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

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Etymology

Origin of Buddhism

Buddh(a) + -ism

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Compare meaning

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

• Zen Buddhism vs. Buddhism

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Buddhism Buddhisms

Then, breaking the tension with his trademark belly laugh, he admitted his problem was attachment to Buddhism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism. Any of them are fine.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

In fast-secularising South Korea, Buddhism is regaining popularity thanks to a "hip" trend wooing Gen Z with festivals, fashion, robots and DJs, even as some fear for the fundamentals of the faith.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Buddhism, particularly as it is popularly practiced, promises improvement through karma.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

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 William Elliot Griffis

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 William Elliot Griffis

Possibly, also, besides the Southern and Northern Buddhisms, the Buddhism of Japan may be treated by itself and named Eastern Buddhism.

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

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 William Elliot Griffis

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 William Elliot Griffis

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