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

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

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

Tristan’s passage between worlds is anything but serene, and dancers, subtly choreographed by Annie-B Parson, accompany him as he hovers in the tunnel that suggests the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

For the last 108 days - a sacred number in Buddhism representing spiritual completion - the group has walked this same single-file line step by step.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

If you read “The Scripture of the Golden Eternity,” you really see how much he was impacted and inspired by Buddhism and how much he actually understood the teachings.

From Salon • Jul. 30, 2025

Press materials for “Dharma” suggest it’s a thematic package, with the exhibition as a means to learn about Buddhism.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2025

He’s a little man who always greets you with a smile, a piece of candy, and some random quote from one of his books on Buddhism.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles