and attracts many young people," she told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 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

As these forms of faith came down to the present day, they tended to ignore the strain of religions that are mostly nonproselytizing—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto and tribal indigenous traditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

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

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

The separatists began what may be called the Northern Buddhisms of Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot

We shall in this lecture attempt but two things: I. A summary of the process of thought by which the chief features of the Northern Buddhisms came into view.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot

Astonishingly different has been the case with the Northern Buddhisms which are those of Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Manchuria, China, Korea and Japan.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot

In a word, this one of the many Buddhisms of Asia is vastly less a religion, in any real sense of the word, than a system of metaphysics.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot

Many students have asked what is the peculiar, the characteristic difference between the Buddhism of Japan and the other Buddhisms of the Asian continent.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot