Buddhism

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life. After enlightenment, people called him the Buddha, which means, “enlightened one.” Various Buddhist schools have developed after the founding of . The two most common schools are the Mahayana and the Theravada. They have much in common. But also they differ in very important ways. The actual meaning of the word Theravada is “ Way of the Elders.” It is the oldest of all traditions. It is the primary practice in countries such as, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Theravada sees Buddha as a historical figure. This means instead of seeing Buddha as a divine figure, they see him as a great man who taught the world many things. They also like to emphasize a monastic life and the authority of the Tripitaka. The Theravadas believe that the ultimate kind of Buddhist is like a saint, called arhat. Theravada is often seen as the most conservative of all the traditions. The basic belief of Theravada is that people must work towards salvation without the help of gods or ...

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